Trust and Caregiving Over the Transition to Parenthood: Role of Adult Attachment and Partner’s Parenting

• In Event: Poster Session 08
  In Poster Session: PS 08 Topic - Family Context & Processes

Abstract

The quality of marriage has been associated with the quality of caregiving, highlighting the importance of studying the effects of marital quality on caregiving over the transition to parenthood. Having a baby is a significant change, full of both joy and stress. Many aspects of the marriage deteriorate (Doss et al., 2009), yet trust toward partners remains stable or even increases (Ter Kuile et al., 2017), so trust may act as a psychological resource, equipping couples for their new-parent roles. Ter Kuile et al. (2017) found that fathers' trust increased whereas mothers’ trust remained stable over the transition to parenthood. What remains unknown is what factors lead to this gender difference, whether there will be separate trust trajectories within each gender, and whether trust will influence caregiving. To address these issues, this study investigated whether multiple trust trajectories for mothers and fathers over the transition to parenthood exist, are associated with adult attachment representations and perceptions of partner’s parenting, and predict caregiving quality at 24 months.
125 first-time expectant couples, recruited from birthing classes, were followed over 2 years. Mothers were 20-42 years old (M=29) and fathers were 19-50 years old (M=31). Most were white, had some college education, and from lower and middle SES backgrounds. At the prenatal visit, couples completed the Adult Attachment Interview (George, Kaplan, & Main, 1985). At 8-months, couples were videotaped discussing what they liked and disliked about their spouse’s parenting. Discussions were coded to assess parents’ perceptions of partners’ parenting. At prenatal, 8- and 24-months, parents completed Rempel’s (1985) trust scale. At 24 months, parent-toddler interactions were observed during a free-play and clean-up session, and four problem-solving tasks. Two coders rated parent-child interactions for sensitivity, hostility, role reversal, and emotional disengagement.
The latent class analysis classified couples into three classes: high-stable trust (104 mothers); low-stable trust (20 fathers and 18 mothers); and low beginning and increasing trust (105 fathers and 3 mothers). Logistic regression revealed that parents’ attachment and perception of partners’ parenting were related to trust trajectories. Unresolved parents were 82.7% more likely to maintain Low Trust (vs. High Trust), p=.045, and were 96.5% more likely to maintain Low Trust (vs. Increasing Trust), p=.008. Parents’ risk of maintaining Low Trust (vs. High Trust) decreased by 29.8% (p=.002) with every one-point increase in perception of partner’s parenting. Linear regression showed that parents trust trajectories were related to caregiving. Parents with High Trust (vs. Increasing Trust) displayed more sensitive care (p=.032); parents with High Trust (vs. Low Trust) engaged in less role reversal (p=.002).
Finding that mothers’ trust remains stable and fathers’ trust increases is consistent with previous research, but this study identified multiple trust trajectories within each gender. Both attachment security and positive evaluations of partners’ parenting contributed to high trust over this critical transition to parenthood. Parents’ high trust is related to more sensitive caregiving and less role reversal at 24 months, highlighting that trust can buffer stress, provide parents with support, and help them to provide more adequate care for the child.

Authors

• Shuqi Zhang, University of Texas at Austin
  Presenting Author

• Nancy Lynn Hazen, University of Texas at Austin
  Non-Presenting Author

• Deborah B Jacobvitz, University of Texas at Austin
  Non-Presenting Author