Post Date December, 02 2023
"Some couples said that their feelings were stronger after the birth of their children," the study said
People say that children are the link between husband and wife's emotional life, but the results of the 8-year survey by American researchers are surprising.
Researchers found that 90% of couples have a decline in marital satisfaction after the birth of their first child.
Emotional cooling
The University of Denver in the United States followed up 218 couples with the support of the National Institutes of Health.
The survey results show that after the birth of the first child, the vast majority of couples feel that their lives have changed, including changes in family financial expenditure and marital life, and 90% of couples' marital satisfaction has declined.
The Daily Mail of the United Kingdom quoted psychologist Scott Stanley of the University of Denver on the 10th as saying that the above results do not mean that without children, there will be no "downturn" in the relationship between husband and wife, but the downturn comes relatively late.
"Couples without children will also feel that the quality of marriage will decline after a period of time (after marriage). However, the appearance of children will accelerate this process, which is particularly obvious in the adjustment period after the birth of children," Stanley said.
The survey results were published in the American Journal of Personality and Social Psychology.
Marital difference
The survey results show that couples who cohabit before marriage and have lower incomes are more likely to experience emotional depression after the birth of their children.
Researchers said that if couples cohabit for a long time before marriage, they may form a fixed two-person world life habit. Once broken by the newborn, they will feel pressure and lead to the cooling of their feelings.
On the other hand, low income is also easy to make couples dissatisfied with their marriage life because of their children.
Of course, not all couples will experience emotional depression after the birth of a child.
"Some couples said that their feelings were stronger after the birth of their children," the study said
Alternative happiness
Researchers said that the above results cannot be generalized. Children are not the "destroyers" of family happiness. The birth of a child can make a family more complete and bring family happiness different from marital happiness.
"There are all kinds of happiness in life," Stanley said. "The happiness brought by marriage may fade for a period of time (after the birth of the first child), but the happiness and satisfaction brought by the husband and wife jointly creating the family will become more complete."
"This happiness is more positive and powerful, but it is not the focus of this study," Stanley said.
A previous similar survey showed that parents are more depressed than people without children. Researchers believe that this is a phenomenon in modern society, because today's parents can't get enough help from their families as previous generations did.
