Prenatal Romantic Relationship Satisfaction Predicts Parent-Infant Bonding for Fathers, but Not Mothers

This study explored associations between couples' prenatal relationship satisfaction and their feelings of bonding toward their infants before and after birth. Parenting profoundly shapes child development, beginning even before the birth of an infant. Therefore, it is important to understand prenatal predictors of parent-child bonding. Initial work suggests that the expectant couple's relationship satisfaction may impact parent-infant bonding, especially for fathers. A community sample of cohabiting, heterosexual first-time parents (n = 86 families) took part in two laboratory visits spanning the transition to parenthood. During pregnancy, expectant mothers and fathers reported on their relationship satisfaction and prenatal bonding. At approximately 6 months postpartum, both parents reported on postpartum bonding. Fathers' prenatal relationship satisfaction predicted paternal bonding at 6 months postpartum, but maternal relationship satisfaction did not predict mothers' subsequent bonding. Neither mothers' nor fathers' prenatal relationship satisfaction was associated with their own self-reported prenatal bonding. However, an interaction effect emerged, such that when fathers reported higher prenatal relationship satisfaction, their prenatal bonding was more strongly associated with mothers' prenatal bonding. We found that prenatal relationship satisfaction may facilitate fathers' later bonding with his child. Moreover, a better functioning romantic partnership was associated with greater similarity in couples' self-reported prenatal bonding with their child. Prenatal relationship satisfaction may be a useful target for clinical interventions aimed at bolstering father-child bonding.