Transition to Parenthood and Marital Satisfaction: A Meta-Analysis

Father-to-infant attachment and its associated factors during COVID-19 pandemic: a cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND

The attachment between father and infant is essential to a child's later development and well-being; yet, hardly any research has examined father-to-infant attachment during the outbreak of COVID-19. This study, therefore, aims to examine psychological, interpersonal, and health-related factors associated with father-to-infant attachment at 3-12 months postpartum during the pandemic.

METHOD

An online cross-sectional study was conducted between June and December 2021. A total of 775 fathers with at least one child aged 3-12 months were recruited. Participants completed measures of depression, COVID-19-related distress, relationship satisfaction, social support and other health-related factors including COVID-19 diagnosis and hospitalisation. Data on psycho-socio-demographic, obstetric, and COVID-19-related characteristics were also collected.

RESULTS

Findings demonstrated that paternal depression (β = -.33, p < .001); relationship satisfaction (β = .19, p < .001); COVID-19-related psychological distress (β = -.14, p < .001) and social support (β = .13, p < .001) had a significant effect on father-to-infant attachment. Fathers who were multiparous, had COVID-19 diagnosis, and hospitalised due to COVID-19 were more likely to report poorer father-to-infant attachment. Paternal depression was the most influential factor on father-to-infant attachment, which attenuated the strength of the relationships between marital status, prematurity, history of trauma, sleep quality, and father-to-infant attachment once included into the analyses. No significant associations between educational level, employment, socioeconomic status, delivery mode, and father-to-infant attachment were observed.

CONCLUSION

These findings highlight the critical role of paternal psychological well-being in establishing healthy father-to-infant attachment and the relevance of having satisfied interpersonal relationships in promoting this early relationship particularly during crises such as COVID-19 pandemic.

Birth in Brazil II: a postpartum maternal, paternal and child health research protocol

Pregnancy, parturition and birth bring major changes to the lives of mothers and fathers. This article presents a research protocol for estimating the prevalence of postpartum mental health outcomes in mothers and fathers, abuse and satisfaction in delivery/abortion care, and the correlations between them and socioeconomic, obstetric, and child health factors. As a 2-component research, it consists of a prospective cohort study with all postpartum women interviewed in the 465 maternity hospitals included at the Birth in Brazil II baseline survey conducted from 2021 to 2023, and a cross-sectional study with the newborns' fathers/partners. Interviews will be conducted via telephone or self-completion link sent by WhatsApp with the mother at 2 and 4 months after delivery/abortion. Partners will be approached three months after birth (excluding abortions, stillbirths and newborn death) using the telephone number informed by the mother at the maternity ward. Postpartum women will be inquired about symptoms of depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder, abuse during maternity care and quality of the mother-newborn bond. Maternal and neonatal morbidity, use of postnatal services, and satisfaction with maternity care are also investigated. Fathers will be asked to report on symptoms of depression and anxiety, and the quality of the relationship with the partner and the newborn. The information collected in this research stage may help to plan and improve care aimed at the postpartum health of the mother-father-child triad.

Women Who Experience More Affectionate Touch Report Better Body Satisfaction and Relationship Outcomes

Affectionate touch (e.g. hugging, handholding) is an essential component of many intimate relationships and is a primary contributor to overall relationship satisfaction as well as sexual satisfaction. Affectionate touch is understood to be a form of non-verbal communication in which the giver is expressing positive feelings toward the receiver. Here, we propose that affectionate touch also positively impacts receivers' body satisfaction, because affectionate touch is a positive message communicated toward the receiver's body. In a cross-sectional sample of romantically partnered women (N = 1,156), we assessed the association between affectionate touch frequency and body satisfaction. We also investigated whether affectionate touch is associated with relationship/sexual satisfaction in part because touch helps to improve women's evaluations of their own bodies. Our results showed that body satisfaction was a significant, partial mediator and a valid path through which affectionate touch shapes relationship quality. Receiving affectionate touch could bolster relationship satisfaction and self-perceptions among women. Given the prevalence of body dissatisfaction amongst women, these results suggest that the underexplored associations between affectionate touch and body satisfaction may have significant impacts on a wide array of future empirical and applied research trajectories.

Exploring relationship satisfaction in mothers of children with disabilities: the predictive role of interparental conflicts and moderating role of dyadic coping

Background

Parenting responsibilities, while a source of happiness, often lead to considerable stress for parents of children with disabilities. While most parents try to cope with these challenges together, some level of interparental conflict is almost inevitable. Frequently assuming primary responsibility for children with disabilities, mothers can be substantially impacted by interparental conflict with their partners and the resulting stress. However, implementing dyadic coping strategies in managing stressful situations serves as a buffer against adverse effects, while also enhancing relationship satisfaction.

