Adult attachment and marital interaction as predictors of whole family interactions during the transition to parenthood

Abstract

This study examined the role of parental adult attachment and couples' prenatal and postnatal marital interactions in predicting the quality of family interactions 24 months after the birth of the couple's first child. Father's prenatal marital withdrawal and mother's postnatal marital withdrawal were associated with less adaptive family interactions at 24 months. Families with fathers who had an insecure attachment, as assessed by the Adult Attachment Interview, showed less positive and more negative interactions at 24 months, but only when there were higher levels of negative escalation in the couple's marriage prenatally. Findings are discussed in terms of the importance of exploring the transition to parenthood at the broader family level.