Abstract
Research into anxiety has largely ignored the dynamics of family systems in anxiety development. Coparenting refers to the
quality of coordination between individuals responsible for the upbringing of children and links different subsystems within
the family, such as the child, the marital relationship, and the parents. This review discusses the potential mechanisms and
empirical findings regarding the bidirectional relations of parent and child anxiety with coparenting. The majority of studies
point to bidirectional associations between greater coparenting difficulties and higher levels of anxiety. For example, the
few available studies suggest that paternal and perhaps maternal anxiety is linked to lower coparental support. Also, research
supports the existence of inverse links between coparenting quality and child anxiety. A child’s reactive temperament appears
to have adverse effects on particularly coparenting of fathers. A conceptual model is proposed that integrates the role of
parental and child anxiety, parenting, and coparenting, to guide future research and the development of clinical interventions.
Future research should distinguish between fathers’ and mothers’ coparenting behaviors, include parental anxiety, and investigate
the coparental relationship longitudinally. Clinicians should be aware of the reciprocal relations between child anxiety and
coparenting quality, and families presenting for treatment who report child (or parent) anxiety should be assessed for difficulties
in coparenting. Clinical approaches to bolster coparenting quality are called for.
quality of coordination between individuals responsible for the upbringing of children and links different subsystems within
the family, such as the child, the marital relationship, and the parents. This review discusses the potential mechanisms and
empirical findings regarding the bidirectional relations of parent and child anxiety with coparenting. The majority of studies
point to bidirectional associations between greater coparenting difficulties and higher levels of anxiety. For example, the
few available studies suggest that paternal and perhaps maternal anxiety is linked to lower coparental support. Also, research
supports the existence of inverse links between coparenting quality and child anxiety. A child’s reactive temperament appears
to have adverse effects on particularly coparenting of fathers. A conceptual model is proposed that integrates the role of
parental and child anxiety, parenting, and coparenting, to guide future research and the development of clinical interventions.
Future research should distinguish between fathers’ and mothers’ coparenting behaviors, include parental anxiety, and investigate
the coparental relationship longitudinally. Clinicians should be aware of the reciprocal relations between child anxiety and
coparenting quality, and families presenting for treatment who report child (or parent) anxiety should be assessed for difficulties
in coparenting. Clinical approaches to bolster coparenting quality are called for.
- Content Type Journal Article
- Pages 1-15
- DOI 10.1007/s10567-011-0103-6
- Authors
- Mirjana Majdandžić, Research Institute Child Development and Education, University of Amsterdam, Nieuwe Prinsengracht 130, 1018 VZ Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Wieke de Vente, Research Institute Child Development and Education, University of Amsterdam, Nieuwe Prinsengracht 130, 1018 VZ Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Mark E. Feinberg, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA
- Evin Aktar, Research Institute Child Development and Education, University of Amsterdam, Nieuwe Prinsengracht 130, 1018 VZ Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Susan M. Bögels, Research Institute Child Development and Education, University of Amsterdam, Nieuwe Prinsengracht 130, 1018 VZ Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Journal Clinical Child and Family Psychology Review
- Online ISSN 1573-2827
- Print ISSN 1096-4037