Dual trajectories of maternal parenting stress and marital intimacy during toddlerhood

Chester, Charlene; Blandon, Alysia Y.

doi:10.1111/pere.12122

Cited by 10 publications

(17 citation statements)

References 60 publications

(80 reference statements)

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“…Moreover, due to a variety of information‐processing biases, depressed individuals may be more likely to interpret vague emotional cues through a negative lens and to develop strong negative expectations of the self and others, which can promote withdrawal from others and divestment from close relationships (see Beck & Bredemeier, ), therefore disrupting the intimacy formation and maintenance processes. Indeed, Chester and Blandon () found that mothers' depressive symptoms were negatively associated with their marital intimacy. In addition, couple relationship intimacy was identified as a mediator of the association between depressive symptoms and couple relationship satisfaction in a clinical sample (Finkbeiner, Epstein, & Falconier, ).…”

Section: Theoretical Perspectivesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Transactional Associations Between Couple Relationship Intimacy and Depressive Symptoms Across 10 Years

Yan

Schoppe‐Sullivan

Feng

2020

J of Marriage and Family

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Objective This study tested a transactional model of associations between couple relationship intimacy and one's own and one's partner's depressive symptoms across 10 years. Background Depressive symptoms and couple relationship intimacy are important aspects of individual functioning and family well‐being. Partners' mental health and experiences in couple relationships may be interdependent. Method Six waves of data from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development were used. At each wave, 654 couples (654 men and 654 women all married and/or living together) reported their relationship intimacy and depressive symptoms. An actor–partner interdependence random intercept cross‐lagged panel model was estimated to examine reciprocal relations between men's and women's depressive symptoms and couple relationship intimacy. Results The cross‐lagged paths showed that higher than personal average couple relationship intimacy perceived by men and women predicted intraindividual increases in their partner's perceptions of couple relationship intimacy at the next time point. Moreover, for women, higher than personal average relationship intimacy predicted subsequent intraindividual decreases in their depressive symptoms (while the reverse was not true), whereas for men, lower than average depressive symptoms predicted intraindividual increases in self‐perceived relationship intimacy (while the reverse was not significant). Conclusion We found reverse temporal precedence of depressive symptoms and couple relationship intimacy for men and women. Partners' relationship intimacy was interdependent.

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Section: Theoretical Perspectivesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Transactional Associations Between Couple Relationship Intimacy and Depressive Symptoms Across 10 Years

Yan

Schoppe‐Sullivan

Feng

2020

J of Marriage and Family

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“…Although the studies above show that the link between parenting stress and relationship quality is likely to be reciprocally related, few studies have explicitly examined the reciprocal, bidirectional association. In a longitudinal study of mothers with toddlers (15, 24, and 36 months), Chester and Blandon () found that marital intimacy was significantly related to lower levels of parenting stress but not vice versa. In a recent study using 4 years of Fragile Families data, Kanter and Proulx () found that (a) perceptions of spousal supportiveness were associated with increases in mothers' parenting stress when the focal child was 1 year old, but supportiveness decreased parenting stress when the child was 3 and 5 years old and (b) maternal parenting stress was not associated with spousal supportiveness over time.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The longitudinal and bidirectional association between parenting stress and couples' relationship quality

Williams

Parra

2019

Personal Relationships

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This study examined the longitudinal and bidirectional association between parenting stress and relationship quality, and whether the associations differed between married and cohabiting couples, using cross‐lagged panel models (CLPM) and random‐intercept cross‐lagged panel models (RI‐CLPM). Using data from the Fragile Families and Child Well‐being Study, the findings indicated that the RI‐CLPM model provided a better fit to the data compared to the CLPM model for mothers and fathers. The RI‐CLPM results showed high levels of stability in parenting stress and relationship quality over time, that parenting stress was associated with higher levels of relationship quality for both parents, and that the between‐person effect was similar for married and cohabiting couples. This study highlighted the importance of accounting for between‐ and within‐person variability.

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“…Studies have further suggested that partner support can be specifically important for mothers. For example, women who have a supportive partner are more likely to avoid symptoms of depression and anxiety after childbirth [18] and have reduced parenting stress throughout the child’s early years [19]. Even when fathers assume the traditional role of secondary caregiver, the support they provide is described by mothers as critical to their well-being and ability to cope with difficult situations [20].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

What roles do male partners play in the mothering experiences of women living with mental illness? A qualitative secondary analysis

et al. 2019

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Background Mothers who live with mental illness face diverse challenges. Research suggests that partner support or otherwise is likely to have a crucial influence on mothers’ abilities to manage these challenges, yet little is known about how this plays out. In this study, we aimed to explore the roles played by male partners in the mothering experiences of women living with mental illness. Methods We conducted a qualitative secondary analysis using interview data collected from 18 participants in two previous qualitative studies. Both studies focused on the mothering experiences of women who lived with mental illness. In both studies, the importance of male partners was striking. The data were analyzed using constant comparative analysis. Results The roles of partners in women’s experiences of mothering were multiple and dynamic, with each male partner playing a unique combination of roles. These included: facilitator; teammate; unfulfilled potential; distraction; dismantler, and threat to child. Roles were influenced by: mothers’ interpretations; partners' behaviors, characteristics and circumstances; the family’s living and custody arrangements; mothers’ active management strategies; and a range of external controls and supports. Conclusions Health professionals need to consider the complex roles partners play. This crucial aspect of mothers’ social environments can be optimized by directly supporting and enabling partners themselves, and by supporting mothers to actively shape their partners’ roles.

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Dual trajectories of maternal parenting stress and marital intimacy during toddlerhood

Cited by 10 publications

References 60 publications

Transactional Associations Between Couple Relationship Intimacy and Depressive Symptoms Across 10 Years

Transactional Associations Between Couple Relationship Intimacy and Depressive Symptoms Across 10 Years

The longitudinal and bidirectional association between parenting stress and couples' relationship quality

What roles do male partners play in the mothering experiences of women living with mental illness? A qualitative secondary analysis

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