Remembered Parental Rejection and Postpartum Declines in Marital Satisfaction: Moderated Dyadic Links

UNCG Author/Contributor (non-UNCG co-authors, if there are any, appear on document)
Heather M. Helms, Professor (Creator)
Esther M. Leerkes, Professor (Creator)
Institution
The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG )
Web Site: http://library.uncg.edu/

Abstract: Utilizing a sample of 80 married couples, the current study employed a dyadic approach to examine links between remembered parental rejection during childhood and change in marital satisfaction across the transition to parenthood. Partner remembered parental rejection, parenting efficacy, and infant temperamental reactivity (frustration and fear reactivity) were examined as moderator variables. Spouses' own remembered parental rejection was linked with declines in marital satisfaction among spouses whose partners recalled more rejection from their parents in childhood, among spouses who felt less efficacious in the parenting role, and among spouses who reported high infant frustration. Partner remembered parental rejection was linked with declines in marital satisfaction among spouses who reported that they were less efficacious in the parenting role. Results support the perspective that family-of-origin experiences are best understood in conjunction with other domains of family life. Applied implications are discussed.

Additional Information

Publication
Family Relations, 62(2), 298-311
Language: English
Date: 2013
Keywords
dyadic data analysis, marital satisfaction, parenting efficacy, remembered parental rejection, transition to parenthood

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