Coparenting and Parental Adjustment: A Systematic Review of the Literature

Coparenting, defined as how parents collaborate in raising their child, has been identified as a central relational process within family systems. This systematic review examines the contribution of coparenting to parental adjustment among cohabiting parents of children from birth to school age, evaluating the empirical evidence supporting coparenting quality as a modifiable factor that may promote or hinder parental well‐being. A systematic search of SCOPUS, Web of Science, PubMed, and PsycARTICLES was conducted for relevant literature published from the earliest available date up to 2026. Out of 2034 initial records, 44 studies (reported in 45 articles) met the inclusion criteria. Findings support the theoretical proposition that coparenting functions as a protective relational resource for different aspects of parental adjustment, such as parental self‐efficacy and satisfaction, and parental mental health. The results highlight the importance of coparenting for parental adjustment and point to gaps, such as the need for longitudinal studies and research in more diverse contexts. These findings lay the groundwork for future research and for interventions that support parents and strengthen family systems.