Responsible 

Fatherhood 

Spotlight 

March 2008 

Take Time to Be a Dad Today 

National Responsible Fatherhood Clearinghouse  101 Lake Forest Boulevard, Suite 360  Gaithersburg, MD 20877  

Toll-free: 1 (877) 4DAD411  Fax: (301) 948-4325  www.fatherhood.gov 

Couple Relationship Quality and Coparenting 

The quality of the relationship between a mother and father is important for understanding their 

coparenting behavior (i.e., shared decision making about the well-being of a child). Research suggests 

that better mother-father relationships and higher quality coparenting relationships go hand in hand, and 

the quality of each of these relationships is important for children’s well-being. 

Definitions 

Couple relationship quality refers to the quality of a relationship between two married or romantically 

involved people. A more positive relationship is characterized by low levels of hostility and conflict and by 

high levels of support and satisfaction within the relationship. 

Coparenting refers to the shared decision making between caregivers as it relates to the well-being of a 

child.24 Positive coparenting is often characterized by each parent’s supportiveness of the other, including 

affirming the other’s competency as a parent, acknowledging and respecting the other’s contributions, 

and upholding the other’s parenting decisions and authority.17,30 

Importance and Implications of Relationship Quality for Coparenting 

Research on relationship quality and coparenting has consistently found that higher quality couple 

relationships are associated with more positive coparenting, as well as with improved child well-being. 

Implications of Couple Relationship Quality for Fathers’ Coparenting 

Research shows that high quality mother-father relationships and high quality coparenting relationships 

go hand in hand.5,6,15 This finding appears to confirm the “spillover” hypothesis – the idea that 

characteristics of the marital relationship influence characteristics of other family relationships (such as 

the parent-child relationship and the coparenting relationship). 15 

• Couples who are satisfied in their romantic relationships are more likely to exhibit positive 

cooperation and communication when interacting in the presence of their children.3

 

• Among married fathers, better marital quality is related to better coparenting.1,26,27 

• Among families with infants, those who experience marital distress exhibit more hostile and 

competitive coparenting.17 

• For divorced fathers, those who have better, less conflicted relationships with their former 

spouses have more positive coparenting relationships.12 Also for divorced fathers, those who 

mediated child custody have higher levels of coparenting 12 years later than those who were 

involved in litigating custody.4

 

Implications for Children 

Father-mother relationship quality and the coparenting relationship are also associated with children’s 

positive development. 

• A large body of evidence suggests that the quality of the mother-father relationship is associated 

with child well-being. 

o Higher quality mother-father relationships are associated with secure attachment among 

toddlers.11 
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o By contrast, hostile and conflicted mother-father relationships are associated with 

children having higher rates of internalizing and externalizing behaviors, maladjustment, 

aggression, hostility, anxiety/depression, suicide, low self-esteem, troubled peer 

interactions, antisocial behavior, and delinquency.8,9,13,14,28

o Hostile and conflicted relationships are also associated with children having poorer 

educational attainment, lower GPAs, poorer physical health, higher levels of health 

problems, and receipt of lower quality health care.7,10,19,20 

• Increasing evidence also demonstrates an association between coparenting and children’s wellbeing. 

o Among very young children, positive and supportive coparenting is associated with 

healthy, secure attachment.2

 Harmonious parental interactions and agreement about 

childrearing practices have also been found to be positively associated with children’s 

interpersonal and social competence.16,29

o Cooperative coparenting is associated with greater involvement on the part of 

nonresident fathers,23 which is itself associated with a range of positive outcomes for 

children.22

o By contrast, less supportive coparenting is associated with children having attention 

problems, externalizing behavior problems, sadness, and anxiety.18,21,25

Relationship Quality and Coparenting in Early Childhood 

Figure 1 and Table 1 show that over time, coparenting is slightly but consistently higher when the fathermother relationship is very happy than when it is not very happy. This pattern begins in infancy and 

persists into the preschool years (the latest time point for which data are available). 

Figure 1. Level of Coparenting by Quality of Father-Mother Relationship Over Time 

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

9 months

(range=0-2)

24 months

(range=0-8)

48 months

(range=0-10)

Child's Age

Co-parenting

Very Happy

Not Very Happy

Source: Child Trends’ analysis of ECLS-B 9-month, 24-month, and 48-month data 
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Table 1. Coparenting by Quality of Father-Mother Relationship 

Survey Wave Very Happy Not Very Happy 

Possible 

Range 

9 months 1.7 1.5a 0 – 2 

24 months 6.5 5.8a 0 – 8 

48 months 8.6 7.8a 0 – 10 

Source: Child Trends’ analysis of ECLS-B 9-month, 24-month, and 48-month data

a = significantly different from “very happy” 

Differences in Relationship Quality and Coparenting by Subgroup 

The following estimates are for fathers of toddlers (24-month-old children). 

Differences by Poverty Status 

Figure 2 and Table 2 show that in households above the poverty line, coparenting is significantly higher 

when the mother-father relationship is happier. A similar pattern is evident among households below the 

poverty line, but this difference is not statistically significant. 

