Is seeing believing? Expectant parents' outlooks on coparenting and later coparenting solidarity.
This study examined short- and longer-term sequelae of parents' prenatal expectations of their future family process, and traced subsequent stability in coparenting solidarity from infancy through the toddler years. One hundred and ten couples expecting a first child participated in prenatal assessments of coparenting expectations and differences, and in 3-month post-partum evaluations. Forty-five couples completed subsequent assessments at 12 and 30 months. At each time point multi-method evaluations of coparental adjustment were obtained. Men's and women's expectancies during the pregnancy and the degree of difference between their self-reported beliefs about parenting predicted post-baby coparental adjustment, with latent class analyses suggesting aftereffects of prenatal expectancies up through 30 months for some couples. Coparental solidarity was also stable from 3 to 12 and from 12 to 30 months. Data indicate that the lens parents bring to bear on their emerging family system is not immaterial, and that early-emerging coparenting dynamics portend longer term coparenting adjustment.
McHale
James P
JP
University of South Florida, St. Petersburg, United States. jmchale@stpt.usf.edu
Rotman
Tamir
T
D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000328:Adult; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005190:Family / Q000523:psychology; D005195:Family Relations; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D008393:Marriage / Q000523:psychology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D016487:Parenting / Q000523:psychology*; D011247:Pregnancy / Q000523:psychology*; D012917:Social Adjustment; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000523:psychology*; D013997:Time Factors