Residential Arrangements, Repartnering, and Coparental Quality Among Separated Mothers and Fathers in Norway
Kenneth Aarskaug WiikABSTRACT
Objective
This study examines how residential arrangements and both parents' family statuses are associated with coparental relationship quality following separation.
Background
Shared residence has increased across Western societies and is associated with better coparental relationship quality than sole residence. Less is known about how this association is shaped by parents' post‐separation family situations.
Methods
Using Norwegian cross‐sectional data from the Children and Parents Visitation and Residence surveys conducted in 2002, 2004, 2012, and 2020 ( N = 6342 separated parents; 3171 parental couples), this study analyzes interparental conflict and satisfaction with the residential arrangement. The analyses use multilevel models to compare shared‐residence, residential, and nonresidential parents and examine associations with both parents' post‐separation family statuses.
Results
Shared residence was associated with more favorable coparental quality, whereas own repartnering and former partners' new childbearing were associated with lower quality overall. Own repartnering was associated with less favorable coparental quality among shared‐residence and nonresidential fathers, but more favorable quality among shared‐residence and residential mothers. Former partners' repartnering mattered mainly among shared‐residence parents and showed the opposite gender pattern. Models combining both parents' repartnering statuses showed particularly favorable coparental quality among unpartnered shared‐residence fathers whose former partners had repartnered, but less favorable quality among comparable mothers.
Conclusion
Post‐separation coparental quality is shaped not only by residential arrangements but also by both parents' repartnering, emphasizing the importance of cross‐parent interdependencies.