Correlates of marital behavior at 6 months postpartum

The birth of a baby may adversely affect spouses' adaptation, as indexed by self-reported marital satisfaction and psychological well-being. However, less is known about the interpersonal dynamics of marital behavior during the months after a child is born. This research examined correlates of marital behavior in 2 contexts for 104 couples with 6-month-old infants. Spouses completed measures of their relationship history, personality, self-esteem, and marital adjustment and were videotaped in their homes during couple discussion and family play. Spouses reporting greater marital adjustment exhibited more positive and less negative engagement during couple discussion and greater harmony during family play. Older spouses, however, displayed less positive engagement during couple discussion than younger spouses. During family play, greater hostility was observed when wives reported less positive relationship histories and greater negative affectivity. These findings suggest that marital behavior after the birth of a baby is multiply determined and that its correlates vary across contexts.