Marital Sanctification and Spiritual Intimacy Predicting Married Couples’ Observed Intimacy Skills across the Transition to Parenthood
This study examined the extent to which 164 married heterosexuals’ reports of the sanctification of marriage and spiritual intimacy during pregnancy predicted the trajectory of the couples’ observed intimacy skills during late pregnancy and when their first child was 3, 6, and 12...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2019-03-01
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| Series: | Religions |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/10/3/177 |
| _version_ | 1811219028555857920 |
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| author | Emily Padgett Annette Mahoney Kenneth I. Pargament Alfred DeMaris |
| author_facet | Emily Padgett Annette Mahoney Kenneth I. Pargament Alfred DeMaris |
| author_sort | Emily Padgett |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | This study examined the extent to which 164 married heterosexuals’ reports of the sanctification of marriage and spiritual intimacy during pregnancy predicted the trajectory of the couples’ observed intimacy skills during late pregnancy and when their first child was 3, 6, and 12 months old. At each time point, couples were videotaped in their homes for 10 min discussing their fears and vulnerabilities about becoming and being a new parent. Separate teams of three coders rated the four interactions and each spouse’s intimacy skills, including disclosure of feelings of vulnerability about becoming or being a new parent, and supportive comments and positive non-verbal responses to each other. Using a multi-level dyadic discrepancy approach to growth curve modeling, both husbands’ and wives’ observed intimacy skills displayed a curvilinear trajectory over the first year of parenthood, with wives consistently displaying more emotional intimacy skills than husbands. Consistent with hypotheses, higher endorsement of the sanctification of marriage and spiritual intimacy between spouses at home predicted higher observed intimacy skills across time. No variation in these associations emerged due to parent gender. Thus, this longitudinal study identifies two specific spiritual processes within marriages that may motivate spouses to share their vulnerabilities and provide one another with valuable emotional support in coping with the transition to parenthood. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-12T07:19:56Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-eb1e8be04f7143a09e2596e19e12f4d0 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2077-1444 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-12T07:19:56Z |
| publishDate | 2019-03-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Religions |
| spelling | doaj.art-eb1e8be04f7143a09e2596e19e12f4d02022-12-22T03:42:22ZengMDPI AGReligions2077-14442019-03-0110317710.3390/rel10030177rel10030177Marital Sanctification and Spiritual Intimacy Predicting Married Couples’ Observed Intimacy Skills across the Transition to ParenthoodEmily Padgett0Annette Mahoney1Kenneth I. Pargament2Alfred DeMaris3Department of Psychology, Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, OH 43403, USADepartment of Psychology, Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, OH 43403, USADepartment of Psychology, Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, OH 43403, USADepartment of Psychology, Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, OH 43403, USAThis study examined the extent to which 164 married heterosexuals’ reports of the sanctification of marriage and spiritual intimacy during pregnancy predicted the trajectory of the couples’ observed intimacy skills during late pregnancy and when their first child was 3, 6, and 12 months old. At each time point, couples were videotaped in their homes for 10 min discussing their fears and vulnerabilities about becoming and being a new parent. Separate teams of three coders rated the four interactions and each spouse’s intimacy skills, including disclosure of feelings of vulnerability about becoming or being a new parent, and supportive comments and positive non-verbal responses to each other. Using a multi-level dyadic discrepancy approach to growth curve modeling, both husbands’ and wives’ observed intimacy skills displayed a curvilinear trajectory over the first year of parenthood, with wives consistently displaying more emotional intimacy skills than husbands. Consistent with hypotheses, higher endorsement of the sanctification of marriage and spiritual intimacy between spouses at home predicted higher observed intimacy skills across time. No variation in these associations emerged due to parent gender. Thus, this longitudinal study identifies two specific spiritual processes within marriages that may motivate spouses to share their vulnerabilities and provide one another with valuable emotional support in coping with the transition to parenthood.http://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/10/3/177sanctificationspiritual intimacyparentsparentingtransition to parenthoodreligion |
| spellingShingle | Emily Padgett Annette Mahoney Kenneth I. Pargament Alfred DeMaris Marital Sanctification and Spiritual Intimacy Predicting Married Couples’ Observed Intimacy Skills across the Transition to Parenthood Religions sanctification spiritual intimacy parents parenting transition to parenthood religion |
| title | Marital Sanctification and Spiritual Intimacy Predicting Married Couples’ Observed Intimacy Skills across the Transition to Parenthood |
| title_full | Marital Sanctification and Spiritual Intimacy Predicting Married Couples’ Observed Intimacy Skills across the Transition to Parenthood |
| title_fullStr | Marital Sanctification and Spiritual Intimacy Predicting Married Couples’ Observed Intimacy Skills across the Transition to Parenthood |
| title_full_unstemmed | Marital Sanctification and Spiritual Intimacy Predicting Married Couples’ Observed Intimacy Skills across the Transition to Parenthood |
| title_short | Marital Sanctification and Spiritual Intimacy Predicting Married Couples’ Observed Intimacy Skills across the Transition to Parenthood |
| title_sort | marital sanctification and spiritual intimacy predicting married couples observed intimacy skills across the transition to parenthood |
| topic | sanctification spiritual intimacy parents parenting transition to parenthood religion |
| url | http://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/10/3/177 |
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