Predictors of Change in Relationship Satisfaction during the Transition to Parenthood

This study investigated the role of underexplored individual and contextual risk factors through interactive and additive models. Participating couples (N = 228) completed questionnaires during pregnancy and at 6 and 30 months postpartum. The authors used bootstrapped Bayesian information criterion analyses to select significant and reliable predictors of change in relationship satisfaction within three predefined sets of factors representing components of the vulnerability‐stress‐adaptation model. Anxiety and depression symptoms during pregnancy, shorter length of the relationship, and lower levels of constructive communication predicted declines in relationship satisfaction from pregnancy to 30‐months postpartum. When these risk factors were combined, additive rather than interactive risk models were supported. Practical implications of additive risk factors are discussed

Source: Family Relations - November 4, 2014 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Tea Trillingsgaard, Katherine J. W. Baucom, Richard E. Heyman Tags: Original Article Source Type: research