Year Of Parenthood Research Articles

How Important Is Early Paternal Engagement? Deriving Longitudinal Measures of Fathers’ Childcare Engagement and Exploring Structural Relationships With Prior Engagement and Employment Hours

Paternal childcare engagement is a focus of work–family policy debates yet there is little consensus about what engagement means and how it might be measured. Drawing on Lamb’s (1986) classification of paternal involvement, we run confirmatory factor analysis on a sample of two-parent households from the UK’s Millennium Cohort Study to derive latent paternal engagement measures at nine months, three, five, seven and eleven years old. Structural Equation Modelling is used to explore the relationship between the engagement measures and parents’ employment hours. Employment hours have a significant association with paternal childcare engagement in the early stages of a child’s life, but it is paternal engagement in the previous time period that has a far stronger effect at every age. Specifically, paternal engagement in the first year of parenthood is important for fostering ongoing engagement until the child is at least age eleven, and this positive effect builds over time.

생애 첫 부모가 되는 초보 부모를 위한 교육내용 탐색

Objectives The purposes of this study were to propose content categories of educational materials to strengthen the competencies of new parents who become parents for the first-time in their lives.
 Methods To this end, a total of 22 domestic and international parent education materials developed and dis-seminated by government departments, universities, and public medical institutions from January 2013 to January 2023 were analyzed. The materials were analyzed based on knowledge, skills, and attitudes according to Azar and Cote’s theory(2002). Based on the results, this study proposed the content categories for new parents educational materials, and verified their validity.
 Results In both domestic and international parent education materials, ‘knowledge’ related-content accounted for the largest proportion, and ‘attitude’-related content accounted for the smallest proportion. Regarding “knowledge,” domestic parent education focused on providing childbirth and childcare policy information, while international education focused on knowledge that could prevent parental confusion immediately after childbirth. Regarding ‘skills’, the domestic education content outlined the skills of ‘feeding, sleeping, etc.’, while the interna-tional content provided specific parenting skills tips for each month. With regard to ‘attitude’, both domestic and international education contents deal with stress management and depression after childbirth, and in the case of international education content, it was intended to help parents slow down and have healthy interactions with their children.
 Conclusions The proposed category of new parent education content consisted of 4 categories and 10 topics. The four categories are: 1) parenthood, pregnancy and childbirth, 2) 1 year of age, baby's incredible capabilities, 3) 1 year of parenthood, becoming a competent parent, and 4) parenting, slow down. This will help reduce the con-fusion of postnatal parenting for new parents and improve their competence as parents, and it will contribute to creating a positive parenting environment in our society.

Baby bliss: Longitudinal evidence for set-point theory around childbirth for cognitive and affective well-being.

Becoming a parent relates not only to joy but also to new challenges. Consistent with set-point theory, previous research found that life satisfaction increased around childbirth but decreased back to baseline in the following years. However, it remains unresolved whether individual facets of affective well-being show lasting or temporary changes around childbirth. In 5,532 first-time parents from the German Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP), we tested how life satisfaction, happiness, sadness, anxiety, and anger changed in the five years before and five years after becoming a parent. Parents experienced a large increase in life satisfaction and happiness in the years surrounding the birth of their first child. This increase was most pronounced in the first year of parenthood. Sadness and anger decreased in the years before childbirth, reached their lowest point in the first year of parenthood, and increased in the following years. Anxiety slightly increased in the five years before childbirth but was lower thereafter. Most well-being changes bounced back in the long run, resulting in comparable well-being levels five years after versus five years before becoming a parent. These findings suggest that set-point theory also applies to different facets of affective well-being across the transition to parenthood. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

A relational investigation of Israeli gay fathers' experiences of surrogacy, early parenthood, and mental health in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Perinatal distress affects approximately 10% of fathers, but little is known about how gay fathers experience the challenges surrounding childbirth and early parenting of a child. This study explored gay fathers' experiences of having a baby via transnational surrogacy, raising that baby as a gay parent, and the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. In-depth qualitative interviews were conducted with 15 Israeli men to understand their experiences of surrogacy and early parenthood, focusing on the impact on their mental health and the relational factors involved. Secondary narrative analysis revealed that fathers constructed surrogacy as a perilous quest that required strong intentionality to undertake. The first year of parenthood was conceptualised alternately as a joyful experience and/or one that challenged fathers' identities and mental health. A relational framework was applied to better conceptualise the fathers' narratives, revealing that actual connections-and the potentials for links-considerably shaped experiences of surrogacy, perinatal distress and recovery. Implications for research and policy are discussed.

