Within-Family Association between Intimate Partner Violence Victimization and Coparenting Support Spanning the First 9 Years of Child Life: A Dyadic, Cross-Lagged Approach
摘要
Although the link between intimate partner violence (IPV) and coparenting has been widely observed, little is known regarding the temporal dynamics of their association over time at the within-family level or among parent dyads. Guided by the family systems theory, this study combined the Autoregressive Latent Trajectory with Structured Residuals (ALT-SR) Model and the Actor-Partner Interdependence Model (APIM) to delineate how IPV victimization and coparenting support relate to each other (i.e., spillover) and transmit across mothers and fathers (i.e., crossover) over time.
MethodsStructural equation modeling analyses were conducted using longitudinal, dyadic data from 2,406 couples over 4 waves spanning the first 9 years of child life (i.e., child 1, 3, 5, and 9 years old). The data were drawn from the Future of Families and Child Wellbeing Study (FFCWS).
ResultsAcross waves and at the within-family level, both mothers’ and fathers’ earlier reports of IPV victimization unidirectionally and negatively predicted their partners’ later coparenting support. Mothers’ earlier IPV victimization also unidirectionally and negatively predicted their own subsequent coparenting support (reported by fathers). Fathers’ earlier coparenting support (reported by mothers) unidirectionally and negatively predicted mothers’ later IPV victimization rather than their own. No associations were identified between mothers’ coparenting support (reported by fathers) and their own or fathers’ IPV victimization. The association between IPV and coparenting support remained stable from infancy to middle childhood.
ConclusionsBoth spillover and crossover processes may apply to the link between IPV victimization and coparenting support within the family, offering some unique insights for the designs of interventions aimed at combating IPV and enhancing coparenting functioning.