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The transition to coparenthood: Parents' prebirth expectations and early coparental adjustment at 3 months postpartum

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 September 2004

JAMES P. McHALE ,
CHRISTINA KAZALI ,
TAMIR ROTMAN ,
JEAN TALBOT ,
MEAGAN CARLETON  and
REBECCA LIEBERSON
JAMES P. McHALE
Affiliation:
University of South Florida, St. Petersburg
CHRISTINA KAZALI
Affiliation:
University of California, San Francisco
TAMIR ROTMAN
Affiliation:
Clark University,
JEAN TALBOT
Affiliation:
University of Rochester Medical Center; and
MEAGAN CARLETON
Affiliation:
MCP Hahnemann University
REBECCA LIEBERSON
Affiliation:
Clark University,
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Abstract

In the decade since the first observationally based empirical studies of coparenting process in nuclear families made their mark, most investigations of early coparenting dynamics have examined whether and how such dynamics drive child development trajectories, rather than identifying factors that may contribute to the differential development of such dynamics in the first place. In this prospective study, we examined both individual-representational and dyadic-interpersonal predictors of early coparental process. Fifty married couples expecting their first child portrayed their expectations and concerns about family life after the baby's arrival, and took part in a set of problem-solving tasks used to help evaluate marital quality. Both mothers' and fathers' prebaby expectations about the future family, and prenatal marital quality, predicted observed coparenting cohesion at 3 months postpartum. Maternal– and marriage–coparenting trajectories differed as a function of infant characteristics, with pathways most pronounced when infants were rated high in negative reactivity. Results reveal how the prenatal environment can come to shape early coparenting process, and indicate that family models must take into account the role that child characteristics can play in altering prebirth–postpartum pathways.This study was supported by National Institute of Child Health and Development Grant RO1 HD42179. We thank the families who contributed their time and effort to the investigation and our colleagues Regina Kuersten–Hogan, Wendy DeCourcey, Julia Berkman, Valerie Haskell, Meaghan DiLallo, Nina Olsen, Amy Alberts, Oliver Hartman, Stefanie Giampa, Eleanor Chaffe, and Kate Fish for their assistance with various aspects of this project.

Type
Research Article
Information
Development and Psychopathology , Volume 16 , Issue 3 , September 2004 , pp. 711 - 733
Copyright
© 2004 Cambridge University Press

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