The birth of a child can cause a decline in spousal relationship satisfaction. Dissatisfaction in the spousal relationship can negatively affect parental functioning and child development, hence the need among municipalities and professionals for effective methods to strengthen the spousal relationship during the transition to parenthood. Therefore, this PhD research increases knowledge about the interrelations among (changes in) relationship satisfaction, parental functioning and the child development during the transition to parenthood and the following four years, and investigates the effectiveness of a preventive intervention.

This study is part of an NWO PhD scholarship for teachers