CHANGES IN PSYCHOLOGICAL HEALTH AND THE MARITAL RELATIONSHIP THROUGH CHILDBEARING - TRANSITION OR PROCESS AS STRESSOR

Childbearing has generally been considered to have its greatest effect on the psychological health and marital relationship of individuals d uring the transition from childlessness to parenthood. Further, these detrimental effects are said to be greater for females than males. Psy chological wellbeing, distress, and spouse dissatisfaction were record ed in the second and third trimesters of pregnancy and three months po stpartum for 210 subjects (107 females and 103 males). Multiparous sub jects reported higher levels of distress and lower levels of wellbeing than primiparous subjects throughout the study period. Contrary to ex pectations, there was a general increase in distress and decrease in w ellbeing with no differential effect for either parity or sex. However , self-reported spouse dissatisfaction increased significantly more fo r first-time mothers than for any other group. The results indicate th at the process of childbearing has a deleterious effect on psychologic al health irrespective of whether the individual is an experienced par ent or not.