The Role of Parents' Attachment Configurations at Childbirth on Marital Satisfaction and Conflict Strategies.

This study explores the role of adult attachment configurations on marital satisfaction and conflict strategies during the transition to parenthood in a sample of 206 participants, 104 new parents and 102 childless by choice. All participants were administered measures of dyadic satisfaction and conflict strategies at two stages (during pregnancy and after 8 months, when the child was 6 months old). In prospective parents, the participants\u2019 adult attachment configurations were also investigated in line with Crowell\u2019s model. Results showed a decline in satisfaction and a lower use of cooperative conflict strategies for new parents. Secure specific attachment configurations appeared predictable of better satisfaction during the transition to parenthood. Insecure specific attachment configurations were predictable of a lower use of the cooperative strategy of integrating. Results were also explored in terms of the couple\u2019s matching of attachment configurations. Overall, findings showed that in order to study a couple\u2019s functioning it is important to consider the weight of each partner\u2019s attachment configuration

Fathers' Place and Role in Family Relationships

In this chapter, the question of the place and role of the father in the family will be treated in a systemic perspective. The father’s place depends on several factors like the father’s desire to be involved, the quality of co-parenting relationship, the quality of marital relationship, a possible maternal gatekeeping, social support like paternal leave, the family composition, and so on. Keeping in mind the best interest of children, researches will be presented and will serve as a base for discussion

Relationship distress : empirical evidence for a relational need perspective

B