Parental-couple separation during the transition to parenthood.
Åsa Gamgam Leanderz, Jenny Hallgren, Maria Henricson and 2 others
PMID 33638297WHAT IT FOUND
Parents who later separated tended to feel life was less manageable and meaningful and to rate their couple relationship lower.
Invite partners to classes together and ask about relationship quality, but this is a link, not proof of prevention.
Key findings
01Six of 784 analysed participants had separated at 1 year after birth, and 17 of 784 had separated at 2 years after birth.
02Parents who separated had lower sense of coherence, lower perceived social support, and lower perceived quality of the parental-couple relationship at several time points.
03In multivariate models, attending preparatory support with a partner was associated with lower separation risk for women and overall, and attending the large group class was associated with lower separation risk for partners.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
Read the rest of this summary
You get three full summaries a month, free, and we do not ask for a card. Search, the TL;DRs and your library stay unlimited either way.
What it does not show
The study excluded non-Swedish-speaking parents, so it may not represent all Swedish parents. Only 17 participants had separated at 2 years, so the number of events is small. Participants were analysed as individuals, not as couples, so partner effects cannot be modelled together. The first questionnaire was at 1 week after birth, and responses may have been coloured by relief or euphoria. Responses were self-reported, and the authors noted possible reporting bias and that postal responders may have been more favourable than non-responders. The study followed parents for 2 years, but the authors note many separations occur at 4 years, so longer follow-up may matter. The study was observational, so it shows associations rather than proof that support prevents separation.
Declared interests
The authors have no conflict of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read attending classes or relationship quality as proven to prevent separation. The study was observational, followed parents for 2 years, and had few separations, so it shows links rather than proof.