Predictors of Coparenting Relationship Quality in African American Single Mother Families: An Ecological Model

Nonmarital coparents, or adults who assist mothers with childrearing, play a significant role in the lives of African American single mothers and their children. Yet relatively little research has examined correlates of the quality of the coparenting relationship in these families. Using a broad ecological framework, the current study examined correlates of maternal-report of coparenting relationship quality in a sample of 242 low-income African American single mother families in the southeastern United States. Cross-sectionally, at each of two time points, neighborhoods characterized by lower levels of risk, higher levels of lax maternal parenting, and higher levels of maternal depressive symptoms were associated with a more compromised coparenting relationship.These findings were partially replicated in longitudinal analyses predicting coparenting relationship quality at Assessment 2 from Assessment 1 variables. Clinical implications and future research directions are discussed.

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