Written in SCIENCE he
The happiness related to the birth of a baby does not always come to fruition with the parentsbecause this event completely changes the dynamics of couple relationships and subjects them to a roller coaster of changes in the transition to parenthood.
While the effects of motherhood on couples and the impact it has on women have long been studied, now the journal PLOS has published an analysis on “Changes in relationship satisfaction in the transition to parenthood between parents”.
The study focuses on the perspective and differences between first-time parents and parents who have already lived through this experience; however, what is evident is that, regardless of whether it is the first or the second child, the birth of a minor impacts on relationship satisfaction (RS).
According to the study, the parents first-timers take two years to recover a relationship happy; while parents who are going through their second pregnancy improve their outlook in just eight months.
The research is based on the analysis of data from a group of 606 parents participating in the prospective longitudinal cohort study DREAM (“DR esdner Studie zu Elternschaft, A rbeit und Mentaler Gesundheit”), the first-timers start with a higher level of RS before the birthbut experience a more marked decline in the first months of parenthood compared to the parents who have previously had a child.
Although at 8 weeks postpartum first-time dads still report higher RS levels than experienced ones, their satisfaction continues to decline until around 14 months postpartum.
Interestingly, the parents who have already had a child experienced an increase in satisfaction during this same period.
Research suggests that the new parents they may need more time to fully adjust to the changes that parenthood brings. Within two years after delivery, they manage to recover their RS level, which could indicate that the initial decrease is a temporary response to the new dynamics of raising a child.
The study also highlights that the duration of the couple relationship before the birth plays an important role: those in longer relationships experience a steeper decline in satisfaction before birth.
In addition, the results reveal that factors such as age, education, income, marital status, gender of the child, and temperament do not predict satisfaction in the transition to paternity. This finding suggests that the experience of becoming a parent similarly affects parents of various ages, educational backgrounds, and income levels, underscoring the universality of the challenges and joys that parenthood brings.
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