COVID-19-related anxieties in first-time mothers during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic and after 6 months: A descriptive study

BackgroundThe changes accompanying the transition to motherhood, joined by the stress aroused by the COVID-19 pandemic, may lead to high levels of parental anxieties. This study, conducted in two phases—in the midst of the first wave of the pandemic and after six months—explores differences in the level of COVID-19-related anxieties of Israeli mothers in their first year of parenthood. Design and methodsA cross-sectional study carried out with 198 first-time mothers aged 22–48 who completed self-report questionnaires on April 2020 and again on October 2020. The questionnaire was distributed through social networks and included a demographic scale and the COVID-19-related anxieties questionnaire. FindingsIn the first phase, mothers reported higher anxieties concerning economic damage (M = 3.42; 3.11), being in public places (M = 4.34; M = 3.51), using public transportation (M = 4.80; M = 4.31), and going for infant checkups (M = 4.13; M = 3.06). In the second phase, mothers reported higher anxiety about being infected (M = 3.19; M = 3.48). DiscussionThe results suggest the need to be attentive to the double stress of new mothers in a dynamic time of crisis, especially at the beginning of the crisis when anxiety levels may be highest. Application to practiceThe findings may aid in developing interventions for new mothers in times of crisis. The finding that the COVID-19-related anxieties of new mothers may decrease over time points to the urgency of making interventions by health and medical professionals available to women in the first months after the birth of their first child.

Relational impacts of capitalization in early parenthood.

Relationship difficulties are common during the transition to parenthood and may persist for years. Strategies that enhance couples' daily relational experiences early in the parenting years may serve a protective role. In general, engaging in a capitalization attempt (i.e., sharing personal good news) with one's romantic partner and perceiving the partner to be responsive are associated with better relationship outcomes among committed couples. However, it is unknown whether these relational benefits extend to the early parenting years or to other relational domains such as coparenting, which plays a central role in family functioning. The current study examined same-day associations between couples' capitalization process and relationship closeness and perceived coparenting support in a dyadic context during the first year of parenthood. A subsample of primarily non-Hispanic White coresident mixed-gender couples who participated in a randomized controlled trial of a transition to parenthood program (N = 141) completed daily diaries at 10 months postpartum for 8 consecutive days. On days when mothers shared, both partners reported greater closeness. On days when fathers shared, mothers reported greater closeness and perceived coparenting support. Furthermore, perceived partner responsiveness was associated with greater closeness for both partners and greater coparenting support for fathers. Fathers also perceived greater closeness and coparenting support on days when mothers shared about the child. Findings highlight the potential benefits of capitalization in early parenthood for both closeness and perceived coparenting support and suggest that capitalization may be a low cost, high yield strategy for enhancing new parents' daily relational experiences. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Parents’ use of mobile applications in the first year of parenthood: a narrative review of the literature

Parents’ use of mobile applications in the first year of parenthood: a narrative review of the literature

