TY - JOUR
T1 - Family and Child Outcomes 2 Years After a Transition to Parenthood Intervention
AU - Jones, Damon Evan
AU - Feinberg, Mark Ethan
AU - Hostetler, Michelle Louise
AU - Roettger, Michael E.
AU - Paul, Ian
AU - Ehrenthal, Deborah B.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2018 National Council on Family Relations
PY - 2018/4
Y1 - 2018/4
N2 - Objective: To examine the impact of Family Foundations, a transition-to-parenting intervention, on parent and child outcomes 2 years after birth. Background: Couples transitioning to parenthood face many stressors and challenges that are not typically addressed through commonly available childbirth preparatory classes. The Family Foundations program was designed for couples expecting their first child and addresses family stressors related to coparenting, parenting, and mental health. Method: The recruited sample of 399 couples expecting their first child were randomly assigned to intervention or control conditions. Data were obtained through home observation and parent surveys before and after intervention. Results: Intent-to-treat analyses indicated effects on several targeted domains including coparenting, parenting, and relationship quality, as well as on child sleep habits and internalizing behavior problems at 2 years of age. Effects for several outcomes were larger for those couples at greater risk based on pretest-observed negative dyadic communication styles. Conclusion: Longer-term impact found here on parent and child outcomes provides new evidence of the effectiveness of this program for first-time parents. Implications: Programs directed toward broader issues related to aspects of coparenting, parenting, and mental health have the potential to have longer-term positive impact on the couples and the developing child.
AB - Objective: To examine the impact of Family Foundations, a transition-to-parenting intervention, on parent and child outcomes 2 years after birth. Background: Couples transitioning to parenthood face many stressors and challenges that are not typically addressed through commonly available childbirth preparatory classes. The Family Foundations program was designed for couples expecting their first child and addresses family stressors related to coparenting, parenting, and mental health. Method: The recruited sample of 399 couples expecting their first child were randomly assigned to intervention or control conditions. Data were obtained through home observation and parent surveys before and after intervention. Results: Intent-to-treat analyses indicated effects on several targeted domains including coparenting, parenting, and relationship quality, as well as on child sleep habits and internalizing behavior problems at 2 years of age. Effects for several outcomes were larger for those couples at greater risk based on pretest-observed negative dyadic communication styles. Conclusion: Longer-term impact found here on parent and child outcomes provides new evidence of the effectiveness of this program for first-time parents. Implications: Programs directed toward broader issues related to aspects of coparenting, parenting, and mental health have the potential to have longer-term positive impact on the couples and the developing child.
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U2 - 10.1111/fare.12309
DO - 10.1111/fare.12309
M3 - Article
C2 - 30140113
AN - SCOPUS:85043401641
SN - 0197-6664
VL - 67
SP - 270
EP - 286
JO - Family Relations
JF - Family Relations
IS - 2
ER -