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(Mis‐)Coordinating identities in the transition to parenthood: Investigating the co‐development of partners’ parenting, domestic and provider identities before and after the birth of the first child
Turner-Zwinkels,Felicity Spini,Dario
Turner-Zwinkels,Felicity
Spini,Dario
Abstract
This research takes a socio‐psychological perspective to studying the transition to parenthood, by longitudinally investigating how couples dyadically coordinate: (a) the changing centralities of parenting domestic and provider identities, and (b) the consequences of this for stress and relationship satisfaction. We collected longitudinal data from a Swiss community sample of 213 heterosexual, first‐time parents, in approximately the 24th week of pregnancy (T1) and 2 years later (T2). Participants completed a sociogram task, sketching the centrality of parenting, domestic and provider identities, for themselves and their partner. We applied actor partner interdependence models to model changing identity centralities at T2, from the (coordination) of T1 identities, distinguishing effects due to one's partner and the individual. Results support identity coordination in couples, especially in the development of the domestic identity. This coordination also had longitudinal effects for couples’ well‐being. Results emphasize the social forces that structure the self‐concept, and their health consequences.
Description
This publication benefited from the support of the Swiss National Centre of Competence in Research LIVES—Overcoming vulnerability: Life course perspectives (NCCR LIVES), which is financed by the Swiss National Science Foundation (grant number: 51NF40‐160590). The authors are grateful to the Swiss National Science Foundation for its financial assistance. We also thank Jean‐Marie Le Goff for his help in providing information on the study and Tomas Turner‐Zwinkels for his help in the development of this manuscript.
Date
2020
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Research Projects
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Keywords
ADJUSTMENT, BEHAVIOR, CONTEXTS, CONVERGENCE, IDENTIFICATION, MARRIAGE, ROLE ATTITUDES, SATISFACTION, SELF, SIMILARITY, coordination, health, parenthood, social identity
Citation
Turner-Zwinkels, F & Spini, D 2020, '(Mis‐)Coordinating identities in the transition to parenthood: Investigating the co‐development of partners’ parenting, domestic and provider identities before and after the birth of the first child', European Journal of Social Psychology, vol. 50, no. 1, pp. 1-17. https://doi.org/10.1002/ejsp.2591