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Co-Parenting During Separation and After Divorce: Exploring Relational Aggression Towards the Former Romantic Partner
Melina Nicole Kyranides1, Abbas AlAbbas2,3, Jessica Hafetz3
1The University of Cyprus.
The Journal of Psychology
|June 21, 2026
Summary
Hostile co-parenting, including relational aggression towards partners and children, is linked to romantic relational abuse and betrayal beliefs. Understanding these connections is crucial for family intervention programs.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Family Studies
- Social Science
Background:
- Hostile co-parenting often escalates during separation and divorce, impacting family dynamics.
- The private nature of relational aggression makes it challenging to study and understand its effects.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between relational aggression targeting a co-parent and relational aggression targeting the parent-child bond.
- To explore the roles of romantic relational abuse, betrayal beliefs, and maladaptive personality traits in these aggressive behaviors.
Main Methods:
- 103 divorced/separated parents completed measures on relational aggression (towards co-parent and child), relational abuse, personality traits, and loyalty/betrayal perceptions.
- Data analysis examined associations and moderating effects.
Main Results:
- Higher romantic relational abuse and stronger beliefs against betrayal correlated with increased relational aggression towards both co-parent and child.
- Maladaptive personality traits (narcissistic, psychopathic) were linked to romantic relational aggression.
- Loyalty perceptions moderated the relationship between personality traits and specific aggressive behaviors.
Conclusions:
- Parent-child bond-breaking behaviors are part of broader relational aggression patterns.
- Distinct nuances of each aggression form require tailored prevention and intervention strategies.
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