Citation

Jones DJ, Forehand R, Dorsey S, Foster S, Brody G. J. Fam. Violence 2005; 20(3): 141-150.

Affiliation

Department of Psychology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill; Psychology Department, University of Vermont, Burlington, Vermont; Child and Family Studies, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, North Carolina, USA.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2005, Holtzbrinck Springer Nature Publishing Group)

DOI

10.1007/s10896-005-3650-0

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

This longitudinal investigation examined main and interactive effects of coparent support and conflict on mother and child adjustment in 248 low-income, African American, single mother-headed families. The findings indicated that coparent conflict was a more robust predictor of mother and child maladjustment both cross-sectionally and longitudinally than was coparent support. Moreover, findings revealed that coparent conflict and support interacted to predict one parenting behavior, monitoring, both cross-sectionally and longitudinally. Coparent relationships characterized by high levels of support and low levels of conflict were associated with the highest levels of parental monitoring behavior, whereas coparent relationships characterized by low levels of support and high levels of conflict were associated with the lowest levels of monitoring. The findings highlight the importance of examining both positive and negative aspects of coparent relationships in this at-risk, but understudied, group.