BEFORE CHILDREN - PREPARENTHOOD COGNITIONS OF DISTRESSED AND HUSBAND-TO-WIFE AGGRESSIVE COUPLES

Positive and negative cognitions about parenthood were assessed in a s ample of recently married childless spouses who were in nondistressed, distressed, and husband-to-wife (H-to-W) aggressive marriages (328 hu sbands and 331 wives). As predicted, maritally distressed spouses held more negative cognitions about parenthood than did nondistressed spou ses. Results indicated that spouses in H-to-W aggressive marriages exp ected parenthood to be a more unpredictable and difficult job than spo uses in marriages not involving H-to-W aggression. Wives also reported more fears that having a child would result in a loss of freedom than did husbands. No distress, H-to-W aggression level, or gender differe nces were obtained for positive preparenthood cognitions. Finally, wiv es' but not husbands' positive and negative preparenthood cognitions a t 6 months of marriage were able to predict parenthood status at 30 mo nths of marriage.