The coparenting relationship in Chinese families: The role of parental neuroticism and depressive symptoms

The current study aimed to examine whether parental neuroticism was related to the coparenting relationship directly and indirectly via parental depressive symptoms. Furthermore, this study aimed to explore the interdependency of the effects between parents in Chinese nuclear and extended families. Two waves of longitudinal data from a sample of 1,419 Chinese families were used (822 nuclear families and 597 extended families). Both fathers and mothers rated their levels of neuroticism, depressive symptoms at the first wave, and their perceived coparenting relationship 1 year later. Using the actor-partner interdependence model (APIM) in nuclear and extended families, both parental neuroticism and depressive symptoms predicted their coparenting relationship (i.e., actor effects). Maternal neuroticism and maternal depressive symptoms predicted paternal coparenting relationship in both nuclear and extended families. Partner effects of paternal neuroticism were significant only in extended families. Compared with fathers, the actor effects of depressive symptoms on the coparenting relationship were higher among mothers. Depressive symptoms played a partial mediating role between neuroticism and the coparenting relationship in dyadic ways. These findings improved our understanding of the underlying mechanisms involved in the coparenting relationship by showing the interrelation of personality and mental health factors. The specific implications of how therapists may intervene in parental mental health to promote the coparenting relationship were discussed.