Family policies’ long-term effects on poverty: a comparative analysis of single and partnered mothers

This study investigates whether generous family policies at the transition to parenthood reduce single and partnered mothers’ economic disadvantages later in the life course. Previous research usually focused on the immediate effects of family policies and disregards potential longer-term effects. In this study, we suggest taking a life-course perspective to study the relationships between family policy and mothers’ poverty risks. We empirically investigate how investment in child benefits, childcare services and parental leave measures at the transition to parenthood are associated with poverty outcomes at later life stages and whether these associations hold over time. We draw on pooled EU-SILC data, and an original policy dataset based on OECD expenditure data for child benefits, childcare and parental leave from 1994 to 2015. We find that mothers’ observed increase in poverty over time is slower in countries with high levels of spending for childcare at the transition to parenthood than in lower spending countries. The gap between partnered and single mothers was also diminishing in contexts of high childcare expenditure. For the other two policies, we did not find these links. These results do lend support to the claim that childcare is a prime example of a social investment policy with returns later in the life course and represents a life-course policy that seems to be able to disrupt economic path dependencies. The results for the other two policies suggest, however, a limited potential of family policy spending at transition to parenthood to reduce the poverty gap between partnered and single mothers over the course of life.

Transition to Parenthood, Gender and Well-Being: A Longitudinal Study of the United Kingdom

Previous studies have omitted a dynamic analysis to examine systematically how the transition into parenthood shapes gendered mental health trajectories. This paper adopts a life-course approach to study gender differences in how the transition into parenthood affects multiple indicators of parents’ mental health over time, using high-quality panel data from the ‘UK Household Longitudinal Study’ (2009-2020). Results from fixed effects models with discrete-time trends show that: (1) mothers’ mental health is more largely affected –both positively and negatively– by the transition to parenthood than fathers’; (2) mothers’ overall mental health shows a distinctive positive anticipation and adaptation around childbirth, while fathers show insignificant changes in this transition; (3) becoming a parent decreases the risks of depressive moods for both genders, with long-lasting effects for mothers; (4) stress and energy levels show a deterioration during care-intensive years for both parents, particularly among women; (5) mothers from higher socioeconomic backgrounds experience lower mental health outcomes during care-intensive years. Overall, this study demonstrates the relevance of parenthood transitions in shaping gendered effects on specific mental health outcomes, with distinct implications for women and men over time, as well as across socioeconomic groups.

Paediatric Nursing in Australia and New Zealand

The health of babies, children and young people is fundamentally different from that of adults, so their healthcare must reflect their unique needs and engage their parents, family members and communities. Paediatric Nursing in Australia and New Zealand introduces nursing students to the care of infants, children, young people and their families in a range of clinical and community settings across Australasia. This third edition includes New Zealand content and an increased focus on families. New chapters cover health services available for Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander and Māori children, the transition to parenthood for new families, children's sleep patterns and behaviour, and paediatric health in school settings. Case studies and reflective questions encourage students to develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills. Written by an expert team, Paediatric Nursing in Australia and New Zealand equips future nurses with the knowledge and skills to provide evidence-based care to babies, children and their families.

When Fathers Feel Socially Constrained to Assume a Role: A Negative Predictor of the Coparental Relationship in Switzerland

Role distribution is a central issue for parents in the transition to parenthood, but little is known about the motivations in fathers to assume a specific role. Differences in work-family balance in each parent may be motivated by an individual choice mutually shared by both partners; however, in many couples, the parents may feel forced to adopt a traditional role distribution, either for financial reasons, or to comply with social expectations about what men and women should do when they are parents. This feeling of being socially constrained to adopt a role distribution that is not congruent with intrinsic motivations can generate dissatisfaction and may jeopardize the development of the interparental relationship. Coparenting refers to the emotional and instrumental support parents bring to each other in their parental tasks. It has been shown to be central in family functioning and a powerful predictor of children’s emotional and cognitive development. In this study, we aimed to assess the extent to which different motivations for role distribution in fathers are predictive of the quality of the coparental relationship. A convenience sample of 144 fathers from the French-speaking part of Switzerland completed online questionnaires about their motivations, coparental relationship, and sociodemographic characteristics. Results showed that the reasons for role distribution were mainly economical, practical, and in order to meet personal expectations. Multivariate general linear modeling showed that role distribution that is constrained to meet social expectations and age were predictive of a less cohesive coparental relationship, whereas a deliberate choice in role distribution was linked to a more cohesive coparental relationship.

