Salima Sulaiman

Background: The coparenting relationship plays an important role in raising a child. The Coparenting Relationship Scale (CRS) is widely used to assess the multidimensional nature of coparenting; however, its psychometric properties have not been examined separately among mothers and partners, particularly in low- and middle-income country settings. This study evaluated the factor structure of the CRS among first-time mothers and partners in Karachi, Pakistan. Methods: The full study recruited primiparous mothers and their partners during the first or second trimester from a tertiary care hospital in Karachi, Pakistan. The analysis utilized data from 120 mothers and 102 partners who consented to participate at 12 weeks postpartum. Confirmatory factor analyses (CFAs) were performed separately for mothers and partners using the WLSMV estimator. Internal consistency was assessed using Cronbach alpha coefficients for each CRS subscale. Results: The seven-factor model demonstrated good model fit among mothers, with latent factor correlations within the admissible range and standardized factor loadings ranging from 0.49 to 0.92. Among partners, preliminary findings indicated that a six-factor model in which Coparenting Closeness and Endorsement of Partner’s Parenting were combined provided a more appropriate representation of the data. Most CRS subscales demonstrated satisfactory internal consistency; however, the Division of Labor subscale demonstrated low reliability among both mothers and partners. Conclusions: The findings provide preliminary evidence regarding the factor structure of the CRS among Pakistani mothers and partners.

Introduction: The postpartum coparenting relationship is an important determinant of parental well-being, relationship functioning, and child development during the transition to parenthood. However, most studies combine mothers’ and partner’s data, limiting the identification of parent-specific predictors of the postpartum coparenting relationship. This study examined predictors of the postpartum coparenting relationship among primiparous Pakistani couples in Karachi by analyzing mothers’ and partners’ data separately. Methods: The full study recruited primiparous mothers and their partners through convenience sampling during the first or second trimester from a tertiary care hospital in Karachi, Pakistan. The analysis utilized data from 101 couples who completed questionnaires at 12-weeks postpartum. Couples were assessed for anxiety symptoms, depressive symptoms, relationship satisfaction, partner support, and coparenting relationship using the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale, Patient Health Questionnaire-9, Revised Dyadic Adjustment Scale, Postpartum Partner Support Scale, and Coparenting Relationship Scale, respectively, during pregnancy and at 12-weeks postpartum. Anxiety and depressive symptoms were also assessed at 4–6-weeks postpartum. Multivariable regression models were used to examine predictors of postpartum coparenting relationship separately for mothers and partners. Results: The mean age of mothers was 26.9 years and 30.6 years for partners. Individual regression model suggested that mothers’ ethnicity (p < 0.001), partners ethnicity (p < 0.001), mothers’ education (p < 0.001), and partner’s education (p < 0.001) were individually and significantly associated with mothers’ postpartum coparenting relationship at 12-weeks postpartum. In the multivariable regression model, mothers’ postpartum coparenting relationship was significantly predicted by her postpartum relationship satisfaction (p = 0.023), postpartum partner support (p < 0.001), and partners’ antenatal depressive symptoms (p = 0.016). Similarly, the multivariable regression model showed that partner’s postpartum coparenting relationship was predicted by mothers’ postpartum coparenting relationship (p = 0.009), partners’ antenatal coparenting relationship (p = 0.001), partners’ postpartum relationship satisfaction (p = 0.021), and partners’ postpartum anxiety at 12-weeks (p = 0.005). Discussion: Findings support the view that coparenting is embedded within broader relational and sociocultural systems, where individual well-being, relationship quality, and reciprocal influences shape early postpartum family functioning. Timely screening for anxiety symptoms, depressive symptoms, and coparenting relationship in clinical settings for both parents may facilitate early identification and interventions to strengthen partner support and promote family well-being.