Fathers’ Perceptions of Marital Relationships and Child Externalizing Problems

• In Event: Poster Session 13
  In Poster Session: PS 13 Topic - Family Context & Processes

Abstract

Background: Marital relationships influence multiple aspects of child development directly or indirectly through parenting and coparenting subsystems (Feinberg, 2003). At the transition to parenthood, marital relationship quality typically declines sharply for both mothers and fathers (Doss et al., 2009). However, fathers may be more susceptible to the impact of the marital subsystem compared to mothers (Cummings et al., 2010). The present study examines changes in fathers’ perceptions of marital relationships at the transition to parenthood and how these changes affect toddlers’ externalizing problems.
Method: Data were drawn from a transition-to-parenthood study of 182 dual-earner couples. Fathers reported their confidence and constraint (i.e., feeling trapped) in the marital relationship at the third trimester, 3-months, 6-months, and 9-months postpartum using the Commitment Inventory (Stanley & Markman, 1992). Mothers reported children’s externalizing problems using the ITSEA when children were age two (Carter et al., 2003). Growth curve modeling was used to analyze the changes in fathers’ perceptions of confidence and constraint in the marital relationship, and how the initial levels and changes predicted toddlers’ externalizing problems.
Results: The model for fathers’ confidence had good fit, χ2(8) = 7.90, p = .443, RMSEA < .001 (90% CI = .00, .09), CFI = 1.00, SRMR = .05. Fathers’ confidence declined across the transition to parenthood (b = -.05, z = -3.36, p = .001; Figure 1). Greater fathers’ prenatal confidence predicted higher levels of toddlers’ externalizing problems (b = .07, z = 14.35, p < .001). Steeper declines in fathers’ confidence, however, were associated with more toddler externalizing problems (b = -1.06, z = -2.34, p = .019). The model for fathers’ constraint also fits well, χ2(8) = 8.14, p = .420, RMSEA = .010 (90% CI=.00, .09), CFI= .998, SRMR = .06. Fathers felt increasingly constrained across the transition to parenthood (b = .45, z = 6.94, p < .001; Figure 2). Higher initial levels of perceived constraint were associated with steeper increases in constraint over time (b = .02, z = 2.81, p = .005). Higher initial levels of constraint were also associated with greater toddlers’ externalizing problems (b = .45, z = 6.94, p < .001), while changes in fathers’ constraint were not associated with children’s externalizing problems (p > .05).
Discussion: Fathers’ experience in the marital context at the transition to parenthood is critical to children’s future development. The mean level of fathers’ prenatal confidence was high in this study, and very high prenatal confidence may be hard to maintain, which may explain the positive link between fathers’ initial levels of confidence and toddlers’ externalizing problems. Fathers who decrease in confidence over the transition to parenthood, and those who feel trapped in their relationships prior to parenthood may experience greater difficulties in parenting and coparenting, which may lead to elevated child externalizing problems.

Authors

• Jingyi Wang, Ohio State University
  Presenting Author

• Sarah Jane Schoppe-Sullivan, Ohio State University
  Non-Presenting Author