Diapers vs. Date Nights: A Longitudinal Comparison of Premaritally Pregnant,Postmaritally Pregnant Parents,and Nonparents on Marital Disillusionment and Satisfaction

Abstract

The transition to parenthood is often a challenging and stressful time for couples, with partners’ experiences possibly varying by gender and timing of childbirth. We surveyed married couples (two-phase n = 124 couples; roughly 45% Hispanic) within 6 months post-wedding and 2.5 years later to assess changes in marital disillusionment and satisfaction as a function of parenting statuses (children from premarital pregnancy, children from postmarital pregnancy, and no children during the study). Parenting couples (regardless of pregnancy timing and spouse gender) exhibited sharper rises in disillusionment from the newlywed phase to 2.5 years later than did consistently childless/childfree couples. These results were robust to controls for satisfaction, demographic characteristics, and couples’ dating and cohabitation histories. Controlling for dating and cohabitation history, an interaction emerged in which wives’ satisfaction remained stable over time, whereas husbands’ declined. Possible mechanisms for these effects and practical applications were discussed.