Longitudinal Associations between Coparenting Quality, Sibling Relationship Quality, and Children’s Divorce-Specific Coping
Summary
Background: A large amount of research showed that children who experienced their parents’
divorce have an increased risk for various longer term adjustment problems. However, the
functioning of children after divorce in the shorter term, such as divorce-specific coping, has
received much less attention. Divorce-specific coping – such as self-blame and acceptance – is
important to examine as it relates to children’s everyday difficulties after divorce, is predictive of
their long-term adjustment, and is often targeted in intervention programs aimed at divorced
families. Aim: Based on a family systems perspective, we investigated the associations between
different family subsystems, namely the quality of coparenting and sibling relationship quality
after divorce, and children’s divorce-specific coping. Method: Dutch children (N = 135; Mage =
11.76) completed questionnaires to examine the associations of coparenting quality (CBQ) and
sibling relationship quality (NRI) with self-blame and acceptance (PFAD). Multilevel structural
equation modelling in Mplus was performed to investigate the proposed associations, and to
examine the sibling relationship quality as a potential mediator in the association between
coparenting and divorce-specific coping (i.e., acceptance and self-blame). Results: The
association of neither coparenting nor sibling relationship quality with self-blame or acceptance
was significant. Moreover, there was no mediation effect of sibling relationship quality.
Conclusion: Previous research has shown the importance of divorce-specific coping on
children’s longer term adjustment, but studies on its predictors is lacking. In the current study,
coparenting quality and sibling relationship quality did not seem to be associated with
acceptance or self-blame after divorce. Further research is needed, specifically on short-term
processes in families after divorce and on child characteristics to identify factors that influence
divorce-specific coping.