Longitudinal associations between father- and mother-child interactions, coparenting, and child cardiometabolic health.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to examine the longitudinal connections between early observed parenting and coparenting relationship quality and children's later cardiometabolic health outcomes. METHOD: Structural equation modeling was used to examine (a) the associations between fathers' and mothers' sensitive engagement with their children and competitive-withdrawn coparenting during infancy (10 months) and toddlerhood (24 months); (b) the extent to which these parenting and coparenting factors predicted four markers of children's cardiometabolic health in middle childhood (∼7 years); and (c) indirect pathways from parenting and coparenting at 10 months to cardiometabolic markers (C-reactive protein [CRP], interleukin-6, total cholesterol, and glycated hemoglobin [HbA1c]) at 7 years, via parenting and coparenting at 24 months, within a longitudinal, cross-lagged framework. The sample comprised 292 child-father-mother triads from a randomized trial of Family Foundations, a preventive intervention focused on enhancing coparenting interactions between first-time parents. RESULTS: Fathers' sensitive engagement at 10 months was negatively associated with their competitive-withdrawn coparenting at 24 months, which subsequently predicted lower levels of child CRP and HbA1c. Furthermore, fathers' competitive-withdrawn coparenting at 24 months explained the association between their sensitive engagement at 10 months and later child CRP and HbA1c. These associations were not significant in a parallel model for mothers. CONCLUSION: These findings highlight the influence of child-father interactions and coparenting dynamics on long-term child health. Promoting supportive coparenting and positive paternal involvement may represent valuable preventive strategies for reducing child cardiometabolic risk. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).