Figure 2. Level of Coparenting by Poverty Status and Quality of Father-Mother Relationship 

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

Poor Not Poor

Poverty Status

Co-parenting

Very Happy

Not Very Happy

Source: Child Trends’ analysis of ECLS-B 24-month data 

Table 2. Coparenting by Poverty Status and Quality of the Father-Mother Relationship 

Poverty Status Very Happy Not Very Happy Possible Range 

Poor 6.5 6.2 0-8 

Not Poor 6.5 5.7a 0-8 

Source: Child Trends’ analysis of ECLS-B 24-month data 

a = significantly different from “very happy” 

Differences by Educational Attainment 

Figure 3 and Table 3 show that regardless of educational attainment, coparenting is significantly higher 

when fathers report very happy relationships than when fathers report relationships that are not very 

happy. 
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Figure 3. Level of Coparenting by Educational Attainment and Quality of 

Father-Mother Relationship 

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

Less than High

School

High

School/GED

Some College College or

More

Educational Attainment

Co-parenting

Very Happy

Not Very Happy

Source: Child Trends analysis of ECLS-B 24-month data 

Table 3. Coparenting by Educational Attainment and Quality of the Father-Mother Relationship 

Educational 

Attainment Very Happy 

Not Very 

Happy 

Possible 

Range 

Less than High 

School 6.3 5.9a

0-8 

High School/GED 6.6 5.8a 0-8 

Some College 6.5 5.9a 0-8 

College Degree or 

More 6.4 5.6a

0-8 

Source: Child Trends’ analysis of ECLS-B 24-month data 

a = significantly different from “very happy” 

Differences by Race/Ethnicity 

As seen in Figure 4 and Table 4, for non-Hispanic White fathers, Hispanic fathers, and fathers of another 

race/ethnicity, coparenting is significantly higher when the father reports a very happy mother-father 

relationship than when he reports that it is not very happy. A similar pattern is evident among nonHispanic Black fathers, but this difference is not statistically significant. 
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Figure 4. Level of Coparenting by Race/Ethnicity and Quality of Father-Mother Relationship 

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

White Black Hispanic Other Race

Race/Ethnicity

Co-parenting

Very Happy

Not Very Happy

Source: Child Trends analysis of ECLS-B 24-month data 

Table 4. Coparenting by Race/Ethnicity and Quality of the Father-Mother Relationship 

Race/Ethnicity Very Happy 

Not Very 

Happy 

Possible 

Range 

Non-Hispanic White 6.4 5.6a 0-8 

Non-Hispanic Black 6.8 6.3 0-8 

Hispanic 6.7 6.1a 0-8 

Other 

Race/Ethnicity 6.3 5.7a

0-8 

Source: Child Trends’ analysis of ECLS-B 24-month data 

a = significantly different from “very happy” 

Definitions and Measurement 

Fathers who said that their relationship with their spouse or partner was “very happy” were classified as 

having a very happy relationship, and fathers who said that their relationship was “fairly happy” or “not 

very happy” were classified as having a “not very happy” relationship. 

Coparenting was assessed based on the level of shared decision making between the mother and the 

father as it related to decisions about the child’s education/schooling/child care, nutrition, health care, and 

discipline. Specifically, when the child was nine months old, fathers were asked to rate the amount of 

influence they had about the decision to use or not use child care. When the child was 24 months old, 

fathers were asked to rate the influence they had about decisions related to child care, nutrition, health 

care, and discipline. When the child was 48 months old, fathers were asked to rate the influence they had 

about decisions related to child care, education, nutrition, health care, and discipline. Fathers reported 

whether they had “no influence,” “some influence,” or “a great deal of influence” on decisions related to 

each of these topics, with higher scores indicating greater influence. Scores for each item were added 

together to provide one measure of shared decision making. 
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Data Sources 

Tables and charts documenting relationship happiness and father involvement among resident fathers 

came from Child Trends’ analysis of data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study – Birth Cohort 

(ELCS-B) 9-month, 24-month, and 48-month surveys. The ECLS-B is a nationally representative, 

longitudinal survey of American children born in 2001. The ECLS-B includes 10,688 children and their 

caregivers, and it follows these children from infancy until the time they enter first grade. Data were 

collected through parent interviews, direct child assessments, birth certificate data, and interviews with 

children’s caregivers and teachers. Data were collected by the National Center for Educational Statistics. 

Data Limitations 

Because fathers are asked a different series of questions about shared decision making with children at 

each survey wave, the measure of coparenting differs slightly at each time point. 

Resources 

• The United States Department of Health and Human Services funds programs and research 

about fatherhood development and the importance of fathers for children: http://fatherhood.hhs.gov/ 

• The National Center on Fathers and Families provides research-based information about father 

involvement and child well-being aimed at improving children’s lives through the positive participation 

of their fathers: http://www.ncoff.gse.upenn.edu/ 

• The National Center for Fathering conducts research and provides resources to increase 

involvement of fathers in the lives of children: http://www.fathers.com 
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References 

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