MARITAL ADJUSTMENT DURING THE TRANSITION TO PARENTHOOD AND INFANT’S TEMPERAMENT AT 3 MONTHS.

Objectives: Several studies have demonstrated that a poor marital adjustment of the parents may have a negative effect on the infant’s early regulation capacity. Conversely, the child’s negative reactivity may in turn impair the marital relationship, and an easy-tempered child has been associated with higher levels of marital adjustment. The aims of this longitudinal study are to examine whether mothers’ and fathers’ perceptions of their marital adjustment, assessed at the seventh month of pregnancy (T1) and at 3 months postpartum (T2), is associated with difficult infant temperament, and to consider gender differences. Methods: The sample consisted of 80 parents (40 couples) and their healthy babies (60% boys, 40% girls). At T1, parents filled out the Dyadic Adjustment Scale (DAS) to assess marital adjustment. At T2, mothers and fathers were again asked to fill out the DAS, and they completed the Infant Behavior Questionnaire to describe their infant’s temperament. Results: Analyses revealed that poor marital adjustment is associated with the infants’ negative affectivity, defined in terms of fear, sadness, frustration, and discomfort, whereas higher levels of marital adjustment are associated with the infants’ interest in novelty, cuddliness, and soothability. Finally, mothers and fathers attribute higher scores on smiling, pleasure, and cuddliness to girls compared to boys. Conclusions: The findings underscore the importance of the parents’ marital relationship in terms of its influence on the perception of their infant’s temperament, also influenced by the infant’s gender. In the presence of a less adequate marital adjustment, the parents tend to perceive their infant more negatively, compromising the development of a sensitive and responsive parent-infant relationship. Studies on a larger sample will be needed to confirm our results. EC, FAM, TEMP Supported by Italian Ministry for Education, University and Research Grant PRIN 2013/2016 – 20107JZAF4 http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jaac.2020.08.207