Maternal and paternal parenting: The role of interparental positivity and negativity from a dyadic perspective

Abstract

Using dyadic data (couple N =1,423) from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study (at child age of 5 and 9), this study examined how interparental positivity and negativity reported by mothers and fathers are associated with maternal and paternal parenting. The moderating role of parents' participation in early care and education (ECE) programs (i.e., workshops, information sessions) was further tested in this association. Parents' own and partners' interparental positivity were associated with more frequent parent-child activities four years later. Parenting stress was mainly predicted by parents' own perceptions of their interparental relationships. Parents' ECE participation did not moderate any association between interparental relationships and parenting, although it had a positive main effect on parent-child activities for both mothers and fathers. Results highlight the importance of accounting for broader family contexts in understanding parenting.