Do associations between coparenting relationships and parenting behaviors differ for new mothers and fathers?

Engaging and high-quality parenting is critical to children's positive development. At the transition to parenthood, the coparenting relationship serves as an important context for the development of patterns of positive engagement and sensitive parenting. As suggested by the father vulnerability hypothesis, the coparenting relationship may be more critical to fathers' than to mothers' development as parents. The present study examined associations between multiple dimensions of coparenting relationships and new mothers' and fathers' positive engagement and parental sensitivity and tested for differences in these associations between mothers and fathers. In addition, associations of parents' positive engagement and sensitivity over time were also examined. Survey and observational data were collected from 181 dual-earner different-gender couples in the first year postpartum (18-50 years old; 86% White; 48% children were girls) and analyzed with path models. The results showed that lower conflict exposure and higher partner endorsement at 3 months postpartum were associated with higher parental sensitivity at 9 months postpartum. Greater received support at 3 months postpartum was related to higher positive engagement at 9 months postpartum. Associations between coparenting and parenting behavior did not differ for mothers and fathers. However, fathers' (but not mothers') higher positive engagement at 3 months postpartum portended greater parental sensitivity at 9 months postpartum. In sum, contrary to the father vulnerability hypothesis, the findings of the present study suggest that coparenting and parenting are associated in similar ways for new fathers and mothers in dual-earner families. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).