Coparenting in the context of postpartum depression: A qualitative study

Abstract

The aim of this study was to investigate coparenting in the context of postpartum depression. The participants were 11 families, with babies in their first year of life, in which the mother showed postpartum depression. The mother and father were interviewed about their experience of maternity and paternity, respectively. These interviews were examined through qualitative content analysis, based on four categories of coparenting: parental division of labor, coparental support versus undermining, joint family management, and childrearing agreement. The results revealed that postpartum depression symptoms, such as irritability and tiredness, appeared mainly associated with reports of low support and coparental undermining by both parents. The results also revealed a certain maternal difficulty to establish triadic interactions, as well as negative strategies for coparental conflict resolution. Implications of postpartum depression in coparenting are discussed.