Couples becoming parents: Trajectories for psychological distress and buffering effects of social support.

BACKGROUND: Becoming a parent is a time of both joy and stress. Associations between exposure to postnatal depression and negative child outcomes underscore the importance of understanding trajectories and correlates of perinatal depression and anxiety. METHODS: In a study of 438 expectant couples (from the UK, USA and Netherlands) tracked across four time-points (third trimester, 4, 14 and 24 months), we used dyadic latent growth curve modeling (LGCM) of self-reported symptoms of anxiety and depression (CES-D, GHQ, STAI) to investigate the affective impact of becoming a parent. RESULTS: Confi... Mehr ...