Objective

This study aimed to explore the relationship between interparental conflicts, dyadic coping, and relationship satisfaction among 232 mothers of children with disabilities in Croatia who were in an intimate relationship and shared a household with their partners, regardless of marital status.

Methods

We analysed a non-probabilistic sample of women in Croatia who reported being in an intimate relationship, sharing a household with a partner (whether married or simply cohabitating) and being a mother to a child with a diagnosed developmental disability. Participants completed questionnaires online in March of 2021 (sociodemographic variables, the Parent Problem Checklist, the Dyadic Coping Inventory and the Marriage Quality Index).

Results

Results of hierarchical multiple regression show that mothers' perceptions of how they help their partner cope with stress do not predict how satisfied they are in a relationship; instead, relationship satisfaction depends on their perceptions of how their partner helps them and how they cope with stress as a team. Furthermore, moderation analysis revealed the effect of interparental conflicts were entirely mitigated by high supportive and low negative dyadic coping of the partner. When mothers felt adequately supported by their partner, the negative impact of stress caused by interparental conflicts did not spill over into their relationship.

Conclusion

Our results suggest that by recognizing the importance of psychological support and couples therapy in strengthening dyadic coping, government and non-profit initiatives can effectively empower parents of children with disabilities, fostering healthier and more resilient family dynamics that promotes the well-being of parents and their children.

Dyadic approach to maturity to parenthood: multilevel study on attachment in expectant and non-expectant couples

OBJECTIVE

This study examined links between attachment styles and maturity to parenthood and its dimensions across different age groups of childless young adult couples. The role of developmental factors (age, assuming parental role) for maturity to parenthood was also investigated.

BACKGROUND

Relational and individual factors have both been confirmed to be crucial for the transition to parenthood. The concept of maturity to parenthood has been linked to individual values, personality traits, and close relationships. However, the question arises whether maturity to parenthood is related to one of the most crucial concepts in family psychology - attachment.

METHOD

Three hundred heterosexual young adult couples aged 20-35 years (M_age  = 26.20; SD  = 3.63) took part. Couples were divided into three groups: 1) 110 couples aged 20-25 (emerging adulthood); 2) 90 couples aged 26-35 (young adulthood); and 3) 100 couples aged 20-35 expecting their first child (third trimester of pregnancy). The main questionnaires used were the Maturity to Parenthood Scale and Close Relationship Experience Scale.

RESULTS

The results indicated that the more avoidant couples had lower maturity to parenthood. A moderation effect of group (pregnancy) was also observed - the effect of attachment-related avoidance was weaker in expectant couples. Women presented higher overall and behavioural maturity to parenthood than men. Furthermore, higher life satisfaction were associated with greater maturity to parenthood.

CONCLUSION

Maturity to parenthood is also created in the dyadic context. When related to lower attachment avoidance, it might greatly facilitate transition to parenthood and future parent - child relations.

Ecological momentary assessment of postpartum outcomes in mothers of multiples: lower maternal-infant bonding, higher stress, and more disrupted sleep

Research on mental health in mothers of multiples has neglected important outcomes like postpartum bonding and relationship satisfaction and is limited by reliance on single-administration, retrospective measures. This study fills these gaps by assessing previously unexamined variables and using ecological momentary assessment (EMA), wherein participants answer repeated, brief surveys to measure real-world, real-time outcomes. This online study recruited 221 women and compared outcomes in those who birthed multiples (n = 127, 57.47%) vs. singletons (n = 94, 42.53%). When recruited, participants were either 6-12 (n = 129, 58.37%) or 18-24 (n = 83, 37.56%) weeks postpartum. All 221 participants completed baseline measures of self-reported depression, anxiety, stress, sleep, relationship satisfaction, and maternal-infant bonding. One hundred thirty participants (58.82%) engaged in 7 days of EMA assessing self-reported momentary mood, stress, fatigue, bonding, and sleep. Data were analyzed using two-by-two ANOVAs and hierarchical linear modeling. Mothers of multiples reported more baseline parenting stress and less maternal-infant bonding than mothers of singletons (ps < .05). Mothers of multiples who were 6-12 weeks postpartum reported the lowest bonding (p = .03). Mothers of multiples also reported more momentary stress, overwhelm, nighttime awakenings, and wake time after sleep onset (ps < .05). The latter two variables positively correlated with momentary fatigue, stress, and worse mood (ps < .05). Mothers of multiples experienced worse postpartum bonding, more stress, and more interrupted sleep than mothers of singletons. This population may benefit from tailored postpartum interventions to decrease stress, increase bonding, and improve sleep.