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The U.S. government has recently spent several hundred million dollars to promote healthy relationships in new parents. The influx of money implies that relationships of new parents are at elevated risk for declining satisfaction and dissolution. This meta-analysis aggregates data from 37 studies that track couples from pregnancy to after the birth of the first child and 4 studies that track childless newlywed couples over time and compare couples who do and do not become parents. Results indicate significant, small declines in relationship satisfaction for both men and women from pregnancy to 11-months post-birth; five studies that followed couples for 12-14 months found moderate-sized declines. Seven variables moderated the decrease in relationship satisfaction from pregnancy to early parenthood. However, the decrease in satisfaction may not indicate anything unique about the transition to parenthood; the four studies following newlyweds indicated that those who do not become parents experience a similar decrease in relationship satisfaction as parents do across a comparable span of time. Implications for prevention and future directions are discussed. KeywordsTransition to Parenthood; Relationship Satisfaction; Meta-Analysis; Couples; longitudinal The transition to parenthood (TtP) has received increasing attention over the last decade, with the U.S. government spending several hundred million dollars for interventions for new parents aimed at promoting healthy relationships (e.g., U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2008). The influx of money implies that parents with newborns are at elevated risk for relationship distress and dissolution. Although numerous studies have reported that relationship satisfaction significantly declines after the birth of the first child (e.g., Van Egeren, 2004), other studies have found no change or even an increase in relationship satisfaction (e.g., Wallace & Gotlib, 1990). This meta-analysis of the change in relationship satisfaction across the TtP will derive a composite estimate of the direction and magnitude of the effect. We hypothesized that there will be a decrease in relationship satisfaction from pregnancy to early parenthood.

The stability of and dyadic influences on physical aggression in adolescents' dating relationships have implications for understanding the etiology of intimate partner violence and, in turn, prevention efforts. We studied the stability of aggression and tested a longitudinal dyadic model of psychological and physical aggression in samples of adolescent males and females who remained in relationships for 3 months. Physical aggression against dating partners was remarkably stable. Verbal aggression, jealous behavior, and controlling behavior formed a latent construct psychological aggression. Psychological aggression predicted physical aggression both concurrently and longitudinally. Dyadic relations were evident for both psychological and physical aggression, and these dyadic relations highlight the need for prevention and intervention incorporating dyadic issues with young dating couples.