Coparental and family group-level dynamics during infancy: Early family precursors ofchild and family functioning during preschool | Development and Psychopathology | Cambridge Core (original) (raw)

This study examines longitudinal correlates of coparental and family group-level dynamicsduring infancy. Thirty-seven couples observed at play with their 8–11-month-old infants(15 boys, 22 girls) rated their child's internalizing and externalizing symptoms, and theirown coparenting behavior 3 years later. Teachers also rated child behavior at the 3-yearfollow-up. Several significant relationships emerged between observed family process (highhostility–competitiveness, low family harmony, and high parenting discrepancies in thetriad) at Time 1, and subsequent reports of child and coparenting behavior at Time 2. Largerparenting discrepancies at Time 1 predicted greater child anxiety as rated by teachers; greaterhostility–competitiveness and lower harmony forecast higher child aggression. Time 1family process continued to predict Time 2 aggression even after controlling for individual andmarital functioning. Several links were also found between distressed family process and laterparental reports of negative coparenting behavior. These parental reports of coparenting alsoexplained unique variance in concurrent child behavior ratings. The significance of coparentingas a distinct family construct is discussed.