Sense of Competence and Beliefs About Parental Roles in Mothers and Fathers as Predictors of Coparenting and Child Engagement in Mother–Father–Infant Triadic Interactions

The aim of this study was to assess the extent to which a sense of competence and beliefs about parental roles in mothers and fathers influence coparenting and child engagement in triadic interactions during the first 2 years of the child's life, after other influential variables such as marital satisfaction and postpartum depression have been controlled for. The sample constituted 69 mother–father–infant families, whose sense of competence, beliefs in parental roles, postpartum depression, and marital satisfaction were assessed in our laboratory at 3, 9, and 18 months with self‐reported questionnaires. Coparenting support and conflict and child engagement were assessed with the Lausanne Trilogue Play. Results show that (i) predictors of coparenting and child engagement are not the same at each time point; (ii) a sense of competence in mothers is positively linked with coparenting support, particularly at 3 months, whereas in fathers, it is negatively linked with support, particularly at 18 months; (iii) discrepancies between mothers and fathers in beliefs about the importance of the mother's role is the main predictor of coparenting conflict at 18 months; and (iv) paternal beliefs about the importance of the father's and mother's roles are the main predictor of child engagement at 18 months. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

组织中的社会阻抑:概念界定、影响结果和形成机制

社会阻抑是指长期的、蓄意地妨碍个体积极人际关系的建立和维持,影响个体在工作上的成功及良好名誉的行为.文章在介绍社会阻抑概念和测量的基础上,综述了社会阻抑在心理健康、自我效能感等个人层面和组织氛围层面的消极影响;接着阐明了个体对社会阻抑行为的实施和反应一方面受到人格、认知等内在因素的影响,另一方面也受到社会情境、社会支持等外在因素的影响.未来研究需进一步加强对社会阻抑概念、测量、研究方法、影响因素等方面的深入探讨.     

Attachment and coparenting representations in men during the transition to parenthood

Coparenting is based on parents’ representations of themselves as coparents. Attachment theory can be a useful framework to understand the way that different coparenting representations are developed during the transition to parenthood. This study aimed to analyze the association between men's attachment and coparenting representations at the first trimester of pregnancy and from the first trimester of pregnancy to 6 months’ postpartum. A sample of 86 men was recruited and completed self-report measures of attachment and coparenting representations at the first and third trimester of pregnancy and at 1 and 6 months’ postpartum. At the first trimester of pregnancy, higher attachment avoidance was associated with higher lack of coparenting support. From the first trimester of pregnancy to 6 months’ postpartum, higher attachment avoidance was associated with (a) a steeper increase on lack of coparenting support, (b) an increase on coparenting conflict (while low attachment avoidance was associated with a decrease), and (c) a lower decrease on coparenting disagreement. This study may contribute to coparenting research by showing new evidence on attachment theory as a useful framework to understand how different coparenting representations are developed in men during the transition to parenthood.     

父亲关于自身教养价值的态度对其教养投入行为的影响:一个有中介的调节模型

在基于身份认同理论的母亲守门员效应的框架下,本研究探讨了父亲关于自身教养价值的态度对其教养投入行为的影响机制,通过方便取样的方式在全国27个省市共选取了364对3-7岁儿童的父母,采用父亲教养投入问卷、父亲教养价值态度问卷、协同教养问卷进行测查,结果发现,母亲关于父亲教养价值的态度是父亲教养投入的促进性因子,在父亲关于自身教养价值态度影响其教养投入的过程中具有调节效应;这种调节效应以父亲协同教养的一致性为中介变量。这一研究结果可增强人们对母亲守门员效应的理解,对亲职教育的干预实践也具有一定的启示。     

When not teaming up puts parents at risk: Coparenting and parental burnout in dual-parent heterosexual families in Switzerland

Parental burnout refers to loss of energy and pleasure in the parental role. It is predictive of psychopathological outcomes in parents and dysfunctional parenting behaviors. Support of parental duties is central to alleviation of parental burden and prevention of burnout. Coparenting is the concept related to interparental mutual support in rearing a child. However, the links between coparenting and parental burnout have yet to be assessed. We thus aimed in this study to assess which dimensions of coparenting are linked with parental burnout. A total of 306 participants from the French-speaking part of Switzerland (120 fathers, 186 mothers) completed online questionnaires about parental burnout, their coparental relationship, and sociodemographic characteristics. We performed hierarchical regressions, entering sociodemographic characteristics in a first block and coparenting dimensions in a second block. Results showed that (i) a higher number of children and having younger children are linked to higher burnout; (ii) coparenting exposure to conflict is related to higher burnout, whereas endorsement of the partner's parenting is related to lower burnout; and (iii) no interaction effect occurs between sociodemographic characteristics and coparenting variables. Coparenting thus significantly contributes to the occurrence of burnout syndrome. Working on the coparental relationship preventively in parental educational programs or at a relational systemic level in therapy may help prevent burnout. Treating one parent only may not be sufficient to alleviate burnout, as negative coparenting could counter the effect of individual therapy.     

