Child Involvement and Marital Relationship Change when Families Transition to a Second Child

• In Event: 2-066 - Is it Easier the Second Time? Parenting across the Transition from One Child to Two

Integrative Statement

Introduction: The arrival of the first child is acknowleged as a major transition in a couple’s life yet there is less interest in what happens to families when an additional child arrives. Although several studies find that marital quality changes with the arrival of subsequent children (Twenge, Campbell & Foster, 2003), few studies examine what factors may be associated with these changes (but see Volling et al., 2015 as an exception). The current study addresses this gap and focuses on how parental involvement with the first child changes when a second child enters the family and examines whether these changes are related to changes in marital relationship quality.
Methods: Participants were 84 two-parent Dutch families participating in a longitudinal investigation of the changing dynamics of families having a second child. Data were collected when mothers were pregnant with a second child, and 1, 13 and 24 months after the second child’s birth. The present study focuses on data from W1 (prenatal) and W3 (13 months postpartum). The first born child was on average 23 months old at the first wave. Parents completed questionnaires and were videotaped in their homes while participating in a series of dyadic, triadic and whole family interaction sessions with their children. Involvement with the first child tapped three dimensions: Direct child care (self report , Fthenakis & Minsel, 2002), warmth (observed: McHale, Kuersten-Hogan, & Lauretti, 2001; parent-reported: de Brock, Vermulst, Gerris & Abidin, 1992) and positive engagement (observed investment and instruction quality: McHale, et al., 2001). Marital quality focused on emotional intimacy and satisfaction (self-report; adapted from Blythe & Foster-Clark, 1987).
Results: Repeated measures ANOVAs were used to examine whether involvement with the first child and marital quality changed from the prenatal period (W1) to 13 months after the second child’s birth (W3). Results revealed that neither mothers nor fathers changed in Direct Care, though for warmth, mothers decreased while fathers remained stable. For Positive Engagement, both mothers and fathers decreased in investment yet increased in instruction quality. Both mothers and fathers reported a decrease in marital relationship quality from the prenatal period to 13 months after the second child’s birth. Regression analyses were used to examine whether a partner’s changes in involvement with the oldest child predicted changes in marital quality reported by the other spouse. Results revealed that increases in fathers’ warmth (β = .19, p <.05) for the first child and lower changes in investment (β = -.17, p <.05) in the first child across the transition predicted increases in mothers’ reports of marital relationship quality. The model predicting fathers’ marital relationship quality was not significant. Results indicate that in general fathers do not become increasingly more involved with the older child when a second child enters the family. However, fathers who did show increases in warmth towards the oldest child also had partners who showed increases in marital quality. These findings suggest that paternal involvement with the first born has important implications for marital quality across family transitions.

Authors

• Judith Semon Dubas, Utrecht University
  Presenting Author

• Anastasia Kurysheva, Utrecht University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Nora Szabo, Utrecht University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Marcel van Aken, Utrecht University
  Non-Presenting Author