PARENTAL ADHD AND THEIR OFFSPRING FROM THE PERINATAL PERIOD TO EARLY CHILDHOOD

ADHD is a common neurodevelopmental disorder that has been increasingly recognized as persisting into adulthood. ADHD has high heritability, and parental behaviors influence child ADHD symptoms and impairment. In fact, parent behavior training is the primary treatment modality for preschool-aged children with ADHD. Thus, examining offspring at familial risk for ADHD from infancy to preschool and the impact of parental ADHD on early parenting could elucidate potential intervention targets to decrease the prevalence of ADHD and/or reduce impairment for children born to parents with ADHD. Allison Baker, MD, will present the trajectory of ADHD symptoms across pregnancy. Heather Marie Joseph, DO, will describe findings regarding predictors of parental distress across the first year of parenthood for parents with ADHD and their co-parents. Mai Uchida, MD, will report on ADHD symptoms among preschool-aged offspring of parents with ADHD. Joyce Lui, PhD, will review thematic analyses from stakeholder meetings regarding identification and treatment of African American families, both parents and children, with ADHD in pediatric primary care. Pregnant women with ADHD had a significant increase in symptom scores across pregnancy, regardless of medication (p = 0.027), and women returning to work postpartum had an increase in total functional impairment score (p = 0.043). A cohort of mother-father-infant triads found that families with parent ADHD experienced greater parental distress (p < 0.05). Both parent sleep (p < 0.01) and infant temperament, surgency (p = 0.03) and effortful control (p < 0.01), were associated with parental distress. Among a sample of preschool-aged children, those born to parents with ADHD had significantly higher rates of attention problems compared to the children of control parents (OR = 2.37, p = 0.04). Stakeholders identified 6 themes of importance when approaching African American families in pediatric primary care settings regarding screening for parent ADHD and treatment of both the parent and child. The impact of parent ADHD on early parenting and offspring development has been underrecognized. These presentations provide new insights into potential intervention targets to reduce the familial transmissions of ADHD as well as early markers of risk for developing childhood ADHD.

Relationship satisfaction and commitment in the transition to parenthood: A couple‐centered approach

AbstractObjectiveTo provide a more comprehensive understanding of couple relationship satisfaction, commitment, and the dynamic between the two over the transition to parenthood.BackgroundThe transition to parenthood is an ideal time to concurrently study relationship satisfaction and commitment, as this period is filled with familial transitions such as less couple time, more domestic labor, and the formation of parent–child relationships. These familial transitions require significant investments that may constrain people from leaving relationships, potentially leading to diverging relationship satisfaction and commitment trajectories.MethodWe conducted dyadic latent class growth analyses (DLCGA), assessing variability in relationship satisfaction and commitment trajectories across six time‐points (two prenatal) for 203 couples expecting their first child, through 12 months postpartum.ResultsWe identified four couple classes for relationship satisfaction and three couple classes for relationship commitment. There were 46% of couples who retained high satisfaction and commitment and another 35% of couples who retained moderately high satisfaction and high commitment. Couples reporting lower attachment avoidance, higher relational self‐expansion, and higher perceived partner commitment during pregnancy were more likely to be in classes that maintained high relationship satisfaction and commitment during the transition.ConclusionOur results contrast the prevailing narrative about relational declines during the transition to parenthood. Many couples retain high satisfaction and commitment into the first year of parenthood, with declines driven primarily by a minority of couples. Couples' commitment was particularly likely to be high and stable throughout the transition.

COVID-19-Related anxieties and parenting stress among first-time mothers and fathers in their first year of parenthood

Introduction The changes accompanying the transition to parenthood, joined by the fears aroused by the COVID-19 pandemic, may lead to high levels of parental anxieties and stress, particularly among parents of young infants. This study, conducted in the midst of the crisis, explores the level of COVID-19-related anxieties and parenting stress of Israeli parents in their first year of parenthood. Methods First-time mothers (n = 469) and fathers (n = 137), aged 21-50, completed self-report questionnaires in April, 2020. They were divided into two groups: parents of younger infants (aged 3-6 months); parents of older infants (aged 7-12 months). Results The levels of all COVID-19-related anxieties were quite high, with the greatest concern aroused by public transportation and public places, followed by concerns over the possible infection of family members and the infant, going for infant check-ups, getting the virus themselves, and the health of the infant. In both groups, mothers reported higher COVID-19-related anxieties than fathers. Fathers of older infants reported higher parenting stress than mothers. Discussion The results highlight the need to be attentive to the double stress of new parents in the first year of parenthood in a time of crisis, and to the potentially greater vulnerability of fathers of older infants.

