Development of personality traits in response to childbirth: A longitudinal dyadic perspective

To investigate the influence of childbirth on personality, the authors conducted a three-wave longitudinal research program (second prepartum trimester, 6 months postpartum and 1 year postpartum) using a multilevel modeling framework on 204 parental couples with parental group (primiparous vs. multiparous parents) as a time-invariant predictor and the partner’s development as a time-varying covariate. Results showed that the father’s Extraversion decreases after childbirth. Except for Extraversion, parents’ personality is highly stable. Besides, when facing childbirth, mothers and fathers tend to follow the same developmental trajectory and hence to function in dyad. The discussion underlines the importance of the dyadic perspective to understand the childbirth experience