The Role of Parents’ Attachment Configurations at Childbirth on Marital Satisfaction and Conflict Strategies

This study explores the role of adult attachment configurations on marital satisfaction and conflict strategies during the transition to parenthood in a sample of 206 participants, 104 new parents and 102 childless by choice. All participants were administered measures of dyadic satisfaction and conflict strategies at two stages (during pregnancy and after 8 months, when the child was 6 months old). In prospective parents, the participants’ adult attachment configurations were also investigated in line with Crowell’s model. Results showed a decline in satisfaction and a lower use of cooperative conflict strategies for new parents. Secure specific attachment configurations appeared predictable of better satisfaction during the transition to parenthood. Insecure specific attachment configurations were predictable of a lower use of the cooperative strategy of integrating. Results were also explored in terms of the couple’s matching of attachment configurations. Overall, findings showed that in order to study a couple’s functioning it is important to consider the weight of each partner’s attachment configuration.