Percepção Materna e Paterna da Relação Coparental em Famílias Ribeirinhas da Amazônia

Abstract

Coparenting is the family subsystem that organizes how caregivers share responsibilities, support, and the management of conflicts related to child care. The quality of this relationship directly influences children’s socioemotional development and can be affected by factors such as couple relationship quality, parental involvement, socioeconomic conditions, and cultural characteristics. This dissertation investigated coparenting in 38 biparental riverside families from the island region of Belém do Pará, involving 43 children—20 girls and 23 boys—aged 3 to 5 years (M = 3.61). A systemic approach was adopted, integrating self-report measures, sociodemographic data, and direct observation of parental interactions. The results indicated high levels of perceived coparenting, with distinct patterns between mothers and fathers. Among fathers, a particularly strong association between coparenting and couple relationship quality was observed, suggesting that the quality of the marital relationship strongly influenced how they perceived collaboration and mutual support in caring for their children. For mothers, the most relevant factor was perceived paternal involvement. Observational data revealed functional synchrony, physical proximity, variable engagement, and a predominantly neutral affective climate, with a tendency toward positive expressions of affect, reflecting alternating moments of collaboration and disengagement. Th3e sociodemographic analysis pointed to subtle effects of contextual variables, highlighting the negative influence of paternal religion on maternal perceptions and a negative trend of maternal income on fathers’ perceptions of coparental cooperation. The comparison between self-report and observational data revealed partial predictive validity of the PATER instrument, particularly for dimensions related to physical proximity and body orientation. The findings reinforce the relevance of a systemic approach, demonstrating the reciprocal influence among family subsystems and environmental factors, and provide insights for culturally sensitive interventions aimed at promoting positive coparenting and child well-being.