Vol.:(0123456789) 1 3 Journal of Adult Development https://doi.org/10.1007/s10804-018-9308-y The Coparenting Relationship Scale—Father’s Prenatal Version Tiago Miguel Pinto 1  · Bárbara Figueiredo 1  · Mark E. Feinberg 2 © Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature 2018 Abstract This study aimed to examine the psychometric characteristics of the Coparenting Relationship Scale when administered in fathers during pregnancy. During the frst trimester of a partner’s pregnancy, 91 primiparous fathers completed the Copar- enting Relationship Scale—Father’s Prenatal Version (CRS-FPV), and self-report measures of depressive and anxious symptoms, adult attachment, and partner’s relationship quality. The CRS-FPV revealed good internal consistency. Explora- tory factor analysis revealed four factors: lack of coparenting support, coparenting confict, coparenting disagreement, and coparenting undermining. Confrmatory factor analysis revealed a good model ft. Signifcant associations between the CRS- FPV and the original CRS subscales were found. Hypothesized associations between the CRS-FPV subscales and individual (depressive and anxious symptoms and adult attachment) and dyadic (partner’s relationship quality) constructs were also signifcant. The present study suggested that the CRS-FPV is a reliable multidimensional measure to assess coparenting in fathers during pregnancy. Keywords Coparenting Relationship Scale · Psychometric characteristics · Pregnancy · Fathers · Depressive and anxious symptoms · Adult attachment · Partner’s relationship quality Introduction According to Feinberg (2003), coparenting is defned as the involvement of both parents in education, responsibili- ties, and decisions about their children’s lives, focusing on interparental interactions associated with adults’ functions and expectations about their role as parents. Constructing a coparenting relationship is an important developmental task during the transition to parenthood (e.g., Altenburger et al. 2014; Favez et al. 2013; Van Egeren 2004). This rela- tionship is built progressively across the transition to par- enthood and is already operative during pregnancy (e.g., Altenburger et al. 2014; Favez et al. 2013; Van Egeren and Hawkins 2004). For example, during pregnancy parents start to develop mental representations of themselves as coparents (e.g., Feinberg 2003; Van Egeren 2003). From this perspective, when partners start to discuss issues related to coparenting (e.g., how they will divide caregiving) they have already begun the process of coparenting, long before childbirth (e.g., Altenburger et al. 2014; Favez et al. 2013; Van Egeren and Hawkins 2004). The way that both fathers and mothers adjust to their new roles as coparents is determined and infuenced by multiple factors. Feinberg’s ecological model (2003) suggests that coparenting is shaped by four main groups of factors: indi- vidual parental characteristics, child characteristics, interpa- rental relationship and stress and support contextual sources. Studies suggested that gender afects coparenting behavior (e.g., Schoppe-Sullivan et al. 2008). During pregnancy, constructing a coparenting relationship may be especially important for fathers. While mothers undergo more physical changes of pregnancy, fathers seem to have more leeway in the degree to which they are forward-looking and preparing to become a parent and a coparent (e.g., Schoppe-Sullivan et al. 2014). Father’s depressive and anxious symptoms were found to be negatively associated with coparenting support and positively associated with coparenting confict (e.g., Bronte-Tinkew et al. 2007, 2009, 2010). Studies also showed negative associations between the secure dimension of father’s adult attachment and coparenting confict (e.g., Talbot et al. 2009). Other studies found that lower couple * Tiago Miguel Pinto tmpinto@psi.uminho.pt 1 School of Psychology, University of Minho, Campus of Gualtar, 4710-057 Braga, Portugal 2 Prevention Research Center, Pennsylvania State University, Park University, Parkville, MO, USA