A population study on perinatal psychological distress in Mexican fathers

Introduction. The transition to parenthood can be a source of stress for fathers and, in some cases, it can be accompanied by emotional distress. This aspect has been neglected in Mexican research. Objective. To estimate the prevalence of emotional distress and the sociodemographic factors associated with it in Mexican fathers. Method. Cross-sectional study. A subsample of 997 fathers, over 18 years of age, was taken from the data of a national survey, whose partners were pregnant or had given birth in the last six months. The Kessler Emotional Distress Scale (K6) was used. Results. About 25% of the fathers experienced moderate emotional distress during their partner's pregnancy and 29.5% during the postpartum period; 1.0% and 1.9% showed serious emotional distress in those periods, respectively. Being between 18 and 29 years old (PR = .10; CI [.01, .79]), having lower educational attainment (PR = 5.59; CI [1.19, 26.21]), and going through postpartum (PR = 4.11; CI [1.00, 16.78]) were at higher risks for severe emotional distress; having one or two children (PR = .16; CI [.05, .55]) or more than three (PR = .08; CI [.01, .44]) was a higher risk than being a first-time father. Discussion and conclusion. It is necessary to continue studying paternal perinatal mental health due to the impact it has on the mother and the infant, and to design tailored interventions. Parental emotional distress needs to be better understood considering recent changes in the paternal role in developing countries.

Couples’ Communication Behaviour and the Gender Division of Family Work Across the Transition to Parenthood

This study investigates the conceptual argument that constructive and explicit couple communication may reduce gender inequalities in couples’ division of family work. We focus on the transition to parenthood which for most couples in Germany results in a shift towards a more traditional division of labour. Using 314 first-time parents from the German Family Panel, we apply growth curve models to assess whether partners’ prenatal characteristics explain the division of housework and childcare around the time of childbirth and in the following years. After controlling for gender ideologies and economic resources, male partners’ frequency of positive communication is associated with greater father involvement in housework and childcare from the start. However, neither men’s nor women’s communication behaviours dampen the shift towards a more traditional division of housework and childcare in the first years after childbirth. The frequency of negative communication does not correlate with the division of family work.

Adapting to Uncertainty: A Mixed-Method Study on the Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Expectant and Postpartum Women and Men

Detrimental biopsychosocial effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on populations have been established worldwide. Despite research indicating that the transition to parenthood is a vulnerable period for maternal and paternal health, an in-depth examination of the specific challenges the pandemic poses for new mothers and fathers is still lacking. Using a mixed-method design, we investigated individual and relational well-being of women and men who were expecting their first child during the first months of the COVID-19 pandemic in Portugal and its associations with contextual, individual, and relational factors. Adults older than 18 (n = 316, 198 women) from early pregnancy to 6-months postpartum completed a cross-sectional online survey assessing sociodemographic, individual (depression, anxiety, perceived stress), and relational (dyadic adjustment, perceived social support) self-report measures. From those, 99 participants (64 women) responded to an open-ended question and reported perceived changes in their couple’s relationship due to the pandemic. Men responding during strict lockdown measures reported significantly higher levels of perceived stress relative to those men who were not under lockdown. Overall, women reported higher levels of depression and greater social support than men. Qualitative analyses resulted in two main themes: Individual Changes and Relational Changes. These themes aggregate personal concerns and experiences (e.g., worsening of mental health, uncertainty about the future, lack of freedom) interrelated with relational issues (e.g., increased togetherness, avoidance of physical contact, and increased availability for parenthood during lockdown). The prevalence of negative effects (58.6%) exceeded the described positive effects (28.3%), and 13.1% described both positive and negative effects of the pandemic. Current findings offer grounds for important evidence-based strategies to mitigate the potential adverse effects of the current pandemic on new mothers’ and fathers’ individual and relational well-being.