The Internal Structure and Ecological Context of Coparenting: A Framework for Research and Intervention

TLDR

Coparenting is increasingly studied as a central element of family life that shapes parental adjustment, parenting practices, and child outcomes. This article introduces a multi‑domain conception of coparenting, explains how its domains influence parental and child outcomes, and outlines future research directions. The authors present an ecological model that maps how various domains of coparenting affect parental adjustment, parenting, and child outcomes through mediating and moderating pathways.

Abstract

Abstract Research on coparenting has grown over the past decade, supporting a view of coparenting as a central element of family life that influences parental adjustment, parenting, and child outcomes. This article introduces a multi-domain conception of coparenting that organizes existing research and paves the way for future research and intervention. This article advances a conceptualization of how coparenting domains influence parental adjustment, parenting, and child adjustment. An ecological model that outlines influences on coparenting relationships, as well as mediating and moderating pathways, is described. Areas of future research in the developmental course of coparenting relationships are noted.