Stress, Attributions, and Hostility as Predictors of Psychological Intimate Partner Violence at the Transition to Parenthood

The transition to parenthood is often accompanied by increased parental stress levels as well as more frequent partner conflict, relationship distress, and intimate partner violence (IPV). Objective: Using the framework of the vulnerability-stress-adaptation model (Karney & Bradbury, Psychological Bulletin, 1995, 118, p. 3), the current study investigated the extent to which changes in hostile attributions might explain the link between changes in stress (e.g., life stress and parenting stress) and changes in psychological IPV across the transition to parenthood, as well as whether trait hostility increased risk of hostile attributions in the face of stress. Method: Ninety-eight mixed-gender couples completed questionnaires during the third trimester of pregnancy and again at 1- and 2-year postpartum. Results: Multilevel modeling analyses demonstrated that changes in hostile attributions significantly mediated the link between changes in stress and psychological IPV for both men and women over the transition to parenthood. Further, for men lower in trait hostility, increases in both life and parenting stress were associated with increases in hostile attributions. In contrast, men high in trait hostility had high levels of hostile attributions over time regardless of stress levels. Finally, trait hostility did not moderate the link between stress and hostile attributions for women. Conclusion: This study adds to the growing body of literature on mechanisms explaining the link between stress and changes in relationship functioning over the transition to parenthood. Interventions to increase adaptive processes in the face of stress and reduce hostile attributions during the transition to parenthood may help to prevent relationship deterioration and psychological IPV during this time.