Premium
Remembered Parental Rejection and Postpartum Declines in Marital Satisfaction: Moderated Dyadic Links
Author(s) -
Parade Stephanie H.,
Leerkes Esther M.,
Helms Heather M.
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
family relations
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.772
H-Index - 87
eISSN - 1741-3729
pISSN - 0197-6664
DOI - 10.1111/fare.12004
Subject(s) - moderation , psychology , developmental psychology , family systems , coparenting , reactivity (psychology) , clinical psychology , social psychology , medicine , alternative medicine , pathology
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 .