Coparenting and relationship satisfaction in mothers: the moderating role of sociosexuality

Abstract

This study explored the moderating effect of sociosexual orientation on the association between coparenting alliance/coparenting conflict and relationship satisfaction in mothers in a romantic relationship. Sociosexuality is defined as a personality trait that reflects the individual difference in willingness to engage in uncommitted sexual relations. The study examined a community sample of 635 Portuguese mothers with a monogamous heterosexual relationship. Data on coparenting, relationship satisfaction, and sociosexual orientation were collected. The results revealed the moderating effect of sociosexuality on the significant associations between both coparenting alliance and coparenting conflict predicting relationship satisfaction. For the association between coparenting alliance and relationship satisfaction, mothers with a more restricted sociosexual orientation reported the highest levels of satisfaction when their coparenting alliance was high, but the lowest levels of satisfaction when coparenting alliance was low. For the association between coparenting conflict and relationship satisfaction, mothers with a more restricted sociosexual orientation reported the highest levels of satisfaction when their coparenting conflict was low, but the lowest levels when coparenting conflict was high. Together, the results suggest that especially for women with a more restricted sociosexual orientation, coparenting quality explains significant interindividual variability in relationship satisfaction.