Psychological Development and Education ›› 2022, Vol. 38 ›› Issue (1): 109-117.doi: 10.16187/j.cnki.issn1001-4918.2022.01.13

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Father Coparenting and Adolescent Depression in Nuclear Families: The Mediating Roles of Father-child Attachment and Mother-child Attachment

ZHAO Fengqing1, CHENG Beibei2, LI Yixuan3, LIU Zhibin1, LIU Bing4, ZHANG Baoshan5   

  1. 1. School of Education, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou 450001;
    2. International College of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou 450001;
    3. Department of Psychology, Renmin University of China, Beijing 100872;
    4. Ganma High School, Lianyungang 222124;
    5. School of Psychology, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an 710062
  • Published:2022-02-17

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Abstract: Based on family system theory, this study examined the relationship between father coparenting (four dimensions:integrity, consistency, conflict, and bias) and adolescents' depression, as well as the mediating roles of parental attachment. A total of 890 junior high and senior high school students from nuclear families finished father coparenting, father-child attachment, mother-child attachment, and depression measures voluntarily. The results showed that:(1) Coparenting integrity significantly and negatively predicted adolescents' depression, and coparenting conflict significantly and positively predicted adolescents' depression, while consistency and bias did not predict depression significantly; (2) Coparenting integrity, consistency, conflict, and bias significantly predicted adolescents' attachment with mother, supporting the "crossover effect"; coparenting integrity and conflict significantly predicted adolescents' attachment with father, supporting the "spillover effect"; (3) The mediation analysis showed that the direct effect of coparenting integrity, consistency, and conflict were not significant, coparenting integrity and conflict may influence adolescent depression via mother-child attachment, while the mediating role of father-child attachment was not significant. These results would contribute to the knowledge of father coparenting, benefit the practice of family education, and promote adolescents' positive development.

Key words: father coparenting, parental attachment, depression, family system theory, adolescents

CLC Number: 

  • B844
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