Development and evaluation of ‘Sleep, Baby &amp; You’—An approach to supporting parental well-being and responsive infant caregiving

Disrupted parental sleep, presenting as post-partum fatigue and perceived as problematic infant sleep, is related to increased symptoms of depression and anxiety among new mothers and fathers. Previous research indicates that UK parents would value an approach that facilitates meeting their infants' needs while supporting their own sleep-related well-being throughout their infant's first year. Six initial stakeholder meetings were held with 15 practitioners and 6 parents with an interest in supporting parent-infant sleep needs, to explore existing service provision and identify gaps. The Possums Sleep Program developed and delivered in Brisbane, Australia in a GP clinic setting, was chosen as an appropriate approach. Working collaboratively with a stakeholder group, we translated the Possums Sleep Program into an intervention that could be universally delivered in the UK via NHS antenatal and postnatal practitioners. Parent and practitioner views of the initial materials were obtained via feedback questionnaires and the tool was revised. The intervention was then field-tested by 164 practitioners who delivered it to at least 535 new parents and babies over 5 UK locations, to capture anonymous parent and practitioner views of the intervention concept, the materials, and their experiences with both. The intervention helps parents recalibrate their expectations of infant sleep development, encourages responsive parenting and experimentation to meet their infant's needs, offers parents strategies for supporting the development of their babies' biological sleep regulators and promote their own well-being, and teaches parents to manage negative thinking and anxiety that can impede sleep using the principles of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy. The 'Sleep, Baby & You' discussion tool, a 14 page illustrated booklet for parents, was field-tested and evaluated by practitioners and parents who offered enthusiastic feedback. Practitioners reported the 'Sleep, Baby & You' materials were easy for them to explain and for parents to understand, and were a good fit with the responsive parenting approaches they employed in other areas of their work. Parents who received the intervention postnatally understood the material and found the suggestions easy to follow. All parents who provided feedback had implemented one or more of the suggested changes, with the majority of changes (70%) being sustained for at least two weeks. Practitioners recommended development of digital and antenatal versions and offered feedback on circumstances that might challenge effective uptake of the intervention. 'Sleep, Baby & You' is a promising tool for promoting parental attitude and behaviour-change, that aims to adjust parental expectations and reduce negative thinking around infant sleep, promote responsive infant care in the face of infant-related sleep disruption and fatigue, and support parental well-being during the first year of parenthood. Initial field-testing provided insights useful for further development and subsequent testing via a randomised trial. Support exists for incorporating 'Sleep, Baby & You' into an anticipatory, universal intervention to support parents who may experience post-partum fatigue and infant sleep disruption.

Hindering resilience in the transition to parenthood: a thematic analysis of parents’ perspectives

ABSTRACT Objective: Investigate parents’ recollections of resilience hindering experiences in the first year of parenthood. Background: The transition to parenthood is a significant period of change in the lifespan. Understanding the factors which undermine resilience during this process will help illuminate resilience theory and provision of perinatal support. Methods: We conducted a thematic analysis of in-depth interviews with 10 parents (including four fathers) and examined factors hindering resilience as a global theme within a broader thematic network. Results: We identified two organising themes; context which related to external experiences and relationships and appraisals which related to parents’ internal attributions and experiences. We refined these organising themes into 24 specific resilience hindering factors including ambivalence about parenthood, fear of judgement, compromised self-care and relationship change. We also collated parents’ suggested changes to structural supports such as providing a comprehensive overview of services available to new parents, having credible resources online, engaging fathers directly in perinatal care and a greater focus on postnatal support such as prioritising continuity of care and making longer hospital stays available. Conclusion: Our work illuminates parents’ own thoughts about factors hindering resilience in the transition to parenthood and provides direct recommendations from consumers about improvements to provision of support throughout this critical period.

