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.

This study explored mothers’ perceptions of their children’s resistance to their requests and defiance of parental authority during middle childhood and early adolescence. We were interested in parental perceptions of change in resistance, their interpretations of the meaning of resistance, and parental responses to these behaviors. Forty Canadian mothers of children 9–13 years of age participated for one week in a study focused on parents’ experiences of children’s resistance and opposition. Procedures consisted of a qualitative analysis of mothers’ reports from a five-day event diary and a 1 h semi-structured interview. Mothers reported developmental changes in the quantity and quality of children’s resistance to parental requests and expectations. Most mothers reported increasing displays of defiance and direct and indirect expressions of attitude but also noted changes in the skill with which children expressed resistance. Mothers interpreted children’s resistance as annoying but normal expressions of children’s developing autonomy. Mothers supported children’s right to expression of agency through resistance but attempted to channel children’s resistance toward socially competent expressions of assertiveness. The findings have implications for a relational perspective on autonomy-supportive parenting and parents’ goals for children’s developing social competence in the 21st century.