A team of researchers has found that people actually seem to love their partner less in the first year of parenthood — but there are ways around this.
Previous studies suggest that relationship satisfaction tends to decrease in the two years after having a childbut these rarely take into account the situation before pregnancy.
According to , new research recruited around 300 heterosexual couples no children who had been together for at least two years. Every six months, for at least two years, participants filled out questionnaires in which they rated, on a scale from 0 to 6how much they loved their partner and their level of commitment.
They then analyzed the results of 71 of these couples who had a child during the study and found that the pregnancy itself did not had any impact. In turn, participants reported loving their partners less and being less committed to maintaining the relationship within a year of giving birth.
There was no change during this period among couples who remained childless. The researchers plan to continue following these couples until their children reach adulthood to determine whether the effects are lasting.
It should be noted that they did not evaluate how these initial changes affected well-being of new parents, but scientists doubt they cause a substantial suffering. “It’s not that we can say that all these couples have difficulties in their relationship that justify going to a support consultation, but they certainly realize that something has changed in their relationship”, they say.
Some of the factors that may be causing this situation include physical and hormonal disturbances residual pregnancy after birth, as well as the fact that new parents feel overwhelmed with tasks to take care of the baby.
Finally, to avoid this situation, it is recommended that you ask help loved ones e share any concerns with your partner.
