Personality Change During the Transition to Parenthood. The Role of Perceived Infant Temperament

Abstract

This study examined the effects of parents' perceptions of infant temperament on personality change during the transition to parenthood. Two assessments were made about 16 weeks apart for 22 primiparous couples (M = 6.5 weeks prior to birth andM = 10.5 weeks postpartum) and for 13 childless couples. Using self-rating scales, both global/trait and situation-specific/state measures were obtained for efficacy expectations, personal control, anxiety, and depression. New parents rated their infant's temperament along four dimensions: activity, rhythmicity, adaptability, and positive mood. The parent group showed greater change than the nonparent group on a number of measures. New parents who perceived their infants as having an easier temperament experienced more positive change, whereas new parents who perceived their infant as more difficult experienced more negative change, especially in personal control. Differential results were found for the four temperament dimensions, with adaptability and positive mood most frequently related to personality changes. The findings also indicated that fathers showed personality change in relation to their infant's temperament more often than mothers. © 1985 American Psychological Association.