Department of Social Work, School of Sociology and Political Science, Shanghai University, Shanghai, China.
Department of Social Work and Social Administration, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China.
Fam Process. 2024 Sep;63(3):1409-1428. doi: 10.1111/famp.12916. Epub 2023 Jul 11.
Intergenerational coparenting has become an increasingly common family phenomenon across the globe. In this study, we examined the associations among depressive symptoms, perceptions of intergenerational coparenting relationships, and (grand)parenting behaviors. Participants were parents and grandparents most involved in child care from 464 Chinese coparenting families sampled in urban China. The results from a test of the actor-partner interdependence mediation model showed that the depressive symptoms of parents and grandparents were indirectly and positively related to their harsh discipline of children or negatively related to their supportiveness toward children, and the association was mediated via their own perceptions of the coparenting relationship. In addition, parents' depressive symptoms were indirectly and positively related to grandparental harsh parenting or negatively related to grandparental supportive parenting through grandparents' perceived coparenting relationship. Grandparents' depressive symptoms were indirectly and positively related to parental harsh parenting or negatively related to parental supportive parenting through parents' perceptions of the coparenting relationship. This study highlights the importance of uncovering the processes and dynamics of parent-grandparent coparenting practices through a lens of family systems and interdependence theories as well as a dyadic approach. It also has practical implications for family interventions in the context of intergenerational coparenting. Specifically, this study recommends parallel (grand)parenting intervention sessions for parents and grandparents simultaneously to benefit the well-being of all three generations.
代际共同养育在全球范围内已成为一种越来越普遍的家庭现象。本研究考察了抑郁症状、代际共同养育关系认知与（外）祖父母养育行为之间的关系。参与者是来自中国城市的 464 个共同养育家庭中最关心孩子的父母和（外）祖父母。演员-伙伴相互依存中介模型的检验结果表明，父母和（外）祖父母的抑郁症状与其对子女的严厉管教呈间接正相关，与其对子女的支持呈间接负相关，这种关联是通过他们对共同养育关系的认知来介导的。此外，父母的抑郁症状通过（外）祖父母对共同养育关系的认知，与其对孙辈的严厉养育呈间接正相关，与其对孙辈的支持性养育呈间接负相关。（外）祖父母的抑郁症状通过父母对共同养育关系的认知，与其对子女的严厉养育呈间接正相关，与其对子女的支持性养育呈间接负相关。本研究强调了通过家庭系统和相互依存理论以及对偶方法从家庭系统和相互依存理论的角度揭示父母-（外）祖父母共同养育实践的过程和动态的重要性。它也对代际共同养育背景下的家庭干预具有实际意义。具体来说，本研究建议同时为父母和（外）祖父母提供平行（外）祖父母养育干预课程，以造福三代人的福祉。
