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The Interdependence of Adult Relationship Quality and Parenting Behaviours among African American and European Couples in Rural, Low-Income Communities

Publication ,  Journal Article
Zvara, BJ; Mills-Koonce, WR; Heilbron, N; Clincy, A; Cox, MJ; Vernon-Feagans, L; Cox, M; Blair, C; Burchinal, P; Burton, L; Crnic, K; Lanza, S ...
Published in: Infant and Child Development
May 1, 2015

The present study extends the spillover and crossover hypotheses to more carefully model the potential interdependence between parent-parent interaction quality and parent-child interaction quality in family systems. Using propensity score matching, the present study attempted to isolate family processes that are unique across African American and European American couples that are independent of other socio-demographic factors to further clarify how interparental relationships may be related to parenting in a rural, low-income sample. The Actor-Partner Interdependence Model (APIM), a statistical analysis technique that accounts for the interdependence of relationship data, was used with a sample of married and non-married cohabiting African American and European American couples (n=82dyads) to evaluate whether mothers' and fathers' observed parenting behaviours are related to their behaviours and their partner's behaviours observed in a couple problem-solving interaction. Findings revealed that interparental withdrawal behaviour, but not conflict behaviour, was associated with less optimal parenting for fathers but not mothers, and specifically so for African American fathers. Our findings support the notion of interdependence across subsystems within the family and suggest that African American fathers may be specifically responsive to variations in interparental relationship quality.

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Published In

Infant and Child Development

DOI

EISSN

1522-7219

ISSN

1522-7227

Publication Date

May 1, 2015

Volume

24

Issue

3

Start / End Page

343 / 363

Related Subject Headings

  • Developmental & Child Psychology
  • 5204 Cognitive and computational psychology
  • 5202 Biological psychology
  • 5201 Applied and developmental psychology
  • 1702 Cognitive Sciences
  • 1701 Psychology
 

Citation

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Zvara, B. J., Mills-Koonce, W. R., Heilbron, N., Clincy, A., Cox, M. J., Vernon-Feagans, L., … Willoughby, M. (2015). The Interdependence of Adult Relationship Quality and Parenting Behaviours among African American and European Couples in Rural, Low-Income Communities. Infant and Child Development, 24(3), 343–363. https://doi.org/10.1002/icd.1919
Zvara, B. J., W. R. Mills-Koonce, N. Heilbron, A. Clincy, M. J. Cox, L. Vernon-Feagans, M. Cox, et al. “The Interdependence of Adult Relationship Quality and Parenting Behaviours among African American and European Couples in Rural, Low-Income Communities.” Infant and Child Development 24, no. 3 (May 1, 2015): 343–63. https://doi.org/10.1002/icd.1919.
Zvara BJ, Mills-Koonce WR, Heilbron N, Clincy A, Cox MJ, Vernon-Feagans L, et al. The Interdependence of Adult Relationship Quality and Parenting Behaviours among African American and European Couples in Rural, Low-Income Communities. Infant and Child Development. 2015 May 1;24(3):343–63.
Zvara, B. J., et al. “The Interdependence of Adult Relationship Quality and Parenting Behaviours among African American and European Couples in Rural, Low-Income Communities.” Infant and Child Development, vol. 24, no. 3, May 2015, pp. 343–63. Scopus, doi:10.1002/icd.1919.
Zvara BJ, Mills-Koonce WR, Heilbron N, Clincy A, Cox MJ, Vernon-Feagans L, Cox M, Blair C, Burchinal P, Burton L, Crnic K, Crouter A, Garrett-Peters P, Greenberg M, Lanza S, Mills-Koonce R, Werner E, Willoughby M. The Interdependence of Adult Relationship Quality and Parenting Behaviours among African American and European Couples in Rural, Low-Income Communities. Infant and Child Development. 2015 May 1;24(3):343–363.
Journal cover image

Published In

Infant and Child Development

DOI

EISSN

1522-7219

ISSN

1522-7227

Publication Date

May 1, 2015

Volume

24

Issue

3

Start / End Page

343 / 363

Related Subject Headings

  • Developmental & Child Psychology
  • 5204 Cognitive and computational psychology
  • 5202 Biological psychology
  • 5201 Applied and developmental psychology
  • 1702 Cognitive Sciences
  • 1701 Psychology