Randomized controlled trial of a prenatal focused coparenting consultation for unmarried black fathers and mothers: One-year infant and family outcomes

In the infant mental health field, scant conceptual attention has been given to coparenting and family adaptations of non-white family systems, with no evidence-based, community-informed coparenting interventions responsive to unmarried Black mothers’ and fathers’ life circumstances. This study examined 1-year post-partum child and family outcomes of a novel, modest dosage (six sessions) prenatal focused coparenting consultation (FCC) using randomized controlled trial methodology. One-hundred-thirty-eight expectant families (one or both parents identified as Black/African American) were randomized to an intervention (N = 70) or treatment-as-usual (TAU; control) condition (N = 68). TAU families received navigational support in accessing existing community services for pregnant families. Intervention families received TAU plus 6 dyadic FCC sessions led by a Black male-female Community Mentor team. When infants were three and 12 months old, parents reported on coparenting, father engagement, interparental aggression, depressive symptoms, and infant social and emotional adjustment. Intent-to-treat analyses focusing on 12-month post-partum data indicated significant intervention effects on coparenting, interparental psychological aggression, and infants’ emotional adjustment. Improvement was also seen in depression and father engagement, with gains for both groups. Results suggest FCC delivered by same-race Community Mentors to unmarried Black coparents transitioning to parenthood supports infant and family adaptation during the first year of life.     

婚姻质量对父母协同养育的影响：基于共同命运模型的跨层中介分析

共同命运模型(common fate model, CFM)是在家庭或二元层面研究中值得信赖的模型, 其更好地解释了亲密关系内在的相互依赖性。本研究基于共同命运模型探讨了家庭整体婚姻质量对父母协同养育程度的影响, 以及教养能力感在两者间的跨层中介作用。采用问卷法分层整群抽取上海市幼儿园中孩子(平均年龄5.14岁, 年龄范围4~7岁)的父亲与母亲参与调研, 分两个时间段(T1, T2; 间隔1年)收集数据, 最终得到650个家庭的父亲、母亲的婚姻满意度问卷(T1), 教养能力感问卷(T2)和协同养育感知问卷(T2)数据进行分析。结果发现: (1)基于共同命运模型, 家庭层面的婚姻质量正向预测家庭层面的支持性协同养育, 并负向预测家庭层面的破坏性协同养育; (2)家庭层面的婚姻质量正向预测父母各自的教养能力感; (3)父母各自的教养能力感正向预测家庭层面的支持性协同养育, 并负向预测家庭层面的破坏性协同养育; (4)父母个人层面的教养能力感在家庭层面的婚姻质量与家庭层面的支持性协同养育和破坏性协同养育起中介作用。总之, 本研究基于追踪数据运用共同命运模型, 并结合家庭层面(婚姻质量和协同养育)和个人层面(教养能力感)探讨了教养能力感在婚姻质量与父母协同养育间的跨层中介效应, 为营造良好的家庭环境提供一定的理论支持与指导意见, 并进一步促进了共同命运模型发展。     

核心家庭父亲协同教养对青少年抑郁的影响:父子依恋和母子依恋的中介作用

基于家庭系统理论,采用父亲协同教养、父子依恋、母子依恋和抑郁量表,对河南省某中学初中一、二年级,高中一、二年级共计890名来自核心家庭的青少年进行调查,探索父亲协同教养各维度（团结、一致、冲突、贬低）与青少年抑郁之间的关系,以及父子依恋和母子依恋在二者关系中的中介作用。结果表明：（1）在控制其它维度作用的情况下,父亲协同教养中的团结和冲突对青少年抑郁具有显著的预测作用,一致和贬低对抑郁的预测作用不显著,表明团结、冲突对青少年抑郁具有显著的“独特效应”;（2）团结、一致、冲突、贬低性协同教养均对母子依恋具有显著影响,支持家庭系统中的“交叉效应”;团结、冲突对父子依恋具有显著影响,支持家庭系统中的“外溢效应”;（3）中介效应分析的结果表明,团结、一致、冲突对抑郁的直接效应不显著,母子依恋在团结与青少年抑郁、冲突与青少年抑郁的关系中起到完全中介作用,但父子依恋的中介作用不显著。本研究有助于增进对父亲协同教养的认知,对于指导家庭教育实践、促进青少年心理积极发展具有重要的意义。     

父母的婚姻满意度对父亲教养投入的影响：父母协同教养的中介作用

在全国多个省市选取364对幼儿父母,采用父亲教养投入问卷、婚姻满意度问卷和协同教养问卷分别测查父亲教养投入、父母婚姻满意度及协同教养状况,通过结构方程模型检验父母的婚姻满意度、协同教养和父亲教养投入三者间的溢出、补偿和交叉效应及协同教养在父母婚姻满意度与父亲教养投入间的中介作用。结果发现：（1）溢出、补偿和交叉效应同时存在于婚姻满意度、协同教养与父亲教养投入三者之间;（2）以协同教养的团结或一致维度为中介变量时,父亲的协同教养行为可完全或部分中介父亲婚姻满意度对父亲教养投入的影响,母亲的婚姻满意度和母亲的协同教养行为对父亲教养投入均没有影响;以协同教养的冲突或贬低维度为中介变量时,父母的婚姻满意度直接对父亲教养投入产生影响,父母的协同教养行为不存在中介作用。     

Individual Parental Adjustment Moderates the Relationship Between Marital and Coparenting Quality

Contemporary family research studies have devoted surprisingly little effort to elucidating the interplay between adults' individual adjustment and the dynamics of their coparental relationship. In this study, we assessed two particularly relevant trait variables, parental flexibility and self-control, and traced links between these characteristics and the nature of the coparents' interactions together with their infants. It was hypothesized that parental flexibility and self-control would not only explain significant variance in coparenting quality, but also act as moderators attenuating anticipated relationships between marital functioning and coparental process. Participants were 50 heterosexual, married couples and their 12-month-old infants. Multiple regression analyses indicated that even after controlling for marital quality, paternal flexibility and maternal self-control continued to make independent contributions to coparenting harmony. As anticipated, paternal flexibility attenuated the association between marital quality and coparenting negativity. Contrary to predictions, maternal flexibility and self-control did not dampen, but actually heightened the extent to which coparenting harmony declined in the face of lower marital quality.