• 333-01 - Becoming Parents: Co-parenting Quality and Salivary Cortisol
  Presented by: Brandon McDaniel, Lauren Philbrook, Douglas Teti
• 333-02 - Longitudinal Outcomes for Adolescent Mothers: Randomized Evaluation Results
  Presented by: Sara Johnson, Beth Russell, Kimberly Carvell-Martini
• 333-03 - Life Events and Mental Health at the Transition to Parenthood
  Presented by: Sara Sandberg-Thoma, Letitia Kotila
• 333-04 - Associations of Health and Marital Satisfaction Over the Transition to Parenthood
  Presented by: Annalise Ford, Alyson Shapiro, Masumi Iida

Abstracts

Becoming Parents: Co-parenting Quality and Salivary Cortisol

Presented by: Brandon McDaniel, Lauren Philbrook, Douglas Teti

One physiological measure that is studied in the context of family stress is salivary cortisol. This study examined the associations between coparenting quality and parents' cortisol across the transition to parenthood. Results indicated that fathers, but not mothers, who rated poorer coparenting showed a significant increase in their cortisol levels at bedtime from 1 to 3 months post-birth. Coparenting continued to be a significant predictor of cortisol for fathers when controlling for other family, parent, and infant characteristics. These findings suggest that coparenting quality early in the transition to parenthood may be important for shaping fathers' cortisol patterns over time.  

Longitudinal Outcomes for Adolescent Mothers: Randomized Evaluation Results

Presented by: Sara Johnson, Beth Russell, Kimberly Carvell-Martini

This evaluation of the Adolescent Family Life - Friends of the Family program for teenage parents, assessed whether an integrated mental health services (IMHS) versus standard of care (SoC) approach was associated with better maternal outcomes. 122 teenage mothers were enrolled - the majority were Hispanic (n = 83, 68%), unwed (n = 105, 86%), and 18 years old on average. After enrollment, each participant was randomly assigned either IMHS or SoC. Concurrent with randomization, case managers conducted an initial baseline assessment and created a service plan; participants completed follow ups at 6, 12, and 18 months postpartum.

Life Events and Mental Health at the Transition to Parenthood

Presented by: Sara Sandberg-Thoma, Letitia Kotila

The transition to parenthood is a normative, yet stressful life event, where some individuals appear more at-risk for declines in mental health. The accumulation of undesirable life events at this critical time period may explain the occurrence of mental health discrepancies.Using the NLSY97 dataset, we assess relations between life events and mental health at the transition to parenthood. Preliminary results indicate that undesirable life events experienced during the time of childbirth are associated with poor mental health; no association was found for desirable life events. Future analyses plan to address the nature of these associations. Practical implications are discussed.

Associations of Health and Marital Satisfaction Over the Transition to Parenthood

Presented by: Annalise Ford, Alyson Shapiro, Masumi Iida

Although research has clearly documented associations between social relationships and health, there is a lack of research examining this association over the transition to parenthood, particularly with regard to physical health. The current quantitative study examines longitudinal associations between health (illness and depressive symptoms) and marital satisfaction among 64 couples from the third trimester of pregnancy to 1-year post-birth. Frequency of illness before birth was significantly associated with a decrease in marital satisfaction at 1-year post-birth. Furthermore, depressive symptoms were associated with decreased marital satisfaction for wives, but not husbands. Implications of these findings will be discussed.