title: Impact of marital quality and psychological well-being on parental sensitivity.
abstract: The purpose of this study was to determine the extent to which marital quality influences psychological well-being, thereby contributing to parental sensitivity to infant cues among first-time mothers and fathers; the effects of parental age and infant sex on parental sensitivity; and whether the determinants of parental sensitivity differ between first-time mothers and first-time fathers. Data collections were done in the homes of 71 married couples with healthy, first-born 3-month-old infants. The maternal regression equation accounted for 17% of the variance in parental sensitivity, with perceptions of the spouse's participation in family life and maternal age explaining the most variance. The paternal equation accounted for 6% of the variance, with psychological well-being the only significant predictor. The sex of the infant was not a significant predictor of parental sensitivity for either parent.
authors.affiliation: San Diego State University, School of Nursing, College of Health and Human Services, CA.
authors.forename: B L
authors.initials: BL
authors.lastname: Broom
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D008393:Marriage / Q000523:psychology*; D008603:Mental Health; D008960:Models, Psychological; D009035:Mothers / Q000523:psychology; D010287:Parent-Child Relations; D010290:Parents / Q000523:psychology*; D012737:Sex Factors