Authors
Marc S Schulz, Carolyn Pape Cowan, Philip A Cowan
Publication date
2006/2
Journal
Journal of consulting and clinical psychology
Volume
74
Issue
1
Pages
20
Publisher
American Psychological Association
Description
Couples expecting their first child were randomly assigned to intervention (n= 28) and comparison groups (n= 38) to assess the efficacy of a couples intervention and examine marital satisfaction trajectories across the transition to parenthood. The primarily European American sample (M age= 30 years) completed assessments of marital satisfaction at 5 points from the final trimester of pregnancy to 66 months postpartum. Growth curve analyses indicated a normative linear decline in marital satisfaction. Intervention participants experienced significantly less decline than comparison participants, providing support for the efficacy of the intervention. Comparable childless couples (n= 13) did not show a decline in marital satisfaction. The results suggest that early family transitions that strain couple relationships provide critical opportunities for preventive interventions to strengthen marriage.
Total citations
Scholar articles
MS Schulz, CP Cowan, PA Cowan - Journal of consulting and clinical psychology, 2006