Parental personality, mental health, and fear of happiness as predictors of perceived coparenting relationship quality among mothers and fathers of preschoolers

ABSTRACT

Objective

Existing theoretical models and research findings highlight individual parent characteristics as contributors to coparenting relationship quality. Yet less is known about how indices of parental personality, beliefs, and mental health symptoms relate to coparenting perceptions among parents of preschoolers. This study examines direct and indirect paths connecting parents’ Big Five personality traits, fear of happiness, and depression and anxiety symptoms with perceived coparenting quality.

Method

Using an online survey design, 160 parents (81 mothers; 79 fathers) of preschoolers (age 2–5 years) completed the Ten-Item Inventory of Personality, Fear of Happiness Scale, Patient Health Questionnaire-4, and Coparenting Relationship Scale – Brief Form.

Results

Parental Emotional Stability negatively related to anxiety and depressive symptoms and to fear of happiness. Anxiety symptoms and fear of happiness directly, and negatively, related to coparenting quality. Emotional stability was indirectly, positively related to coparenting quality via lower levels of parental anxiety and fear of happiness. Although parental depressive symptoms were unrelated to coparenting quality, parents’ Openness to Experience and fear of happiness positively predicted depressive symptoms.

Conclusion

Findings suggest parents’ anxiety symptoms and fear of happiness may underlie the processes by which parental Emotional Stability relates to perceived coparenting quality among parents of preschoolers.

Key Points

What is already known about this topic:

1. Coparenting relationships are important for children’s social, emotional, and cognitive development.

2. Coparenting relationships are separate and distinct from the marital or intimate partner relationships.

3. Existing theory and research highlights parent characteristics including personality, beliefs, and emotions as contributors to coparenting quality.

What this topic adds:

1. Parents higher on Emotional Stability reported fewer anxiety and depression symptoms, less fear of happiness, and higher coparenting quality.

2. The path between Emotional Stability and coparenting quality was explained by parental fear of happiness.

3. Emotional Stability was also indirectly related to coparenting quality, via parental anxiety, but not depression symptoms.

KEYWORDS:

• Anxiety
• coparenting
• depression
• fear of happiness
• parents
• personality

Acknowledgments

We thank the parents who participated in this study, Mark A. Lopez for assistance with data collection, and Ben Hinnant for statistical consultation. The authors gratefully acknowledge internal research support for this study’s data collection from the University of North Texas. The authors have no competing interests to declare. Correspondence regarding this article should be addressed to Cynthia A. Frosch, 210 Spidle Hall, Auburn, AL 36849: [email protected].

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).