First time parents' perceptions of their relationship across the transition to parenthood

Includes bibliographical references.The transition to parenthood is a time of heightened risk for marital distress due to the changes and demands experienced by new parents. The quality of the marital relationship has an influence on child development and on adult well-being. The aim of this study was to investigate the changes in the marital relationship when couples became parents._ and to understand how these changes impacted on the marital relationship. Factors that alleviated or exacerbated the negative effects of this transition on the couple relationship were identified and discussed. Data was collected from first-time parents using an exploratory qualitative method. Participants in heterosexual marriages with a baby aged between 3 months to a year were recruited, using non-probability purposive sampling, followed by snowball sampling. Nine couples were recruited through midwives and doulas in private practice and through their clients. Individual face to face interviews were conducted using an interview schedule as a guideline. The interviews were recorded electronically, transcribed and analysed following Tesch’s (2009) method of data analysis. The findings reflect high levels of overall marital satisfaction both before and after the transition to parenthood amongst many participants. At the same time, participants reported negative changes in certain aspects of their relationship. Protective and risk factors were identified for the marital relationship across the transition to parenthood. Recommendations were made to various stakeholders, as well as for future research