The Effects of Postdivorce Attachment on Coparenting Relationships

Whether ongoing attachment to the former spouse affects postdivorce relationships has been a source of debate and controversy for several years. The purpose of this study was to further explore post-divorce attachment by examining the influence of both friendly and dependent types of attachment on the coparent- ing relationship. The sample consisted of 95 respondents (54 women and 41 men) who were divorced and not remarried. Results indicated that friendlier attachment is not only conducive to a more supportive and shared coparenting relationship, but also decreases conflict around childrearing. The predicted inverse relationship between de- pendent attachment and shared and supportive coparenting 'was not found. Instead, dependent attachment was positively related to sup- portive and shared coparenting, but only for women. There were no gender differences on the attachment and coparenting variables. Custodial status did not differentiate the respondents on the depen- dent variables. Discussion centered on the implications of types of attachment for continuing coparenting relationships between di- vorced parents.