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Marriages with children at medical risk: the transition to parenthood
M D Klinnert1, L A Gavin, F S Wamboldt
1Department of Pediatrics, National Jewish Center for Immunology and Respiratory Medicine, Denver, CO 80206.
Insights
Having a baby often lowers marital satisfaction, especially for parents with medically at-risk infants. Family stress and structural burdens significantly impact relationship happiness, while child-specific issues play a lesser role.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Sociology
- Family Studies
Background:
- Parenthood transition is linked to decreased marital satisfaction.
- Existing research primarily focuses on healthy infants.
Purpose of the Study:
- Replicate and extend findings on marital satisfaction decline after childbirth.
- Investigate mechanisms in couples with medically at-risk infants.
- Examine the impact of family structure, infant characteristics, and life events.
Main Methods:
- Longitudinal study design.
- Data collection at prenatal, 6, 12, and 18 months postpartum.
- Assessment of marital satisfaction, family structure, infant illness/temperament, and life events.
Main Results:
- Family structural burdens negatively impacted marital satisfaction.
- Family stress burdens significantly decreased marital satisfaction.
- Child-related burdens showed less consistent effects on marital satisfaction.
Conclusions:
- Family structural and stress burdens are key factors in reduced marital satisfaction post-childbirth.
- Findings inform stress and coping models and developmental psychopathology.
- Interventions should address broader family system stressors.
Abstract:
Prior studies suggest that the birth of a new baby causes a modest but reliable drop in marital satisfaction. The present study replicates and extends this finding in couples with children at medical risk and probes the mechanisms behind this effect. Longitudinal data on marital satisfaction, family structure, infant illness and temperament, and family life events were collected at prenatal, 6, 12, and 18 month periods. Family structural burdens and family stress burdens had a significant negative effect on marital satisfaction. Child-related burdens were less reliably related. Results are discussed in the context of stress and coping as well as developmental psychopathology.