Predictiors And Correlates Of Marital Satisfaction During The Transition To Parenthood

Ninety-six couples were studied during the transition to parenthood in order to assess a) relative contributions of equity and traditionality in sex role attitudes to marital satisfaction prior to parenthood, b) changes in marital satisfaction and equity after the birth of the infant and c) contributions of traditionality, equity, father involvement and infant temperament to marital satisfaction after the birth of the infant. All data were analyzed separately for males and females to examine differences in gender response. A series of hierarchical regressions were used to determine contributions of predictor variables to marital satisfaction both prebirth and postbirth. Repeated measures analysis of variance (gender x time) were used to evaluate changes in marital satisfaction and equity, and a contingency analysis was used to determine categorical changes in equity. At the pretest equity contributed significantly to marital satisfaction for females only. While neither gender showed significant change in equity postbirth, both genders had a significant decline in marital satisfaction. Women's evaluations of their postbirth marital relationship was positively influenced by more non-traditional sex role attitudes and greater father involvement in infant care and negatively influenced by a more temperamentally active infant. Men's postbirth marital satisfaction was not influenced by any of these factors. Equity contributed significantly to the decline of postbirth marital satisfaction for both genders, though more for men than women. Father involvement in the care of the infant was very limited and did not relate to perceptions of equity. These results suggest that women's perception of marital satisfaction after parenthood is more complex than her spouse's, while the amount and significance of father's involvement with infant caretaking suggest little recent change in family practices of infant care.

"Previous research has demonstrated that the transition to parenthood is a time of change for couples during which marital satisfaction generally declines; however, not all couples experience declines in marital satisfaction during this time. Given that family-of origin experiences are thought to lay the foundation for adults' experiences in their close interpersonal relationships, the purpose of the current study was to examine remembered parental rejection during childhood as a predictor of individual differences in trajectories of change in marital satisfaction across the transition to parenthood. Drawing upon the Vulnerability-Stress-Adaptation perspective, marital aggression was considered as a mediating mechanism to better understand the process by which remembered rejection influences change in marital satisfaction. Additionally, the extent to which infant negative emotionality moderates the association between remembered parental rejection and both aggressive strategies to resolve conflict and change in marital satisfaction was examined. In an effort to extend theory and build upon previous research, both self- and partner-remembered parental rejection and aggressive conflict strategies were considered as predictors of change in marital satisfaction. Hypotheses were examined using data drawn from a study of family relationships across the transition to parenthood. Results demonstrated that there was significant variation around wives' but not husbands' trajectories of change in marital satisfaction across the transition to parenthood. Remembered parental rejection was not linked with change in wives' marital satisfaction across the transition to parenthood, independently or in conjunction with infant negative emotionality. In contrast, husbands' remembered maternal rejection was negatively associated with husband's marital satisfaction at six months postpartum, but only among husbands' whose infants were high on negative emotionality. Wives' remembered paternal rejection was negatively associated with husbands' marital satisfaction at six months postpartum. Infant negative emotionality was a significant negative predictor of wives' change in marital satisfaction across the transition to parenthood. There was no evidence of marital aggression as a mediating mechanism."--Abstract from author supplied metadata.

This 1988 book brings together leading scholars from a range of disciplines concerned with the study of the transition to parenthood. The text discusses the reasons why some new parents experience an enhanced sense of self and a deepening of important relationships, whereas others experience crisis and conflict.

All parents experience stress as they attempt to meet the challenges of caring for their children. This comprehensive book examines the causes and consequences of parenting distress, drawing on a wide array of findings in current empirical research. Kirby Deater-Deckard explores normal and pathological parenting stress, the influences of parents on their children as well as children on their parents, and the effects of biological and environmental factors. Beginning with an overview of theories of stress and coping, Deater-Deckard goes on to describe how parenting stress is linked with problems in adult and child health (emotional problems, developmental disorders, illness); parental behaviors (warmth, harsh discipline); and factors outside the family (marital quality, work roles, cultural influences). The book concludes with a useful review of coping strategies and interventions that have been demonstrated to alleviate parenting stress.

One of the most significant life transitions in adulthood is becoming a parent. Many prior studies found that many couples experiencing the transition to parenthood have a decrease in marital satisfaction following the birth of their first baby (e.g. Belsky & Kelly, 1994); however, few studies attempt to examine what factors during pregnancy impact antenatal marital satisfaction. If declines in relationship satisfaction can be prevented during pregnancy, couples may experience less difficulty in the transition to parenthood. One way to help is when couples engage in behaviors to prepare for the birth of their baby. Yet, little is known about the role of proactive coping both individually and communally and their relation to anxiety and marital satisfaction. Additionally, parenting efficacy has been found to be important with new parents after the birth of their baby to predict role satisfaction, mood, and marital adjustment (e.g. Teti & Gelfand, 1991). Because few prior studies have examined parenting efficacy during pregnancy, the current study will examine the role that parenting efficacy has on feelings of responsibility for the pregnancy and proactive coping efforts. Some researchers argue that the transition to parenthood cannot be examined solely through one partner, or only the couple, because there are three different viewpoints in a marriage that need to be examined: his, hers, and theirs (Cowan et al., 1985). The current study will use this approach to explore how preparing to have a baby can impact both the individual and the couple. Structural equation models will be used to examine the pathways between feelings of responsibility about the pregnancy, parenting efficacy, and proactive coping on anxiety and marital satisfaction.

A vast literature on married couples who transition to parenthood generally reveals that marital quality declines for both wives and husbands. However, research on factors that strengthen or weaken marital quality during the transition to parenthood is still in its infancy. Moreover, most of this research has been conducted with samples of predominantly White couples. This study sought to expand knowledge on the transition to parenthood in two ways. First, using perspectives from marital virtues theory and perceived partner responsiveness, this study sought to determine if perceived partner generosity would moderate the relationship between the transition to parenthood and marital quality. Second, this study sought to test this relationship with a sample consisting of a strong representation of Black couples. A descriptive, secondary analysis was used to investigate respondents from the first (Y1) and third (Y3) years of the Early Years of Marriage (EYM) Project. The original sample consisted of all eligible Black couples (n=199) and a random sample of White couples (n=174) from Wayne County, Michigan in 1986. For this study, eligible participants were couples who either transitioned to parenthood or remained childless between Y1 and Y3. Marital quality was conceptualized as consisting of positive evaluations (marital well-being) and negative evaluations (marital tension). Ordinary least squares regression analyses revealed that wives who transitioned to parenthood reported lower marital well-being and higher marital tension in Y3 than comparison wives. Husbands who transitioned to parenthood reported higher marital tension than comparison husbands. Perceived partner generosity was a strong predictor of marital well-being and marital tension for wives and husbands. However, there was no evidence that perceived partner generosity moderated the relationship between the transition to parenthood and marital well-being or marital tension. Other analyses from this study illustrate the importance of understanding the transition to parenthood in the context of race. Future research on marital quality should conceptualize marital quality as having multiple dimensions, use racially diverse samples, and incorporate ideas from marital virtues theory.