The present study aims to extend research on Dyadic Coping (DC) and its role in broader family functioning by investigating its associations with parenting dimensions (PD) and child adjustment (CA). Little is known about the specific link between marital DC and child adjustment and further studies are needed to investigate this association (Zemp et al., 2016). Our contribution focuses on the mechanism through which supportive or unsupportive partners¿ coping interactions influence the way they engage, as parents, in the relationship with their children. According to parenting process models (e.g Belsky,1984), marital characteristics work as fundamental determinants of parenting by affecting in turn child development. We expect parent¿s perceptions of positive or negative DC to be associated with child adjustment through different dimensions of parent-child relationship. Interviews were conducted in with 147 dyads of mothers and fathers of Italian adolescents (mean age=14.24, SD=.65; 51% boys). Both parents were asked to report on their parent-child relationship (Parental Acceptance-Rejection/Control Questionnaire-Short Form; Rohner, 2005), children¿s internalizing and externalizing behaviours and school performance (Child Behaviour Checklist; Achenbach,1991). Dyadic coping was assessed via an adapted version of the Dyadic Coping Inventory (Bodenmann, 2008). Cross-sectional Actor-Partner Interdependence Models (APIM) will be implemented to examine the associations between negative and positive DC and parental dimensions. We will examine the potential effects of these associations on child adjustment. Theoretical and practical implications of these results will be discussed.
Despite the growing recognition of the need to consider stress and coping in a dyadic framework (Berg & Upchurch, 2007; Cutrona & Gardner, 2006; Story & Bradbury, 2004), questions remain concerning the interplay between marital coping interactions and parental functioning. However, fewer studies have investigated the way in which the specific process of Dyadic Coping can influence broader family¿s dynamics and development, including parenting and child adjustment. The present project will build on previous findings by taking an additional step and providing a contribution on this emerging topic.
1) Direct association between Dyadic Coping and parenting. To our knowledge, this is the first study to test the direct association of Dyadic Coping with the parental dimensions allowing researchers to investigate its role in the broader family system. It further examines whether the way parents deal with stressors as a couple may affect their role as parents and consequently their children¿s adjustment.
2) The study is conceptually and methodologically designed to tap a fundamental aspect, still somehow neglected, of family studies. The conceptualization of Coping as a relational process requires to consider family and dyads as units of analyses. The present study, will address this issue by examining the parental dyad as the reference both for direct and reciprocal influences between partners.
3) Gender differences. Findings on gender differences regarding Dyadic Coping are inconsistent. The present study will test the potential moderation effect of parental gender on the association between the way mothers and father deal with stressors and their parental dimensions.
4) Implications for interventions. Findings from the present study may suggest that treatments focused on the interparental relationship - beyond parenting styles- could lead to substantial benefits for child well-being. Including the enhancement of Dyadic Coping skills in parenting rograms that are focused on helping mothers and fathers to deal with stress and its consequences, might have an additive positive effect on the larger family system. Differences among mothers an fathers on the effects of Dyadic Coping on parental practices should be taken into account.