1. Objectifs

Intentions :
«The goal of this study was to examine whether the quality of the coparenting relationship, as reported independently by mothers and fathers, predicted children’s subsequent perceptions of the quality of their best friendship in middle childhood.» (p. 3093)

Questions/Hypothèses :
Authors «expected that higher-quality coparenting when children were in grade 2 would predict a higher quality best friendship when children were in grade.» (p. 3093)

2. Méthode

Échantillon/Matériau :
«The current data are drawn from a larger longitudinal study on child socio‐emotional and cognitive development that consisted of yearly home visits. When children were in second grade […], mothers and fathers reported on the quality of their coparenting relationship and on their overall marital satisfaction. Parents were asked to complete the questionnaires separate from one another and invited to return them by mail in provided prepaid envelopes. Two years later, the children, who were now in fourth grade […], reported on the perceived quality of their best friendship.» (p. 3094) More specifically, «[e]ighty-eight families (child, father, and mother) living in a large Canadian metropolitan area were assessed […]. Families were recruited from random birth lists generated by the Ministry of Health and Social Services […]. At the first timepoint, mothers were between 27 and 52 years old (M=37.42) [and fathers] were between 29 and 61 years old (M=40.21) […].» (p. 3093)

Instruments :
Questionnaires

Type de traitement des données :
Analyse statistique

3. Résumé

Results shows «that children’s report of the quality of their best friendship was predicted by mothers’ but not fathers’ perceptions of the quality of their coparenting relationship: mothers who perceived a supportive coparenting relationship with their spouse when their child was in second grade had children who reported a relationship of higher quality with their best friend in fourth grade. This association was significant after controlling for family SES [socioeconomic status], child sex, number of siblings, and both parents’ reports of marital satisfaction. Furthermore, this association was qualified by a significant interaction between mothers’ and fathers’ reports of coparenting. The association between mother-reported coparenting and child friendship was enhanced when fathers perceived a high-quality coparenting relationship. These findings are consistent with previous studies that found associations between the coparenting relationship and children’s social competence […] and prosocial behavior […]. The present study adds to these findings by suggesting that the coparenting relationship as perceived by the mothers themselves predicts children’s own perceptions of the quality of their relationship with their chosen best friend. Importantly, these associations are present even after accounting for marital satisfaction, supporting the claim that coparenting and marital satisfaction are two separate constructs that relate differently to child adjustment […], and that coparenting is linked more strongly to children’s friendship functioning.» (p. 3097)