This study aimed to explore the parenthood transition in a Chinese cultural context. Three hundred sixty-four parents (201 females, 163 males) took part in this panel study conducted twice at 6 weeks before and 6 weeks after the birth of their children. Results showed that (a) in cross-sectional analyses, parenthood stress had consistent negative effects on mental health and marital satisfactio...

This longitudinal study identified factors of couples' marital friendship in the beginning months of marriage that predicted stability versus decline in marital satisfaction over the transition to parenthood. Newlywed couples (N = 130) were followed longitudinally for 6 years. Forty-three couples because parents, and 39 childless couples served as a control group. Couples were interviewed about...

As all couples experience stressful life events, addressing how couples adapt to stress is imperative for understanding marital development. Drawing from theories of stress inoculation, which suggest that the successful adaptation to moderately stressful events may help individuals develop a resilience to future stress, the current studies examined whether experiences with manageable stressors ...

Associations among prenatal expectations, the extent to which expectations were confirmed or disconfirmed, and trajectories of marital satisfaction over the transition to parenthood were assessed 7-11 times in a sample of newlywed couples. Piecewise growth curve analyses were conducted to examine levels of marital satisfaction at the beginning of marriage and rates of change over 2 periods: fro...

Chih-Yuan S. Lee, Division of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, University of Minnesota Medical School; William J. Doherty, Department of Family Social Science, University of Minnesota. Data used in this study were collected through a grant from the Maternal and Child Health Bureau, Health Resources and Services Administration, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (R40 MC00141-03). Authors...

Background: The transition to parenthood is a period of intra- and interpersonal changes and may bring up unexpected problems. The first child's birth has a significant effect on marital relations because the relations change from dyadic to triadic. In general, marital relationships seem to be especially vulnerable during the transition to parenthood, and several studies have revealed a de...

AIM To examine the predictive role of family sense of coherence, social support and stress during pregnancy and their changes from pregnancy to postpartum on family and marital functioning at 6 weeks postpartum. BACKGROUND Family sense of coherence plays a significant role in promoting positive family and marital functioning, which is crucial to the child's well-being. However, studies that e...

Using data from the first round of the national Gender and Generations Surveys of Russia, Romania, and Bulgaria, and from a similar survey of Hungary, which were all collected in recent years, we study rates of entry into marital and non-marital unions. We have used elements from the narrative of the Second Demographic Transition (SDT) as a vehicle to give our analysis of the data from the four...

This study assessed the longitudinal process by which marital adjustment affects change in maternal warmth over time. Change in coparenting support was examined as the potential mechanism by which the marriage affects parenting. Self-report data were gathered from 148 married mothers of first-born 4th graders at 3 time points, over the transition to early adolescence. Path analyses supported th...