Co-parenting in the context of child psychiatric hospitalization
A multilevel qualitative study
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 21626697 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Ofir Negri-Schwartz (Bar-Ilan University, corresponding author), Rivka Tuval-Mashiach (0000-0002-7741-1807, Bar-Ilan University), Tal Shilton (0000-0001-8712-1400, Tel Aviv University), Mariela Mosheva (0000-0001-6404-0376, Tel Aviv University), Ariela Waniel-Zaga (Bar-Ilan University), Doron Gothelf (0000-0001-9305-5382, Tel Aviv University), Ilanit Hasson-Ohayon (0000-0002-5618-019X, Bar-Ilan University) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Volume | 45 |
| Issue | 5 |
| Publication date | 2026-03-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Current Psychology (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1046-1310 • E-ISSN: 1936-4733 |
| Publisher | Springer Science and Business Media LLC (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1007/s12144-026-09089-3 |
| OpenAlex | W7129717708 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 45 |
The hospitalization of a child in psychiatric care presents parents with a confluence of emotional, relational, and practical challenges. This qualitative study explored co-parenting experiences in this context, focusing on how parents perceive the decision to hospitalize their child and interpret hospitalization's outcomes. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 26 parents (13 dyads) and analyzed using a multilevel approach. At the individual level, most parents described hospitalization as a last resort following prolonged crisis. At the dyadic level, convergence in narratives was more frequent regarding the reasons for hospitalization than in expectations regarding outcomes or parental involvement during hospitalization. At the co-parenting profile level, three distinct co-parenting profiles emerged: aligned co-parenting (mutual understanding and shared support), partially aligned co-parenting (shared practical perspectives but divergent emotional experiences), and perceived discrepancy (one parent, typically the father, reporting detachment or secondary involvement). Overall, findings suggest that the hospitalization was mostly perceived as a joint crisis event which requires joint action and cooperation. This study offers insight into implicit co-parenting experiences during psychiatric hospitalization. Findings highlight the need for clinicians to attend to each parent’s narrative and to support shared meaning-making processes, especially when emotional dissonance exists within the dyad
Cognitive dissonance · Multilevel model · Narrative · Qualitative research · Family and Patient Care in Intensive Care Units · Family Caregiving in Mental Illness · Maternal Mental Health During Pregnancy and Postpartum
Coparenting
Families and Family Therapy
Dyadic Coping and Its Significance for Marital Functioning.
Parenting Stress Among Caregivers of Children With Chronic Illness
Coping with Chronic Illness in Childhood and Adolescence
Coming to Terms with Coparenting
The experience of parents faced with the admission of their adolescent to a child and adolescent psychiatric inpatient unit. A qualitative study with focus groups
An Affective-Appraisal Approach for Parental Shared Decision Making in Children and Young People's Mental Health Settings
Socioeconomic position in childhood and cancer in adulthood
The Association Between Coparenting and Child Adjustment
Parenting children with autism spectrum disorders
Coparenting and triadic interactions during infancy
The Internal Structure and Ecological Context of Coparenting
Approaches to and Outcomes of Dyadic Interview Analysis
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |