Sage Journals: Discover world-class research

Abstract

This study examines whether transition to parenthood results in marital relationship disruption. A total of 96 childbearing couples were tested with Spanier's Dyadic Adjustment Scale (DAS) 2 months before and 3 months after the birth of theirfirst child. Fifty-four nonparent couples matched on age, income, and education were tested over the same interval. A three-way analysis of variance (ANOVA)for nonequivalent groups was used to estimate group, gender, and time effects on marital satisfaction. Results showed a significant group effect, a significant time effect, and a Group x Time interaction. Post hoc analysis revealed that females in the parent group showed the greatest decline of all groups in marital satisfaction, an appraisal most influenced by the decreased ability of the spousal partnership to reach consensus on tasks, activities, goals, and values. Females in the Nonparent group experienced an increase in satisfaction with these same consensus patterns. Despite new parents' overall decline in marital satisfaction, these results do not provide supportfor transition to parenthood as a crisis because at both pretest and posttest, new parents reported significantly higher marital satisfaction than did nonparent couples. However, the results do suggest that examining marital satisfaction during transition to parenthood, as it was done in this study, provides information regarding the dynamic shifts taking place within the family at this time.

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Anderson, K. , & Tomlinson, P. (1992). The family health system as an emerging para digmatic view for nursing. Image: Journal of Nursing Scholarship, 24, 57-63.

Antonovsky, A. , & Souriani, T. (1988). Family sense coherence and family adaptation. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 50,79-92.

Belsky, J. (1994). Transition to parenthood: How afirst child changes a marriage. Which couples grow closer or apart, and why. New York: Delacorte.

Belsky, J. , Spanier, G. , & Rovine, M. (1983). Stability and change in marriage across the transition to parenthood. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 45,553-556.

Cowan, P. A. (1991). Individual and family life transitions: A proposal for a new definition. In P. A. Cowan & M. Hetherington (Eds.), Family transitions (pp. 3-30). Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.

Cowan, C. P. , Cowan, P. A. , Heming, G. , Garrett, E. , Coysh, W. S. , & Curtis-Boles, A. J. (1985). Transitions to parenthood: His, hers, and theirs. Journal of Family Issues, 6, 451-481.

Cowan, C. P. , Cowan, P. A. , Heming, G. , & Miller, N. B. (1991). Becoming a family: Marriage, parenting and child development. In P. A. Cowan & M. Hetherington (Eds.), Family transitions (pp. 79-110). Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.

Cowan, P A. , & Hetherington, E. M. (Eds.). (1991). Family transitions. Advances in Family Research Series. Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.

Feldman, H. (1971). Effects of children on the family. In A. Mitchell (Ed.), Family issues of employed women in Europe and America. Leiden, the Netherlands: Brill.

10.

Feldman, H. (1981). A comparison of intentional and intentionally childless couples. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 43, 593-599.

11.

Gottman, J. M. (1991). Chaos and regulated change in families: Ametaphor for the study of transitions. In P. A. Cowan & M. Hetherington (Eds.), Family transitions (pp. 247-272). Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.

12.

Imle, M. , & Atwood, J. (1988). Retaining qualitative validity while gaining quantitative validity. Development for the transition to development of parenthood concerns scale. Advances in Nursing Science, 10(1), 61-75.

13.

LeMasters, E. E. (1957). Parenthood as crisis. Marriage and Family Living, 19, 352-355.

14.

Lerner, R. , & Spanier, G. (Eds.). (1978). Child influences on marital andfamily interaction. New York: Academic Press.

15.

Lewis, J. , Owen, M. , & Cox, M. (1988). The transition to parenthood: HI. Incorporation of the child into the family. Family Process, 27,411-421.

16.

Lupri, E. , & Friederes,J. (1981). The quality of marriage and thepassage of time: Marital satisfaction over the family life cyde. Canadian Journal of Sociology, 6, 283-305.

17.

McDermid, S. , Huston, T. L. , & McHale, S. (1990). Changes in marriage associated with the transition to parenthood: Individual differences as a function of sex role attitudes and changes in the division of household labor. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 52,475-386.

18.

McHale, S. , & Huston, T. (1985). The effect of the transition to parenthood on the marriage relationship: A longitudinal study. Journal of Family Issues, 6,409-433.

19.

Meleis, A. I. (1993). A call for substance [Keynote address]. Annual Forum on Doctoral Nursing Scholarship, 22, 226-262.

20.

Mercer, R. , Nichols, E. , & Doyle, G. (1988). Transitions over the life cyde: A comparison of mothers and nonmothers. Nursing Research, 37,144-150.

21.

Nevill, D. , & D'Amico, S. (1977). Developmental components of role conflict in women. Journal of Psychology, 95,195-199.

22.

Nock, S. (1981). Family life-cycle transitions: Longitudinal effects on family members. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 43, 703-714.

23.

Nunnally, Y. (1967). Psychometric theory. New York: McGraw-Hill.

24.

Rossi, A. S. (1977). Transition to parenthood. In L. Allman & D. Joffe (Eds.), Readings in adult psychology: Contemporary perspectives. New York: Harper & Row.

25.

Roth, P. (1989). Family health promotion during transitions. In P. Bomar (Ed.), Nurses andfamily health promotion (pp. 320-347). Baltimore, MD: Williams & Wilkins.

26.

Rubin, R. (1987). Attainment of the maternal role, part 1: Processes & part 2: Models and referents. Nursing Research, 16, 237-245, 342-346.

27.

Russell, C. S. (1974). Transitions to parenthood: Problems and gratifications. Journal of Marriage and Family, 36, 294-301.

28.

Ryder, R. G. (1973). Longitudinal data relating marital satisfaction and having a child. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 35,604-607.

29.

Schumacher, K. , & Meleis, A. (1994). Transitions: A central concept in nursing. Image: Journal of Nursing Scholarship, 26, 119-127.

30.

Spanier, G. B. , & Filsinger, E. E. (1985). The Dyadic Adjustment Scale. In E. E. Filsinger (Ed.), Marriage and family assessment. Beverly Hills, CA: Sage.

31.

Tomlinson, P. S. (1987a). Spousal differences in marital satisfaction during transition to parenthood. Nursing Research, 36, 239-244.

32.

Tomlinson, P. S. (1987b). Father involvement with their first-born infants: Interpersonal and situational factors. Pediatric Nursing, 13, 101-139.

33.

Tomlinson, P. S. , & Irwin, B. L. (1993). A qualitative study of women's reports of family adaptation patterns four years following transition to parenthood. Issues in Mental Health Nursing, 14,119-138.

34.

Waldron, H. , & Routh, D. (1981). The effect of the first child on the marital relationship. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 43, 785-788.

35.

Wallace, P. , & Gottleib, I. (1990). Marital adjustment during the transition to parenthood: Stability and predictors of change. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 52, 21-30.

36.

White, L. , & Booth, A. (1985). The transition to parenthood and marital quality. Journal of Family Issues, 6,435-449.

Marital Relationship Change in the Transition to Parenthood: A Reexamination as Interpreted through Transition Theory

Abstract

Get full access to this article

References