Determinants of Non-paid Task Division in Gay-, Lesbian-, and Heterosexual-Parent Families With Infants Conceived Using Artificial Reproductive Techniques.

Background: The division of non-paid labor in heterosexual parents in the West is usually still gender-based, with mothers taking on the majority of direct caregiving responsibilities. However, in same-sex couples, gender cannot be the deciding factor. Inspired by Feinberg’s ecological model of co-parenting, this study investigated whether infant temperament, parent factors (biological relatedness to child, psychological adjustment, parenting stress, and work status), and partner relationship quality explained how first-time gay, lesbian, and heterosexual parents divided labor (childcare and family decision-making) when their infants were 4 and 12 months old. We also tested whether family type acted as a moderator.Method: Participants were drawn from the new parents study. Only those who provided information about their biological relatedness to their child (N = 263 parents) were included. When infants were 4 months (T1), parents completed a password-protected online questionnaire exploring their demographic characteristics including work status and standardized online-questionnaires on task division (childcare and family decision-making), infant temperament, parental anxiety, parental depression, parental stress, and partner relationship satisfaction. When infants were 12-months-old (T2), parents provided information about task division and their biological relatedness to their children.Results: Linear mixed models showed that no factor explained the division of family decision making at T1 and T2. For relative time spent on childcare tasks at T1, biological relatedness mattered for lesbian mothers only: biologically related mothers appeared to spend more time on childcare tasks than did non-related mothers. Results showed that, regardless of family type, parents who were not working or were working part-time at T1 performed more childcare tasks at T1. This was still true at T2. The other factors did not significantly contribute to relative time spent on childcare tasks at T2.Conclusion: We had the opportunity to analyze the division of non-paid tasks in families where parenting was necessarily planned and in which gender could not affect that division. Although Feinberg’s model of co-parenting suggests that various factors are related to task division, we found that paid work outside the home was most important during the first year of parenthood in determining caregiving roles.

Parents' work and children's development: A longitudinal investigation of working-class families.

The current study examines the relationship between working-class mothers' and fathers' job autonomy across the 1st year of parenthood and their children's behavior problems and adaptive skills in the 1st grade. Data came from a longitudinal study of 120 couples interviewed 5 times across the transition to parenthood and again when the target child entered the 1st grade. Mothers' job autonomy and fathers' work hours during the child's 1st year of life directly predicted fewer behavior problems and more adaptive skills in their children at 6-7 years of age. For all parents a mediated relationship emerged such that greater job autonomy predicted less parenting overreactivity, which in turn predicted better child outcomes. Parent involvement was also a significant mediator linking job autonomy to children's adaptive skills but not behavior problems. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).

Enhancing resilience in the transition to parenthood: a thematic analysis of parents’ perspectives

ABSTRACT Objective: Investigate parents’ recollections of resilience enhancing experiences in the first year of parenthood. Background: Resilience is a concept of emerging interest in transition to parenthood research. Little is known about parents’ descriptions and experiences of resilience in the first year of parenthood and existing research is based on data about mothers only. Methods: We conducted a thematic analysis of in-depth interviews with 10 parents (including four fathers) and created a thematic network of factors which participants described as enhancing their resilience in the first year of parenthood. Results: The thematic network comprised a number of subthemes (such as personal skills and support structures), and 39 specific resilience enhancing factors. These included personal skills such as acceptance, compassion, assertiveness and help-seeking; sources of support with the most preferred source for parents their partner, followed by mothers, peers, and midwifery; and important engagement characteristics displayed by support providers including attunement to the parent’s needs and good communication skills. Conclusion: Our work contributes to an important gap in the literature and identifies factors for future research to explore and develop.

Psychological well-being of identity-release egg donation parents with infants.

