Parental Differences and Changes in Marital Quality, Psychological Well-Being, and Sensitivity with Firstborn Children

Abstract

The purposes of this panel study were to learn the extent to which mothers' and fathers' parental sensitivity, marital quality, and psychological well-being differed and changed from when theirfirstborn children were 3 months old to when they were 212 years old. Mothers and fathers exhibited similar levels of psychological well-being, marital quality, and parental sensitivity at both observations. Significant declines in marital qualityfor both did not lead to reduced psychological well-being or diminished parental sensitivity for either parent. Quality of the marriage relationship and parental age played a significant role in the development of father-child relations but not in mother-child relations. The sex of the infant was not associated with parental sensitivityfor either parent.