THE RELEVANCE OF SOCIAL NETWORKS AND OF E XPERIENCED SOCIAL SUPPORT IN THE TRANSITION TO PARENTHOOD - RESULTS OF A LONGITUDINAL-STUDY

After their first child 37 couples were studied to see to what extent the structural characteristics of social networks as well as experienc ed social support encouraged acceptance of the parent role, and whethe r there was a change in the structure of individual networks and in th eir use over time (pregnancy and the child's first phase of life). A m ajor result of the study is that for accepting the parent role experie nce parameters were of greater importance than the formal characterist ics of social networks.