STUDY QUESTIONWhat are the psychological health, relationship quality and perceived social support outcomes of heterosexual couples who have conceived an infant through identity-release egg donation?SUMMARY ANSWERParents’ scores on all measures were within the normal range. Egg donation mothers had poorer perceived social support, and egg donation fathers had less optimal psychological health than a comparison group of IVF parents, although these differences were associated with the older age of egg donation parents, rather than being an effect of family type.WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADYThere is limited understanding of the psychological health and couple relationship quality of egg donation parents, and no empirical data on parents’ social support, during the first year of parenthood. No studies have included families who have used an identity-release egg donor. The study offers the first examination of the psychological well-being of identity-release egg donation parents.STUDY DESIGN, SIZE, DURATIONThis study included 57 families created through identity-release egg donation, and a comparison group of 56 families who had used IVF with their own gametes, recruited through UK fertility clinics. Families were visited at home between October 2013 and June 2015. The sample forms part of a larger study examining family functioning in families created following fertility treatment.PARTICIPANTS/MATERIALS, SETTING, METHODAll families were heterosexual two-parent families with an infant aged 6–18 months. Mothers and fathers were administered standardised questionnaires assessing psychological health (Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale, Trait Anxiety Inventory and Parenting Stress Index-short form), couple relationship quality (Golombok Rust Inventory of Marital State) and perceived social support (Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support).MAIN RESULTS AND THE ROLE OF CHANCEScores from the egg donation and IVF parents were within the normal range on all measures. Significant differences were found between the groups indicating less optimal social support in egg donation mothers compared to IVF mothers, and poorer psychological health in egg donation fathers compared to IVF fathers. These differences appeared to be related to the older age of egg donation parents or to twin parenthood, rather than to egg donation per se. No differences were found between the groups in the parents’ relationship quality.LIMITATIONS, REASONS FOR CAUTIONIt is possible that families who were managing the transition to parenthood less well may have been less likely to participate in research. Fewer IVF than egg donation fathers participated in the study, so the statistical power was lower for comparisons between fathers.WIDER IMPLICATIONS OF THE FINDINGSThe findings are of relevance to UK clinics offering identity-release egg donation. That scores of egg donation parents on measures of psychological well-being were more similar than different to those of IVF parents should prove reassuring to individuals considering this treatment type. As less optimal outcomes were found for egg donation parents on several measures, and these were associated with parental age rather than conception type, it is recommended that clinics discuss with older patients how they may establish a social support network and signpost patients to appropriate post-natal support.STUDY FUNDING, COMPETING INTERESTSThis research was supported by a Wellcome Trust Senior Investigator Award [097857/Z/11/Z] and a CHESS-ESRC studentship. The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare.TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBERN/A

Does Paternal Involvement in Childcare Influence Mothers’ Employment Trajectories during the Early Stages of Parenthood in the UK?

Understanding the conditions that facilitate mothers’ employment and fathers’ involvement in childcare and housework is important for achieving gender equity in paid and unpaid work. Using Sen’s capabilities framework, the article explores the effect of paternal involvement in childcare on mothers’ employment resumption nine months and three years’ post-childbirth. Logistic regression is used on the UK’s Millennium Cohort Study. Results show that the probability of mothers resuming employment increase at both time points if the father is more involved in childcare nine months post-birth – and in some cases, this is more important for her employment resumption than her occupational class and the number of hours the father spends in paid work. However, attitudes have an even stronger effect, and appear to drive behaviour, as the probability of mothers resuming employment increase significantly three years post-birth if either parent endorses more gender egalitarian roles in the first year of parenthood.

Parenting apps review: in search of good quality apps.

