Ready for the Transition to Parenthood? Predicting Relationship Satisfaction Trajectories From Prenatal Indicators of Low Readiness

TY - ABST

T1 - Ready for the Transition to Parenthood? Predicting Relationship Satisfaction Trajectories From Prenatal Indicators of Low Readiness

AU - Fentz, Hanne Nørr

AU - Houmark, Mikkel Aagaard

AU - Simonsen, Marianne

AU - Trillingsgaard, Tea

PY - 2025

Y1 - 2025

N2 - Over recent decades, government-funded initiatives and programs aimed at strengthening marriage and promoting healthy family formation during the transition to parenthood have become more widely available. The broad attendance to such initiatives may suggest to the public that having a child can put the health of any marriage at risk, although substantial heterogeneity in parents’ trajectories of relationship satisfaction has been demonstrated. This study examined whether four prenatal indicators of ‘low transition-to-parenthood readiness’ namely, nonmarital status, doubts about the future of the relationship, unplanned pregnancy, and absence of a clear wish for the child, function as risk factors for both members of expecting couples (i.e., actor and partner effects), predicting greater declines in relationship satisfaction across this major life transition. Latent class growth analyses were conducted on data from 1,433 couples (a first-time pregnant woman and her nonpregnant partner), tracking relationship satisfaction from 21 weeks gestation to 19 months postpartum. Three distinct trajectory groups were identified: 38.7% of parents reported initially high and stable relationship satisfaction, 51.3% reported initially high satisfaction followed by a slight decline, and 10.0% reported initially low satisfaction with a significant decline into the distressed range (below 13.5 on the satisfaction scale). For both partners, actor and partner prenatal doubts about the future of the relationship significantly predicted membership in the low and large-decline subgroup as opposed to the two more stable groups. Additionally, for nonpregnant partners, lacking a clear wish for the child was a strong predictor of membership in the low and large-decline group. In contrast, nonmarital status and unplanned pregnancy did not predict trajectory group membership. These findings suggest that most new parents experience their relationship as resilient against the challenges of new parenthood. However, couples characterized by relationship doubts or ambivalence about the child may benefit from targeted support during pregnancy.

AB - Over recent decades, government-funded initiatives and programs aimed at strengthening marriage and promoting healthy family formation during the transition to parenthood have become more widely available. The broad attendance to such initiatives may suggest to the public that having a child can put the health of any marriage at risk, although substantial heterogeneity in parents’ trajectories of relationship satisfaction has been demonstrated. This study examined whether four prenatal indicators of ‘low transition-to-parenthood readiness’ namely, nonmarital status, doubts about the future of the relationship, unplanned pregnancy, and absence of a clear wish for the child, function as risk factors for both members of expecting couples (i.e., actor and partner effects), predicting greater declines in relationship satisfaction across this major life transition. Latent class growth analyses were conducted on data from 1,433 couples (a first-time pregnant woman and her nonpregnant partner), tracking relationship satisfaction from 21 weeks gestation to 19 months postpartum. Three distinct trajectory groups were identified: 38.7% of parents reported initially high and stable relationship satisfaction, 51.3% reported initially high satisfaction followed by a slight decline, and 10.0% reported initially low satisfaction with a significant decline into the distressed range (below 13.5 on the satisfaction scale). For both partners, actor and partner prenatal doubts about the future of the relationship significantly predicted membership in the low and large-decline subgroup as opposed to the two more stable groups. Additionally, for nonpregnant partners, lacking a clear wish for the child was a strong predictor of membership in the low and large-decline group. In contrast, nonmarital status and unplanned pregnancy did not predict trajectory group membership. These findings suggest that most new parents experience their relationship as resilient against the challenges of new parenthood. However, couples characterized by relationship doubts or ambivalence about the child may benefit from targeted support during pregnancy.

KW - transition to parenthood

KW - relationship satisfaction

KW - latent class growth analysis

KW - actor–partner

KW - dyadic data

M3 - Conference abstract for conference

T2 - Det gode nok forældreskab for spæd- og småbørn<br/>Hvordan styrker vi familiens egne ressourcer?

Y2 - 21 October 2025 through 23 October 2025

ER -