Coparenting and Father Engagement Among Low-Income Parents: Actor-Partner Interdependence Model

This study used a sample of 3,464 low-income couples from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study to longitudinally study both mothers' and fathers' perceptions of coparental support and paternal engagement across Years 1 to 5 after the birth of a child. Longitudinal dyadic data analysis consistent with family systems theory and the actor-partner interdependence model allowed assessment of both independent actor effects and partner effects to assess the associations between prior coparental relationship quality, perceived paternal engagement, and subsequent family relationship quality. Findings revealed significant stability of within-construct actor effects across time coupled with significant, but weaker, within-construct partner effects to predict both perceived coparental support and father engagement. Findings provided partial evidence for bidirectional effects among coparenting support and father engagement during the first 5 years after the birth of a child. There was a consistent pattern of maternal and paternal perception of coparenting support predicting father engagement throughout early childhood, but these were mostly actor effects. There were fewer associations between perception of engagement and later coparenting, but these effects were not insubstantial. The study demonstrates the importance of collecting dyadic data, using couple-sensitive analyses, and implications for early family interventions.