A perinatal coparenting intervention: Effects of a randomized trial on parent cardiometabolic risk and self-reported health

Abstract

BackgroundThe transition to parenthood is a common yet stressful experience faced by many young and midlife adults, and the risk of cardiometabolic conditions also begins to rise at this time. Consequently, parenthood represents an opportune time to intervene with adults to support their psychological and physical health. PurposeWe examined whether the benefits of the Family Foundations program, a perinatal preventative intervention promoting positive coparenting, extend beyond documented mental health and family relationship outcomes to better cardiometabolic risk factors among parents. MethodsWe analyzed data from 183 couples (n = 366 participants) who, eight years prior, were randomly assigned to the 9-session perinatal preventative intervention program or a control condition. We collected dried blood spots to measure C-reactive protein (CRP), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and cholesterol; parents also reported on their self-rated health. ResultsRandomization to the intervention condition was associated with lower cholesterol (B=−.081, p = .049). Among parents who demonstrated more negative communication styles at pretest (during pregnancy), the intervention was further associated with better self-rated health (B=.181, p = .018). Participation in the intervention program was also marginally associated with lower CRP (B=−.261, p = .077), particularly among mothers (B=−.428, p = .076). ConclusionsThese findings indicate that coparenting-focused interventions, such as Family Foundations, can lead to benefits beyond psychosocial and behavioral outcomes, and suggest that Family Foundations may improve parents’ longer-term physical health, with potentially more benefits among couples who demonstrated more negative communication styles during pregnancy.