Fathers' cognitive appraisals, coping strategies, and support resources ascorrelates of adjustment to parenthood

Adjustment to parenthood was explored among fathers by applying R.S. Lazaru s's (1993) theoretical model of stress and coping. Within a longitudinal fr amework, the assessment of 90 primiparous fathers and 90 primiparous mother s included measures of cognitive appraisals of parenting, coping strategies used to deal with parenting issues, and support resources at 1 month postp artum, Adjustment to parenthood in terms of well-being and involvement with the infant was assessed at 12 months postpartum by means of measures of pa rental burnout as well as observed caregiving and affiliative behaviors. Pa tterns of appraisals, coping strategies, and support resources related to p arenting were both found to differ substantially between fathers and mother s and to be differentially associated with adjustment to parenthood. The re sults are discussed in Eight of the socialization theory and the role const raint theory explaining gender differences in the coping processes.