Parenting can be challenging, and in this digital age, first-time parents actively access mobile applications or "apps" to adjust to their new roles. Apps are now technologically-savvy parents' go-to tool for accessing information, tracking their babies' development, editing and sharing photos, and much more. While apps have the potential to make parenting easier, the abundance of low-quality apps makes the process of finding a reliable one arduous for parents. Therefore, the objective of this app review paper was to provide a list of quality parenting apps that parents can use. The Google Play Store was searched on June 1st, 2018 for available parenting apps using 18 search terms: mum, mom, mommy, mama, mother, father, dad, daddy, papa, newborn, baby, infant, kid, child, children, family, parent, and parenting. The eligible apps (n=16) were evaluated on engagement, functionality, aesthetics, and information domains using Mobile App Rating Scale (MARS). The authors identified 4,300 free apps on the initial search, of which n=16 apps were included in the review. All 16 apps were freely available to the public on Google Play Store. Most apps (n=13) were also available on the iOS platform. All eligible apps had a privacy policy, and half of the apps contained advertisements. Most apps (n=12) were updated within the last year and received 4.5 or above ratings from users. Babybrains app, developed by a neuroscientist, had the lowest number of downloads (one thousand) whereas, BabyCenter, a commercial app, had the highest number of downloads (ten million). A majority of apps (n=11) received MARS scores between 4.2 and 4.4/5, with four apps received highest MARS score of 4.5/5, and one app received the lowest MARS rating of 4/5. Apps play an increasingly important role in supporting new parents in their first year of parenthood due to convenience and ease of accessibility. Health care professionals are in an ideal position to support technologically savvy parents in locating good quality apps; therefore, they should support the evaluation of existing parenting apps to ensure that the parents are presented with the up to date and best options.

Depressive symptom contagion in the transition to parenthood: Interparental processes and the role of partner-related attachment.

How depressive symptoms unfold within a couple during the perinatal events of pregnancy, childbirth, and early parenthood is poorly understood. In this prospective study, we aim to investigate the reciprocal relation between maternal and paternal depressive symptomatology, specifically how symptoms in 1 partner relate to subsequent symptom level changes in the other partner throughout the perinatal period. Further, we aim to identify parents who are particularly vulnerable to the development of disruptive processes of negative mood states. Data were collected from 1,036 mothers and 878 fathers participating in the Little in Norway study from midpregnancy until 12 months postpartum. Depressive symptoms were assessed at 7 time points (4 prenatally) in both parents. Partner-related attachment was measured early in pregnancy. By using an autoregressive latent trajectory modeling approach, accounting for time invariant confounding, we found mothers' depressive symptoms late in pregnancy to predict elevated symptom levels in fathers 6 weeks after birth, with a small effect size. No other time-adjacent effects were observed among partners at other time points or with the opposite directionality. However, moderation analyses revealed that among parents characterized by insecure partner-attachment styles, additional cross-lagged pathways were evident during pregnancy and throughout the first year of parenthood. Clinicians need to be aware of fathers' vulnerability to symptom development in instances of maternal perinatal depressive states at the time around childbirth, and tailor preventive and treatment efforts to address both parents' needs. Further, particular attention should be directed to parents with heightened susceptibility to prolonged depression contagion processes. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).

Cross-day influences between couple closeness and coparenting support among new parents.

The couple and coparenting relationships are demonstrated to be prospectively and bidirectionally associated over months to years during the early parenting years. However, little is known about these associations at the daily level within the first year of parenthood, when coparenting first emerges. The goal of the current study was to examine the association between couples' daily feelings of relationship closeness and coparenting support in first-time parents and determine directionality of these effects using a dyadic daily diary design. At 10 months postpartum, heterosexual couples (N = 141 dyads) completed daily diaries for 8 consecutive days. An autoregressive cross-lagged model was incorporated within an Actor Partner Interdependence Modeling framework to examine at the daily level: (a) within-person cross-day associations between relationship closeness and coparenting support, (b) cross-partner cross-day associations within relationship closeness and coparenting support, (c) cross-partner cross-day associations between relationship closeness and coparenting support, and (d) gender differences in these associations. Results revealed a prospective, within person bidirectional link between daily relationship closeness and perceived coparenting support for both mothers and fathers. Additionally, an indirect effect from mothers' experiences of coparenting support to fathers' relationship closeness through fathers' experiences of coparenting support was found at the daily level. Findings highlight the interdependent nature of the couple and coparenting relationship at the daily level during the first year of parenthood and suggest that mothers' feeling supported by their coparenting partners may facilitate a "virtuous cycle" between coparenting support and relationship closeness early in the coparenting relationship. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).