The purpose of this research was to investigate how the birth of the first child impacts on the marital system. The following three objectives were evaluated: (1) to determine whether the child's entry into the family precipitated a family crisis, (2) to identify the change process that occurred during the transition, and (3) to test hypotheses regarding specific changes in role behaviors and marital satisfaction during this period. / Ten middle class, La Maze trained couples participated in the study. Data were collected in two forms. Data regarding marital behaviors and marital satisfaction were gathered through questionnaires which were completed weekly for a period of 15 weeks, starting six weeks before the expected delivery date, and continuing for approximately 8 weeks postpartum. The couples were also interviewed during the second month postpartum. These interviews provided qualitative information which supplemented the questionnaire data and served as a validation check. The findings were analyzed as a group with the aid of t-tests, and as 10 single system experiments through visual inspection. / The findings from the study revealed that the couples experienced several noteworthy changes when their first child joined the family. The most dramatic changes occurred in household activities, as the new parents took on the added responsibility of child care, and established a more traditional division of labor after the birth. Other changes during this period involved the couples' sexual and social activities. Contrary to the hypotheses, there were no changes in marital satisfaction or expressive activities (e.g., affection, companionship) for most of the couples. However, two couples reported experiencing a decrease in expressiveness after birth. One other couple experienced a marked decrease in both marital satisfaction and expressiveness. This one couple was judged to have experienced a crisis during this period. For the other nine couples, new parenthood seemed to be a stressful experience, but one characterized by much excitement and gratification. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 42-06, Section: B, page: 2324. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1981.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:fsu.edu/oai:fsu.digital.flvc.org:fsu_74564 |
| Contributors | SCHUCHTS, ROBERT ALAN., Florida State University |
| Source Sets | Florida State University |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Text |
| Format | 145 p. |
| Rights | On campus use only. |
| Relation | Dissertation Abstracts International |
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