Dataset Information

Relationship quality from pre- to postplacement in adoptive couples.

ABSTRACT: Although there is an extensive research literature examining the change in relationship quality of birth parents during the transition to parenthood, there is comparatively less work on how the relationship of adoptive parents fares from pre- to postplacement of the adopted child. In the current study, we examine the relationship quality (global satisfaction, feelings of love, feelings of ambivalence) of 127 adoptive parents across the transition from preplacement to approximately 6 months postplacement of the adopted child. Following the vulnerability-stress-adaptation (VSA) model of marital quality and stability, we examined various intrapersonal vulnerability factors, couple adaptive processes, and stressful factors primarily related to the adoption process as predictors of relationship quality across 3 waves (4 to 6 weeks prior to placement of the adopted child, 4 to 6 weeks postplacement of the adopted child in the home, and 5 to 6 months post-postplacement). Results indicated that, in general, relationship satisfaction and feelings of love decreased, and relationship ambivalence increased, from pre- to postplacement across the sample. Significant predictors of greater relationship satisfaction, regardless of time, included higher self-esteem, greater relationship maintenance, a better sexual relationship, and more partner support; love was significantly predicted by greater maintenance and sexual relationship, lower conflict, and a history of infertility; and higher conflict significantly predicted higher ambivalence. Our findings suggest that, in general, adaptive processes between couples are the most consistent predictors of marital quality over the transition to parenthood in adoptive parents. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).

SUBMITTER: South SC

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6485926 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Relationship quality from pre- to postplacement in adoptive couples.

South Susan C SC Lim Eunjung E Jarnecke Amber M AM Foli Karen J KJ

Journal of family psychology : JFP : journal of the Division of Family Psychology of the American Psychological Association (Division 43) 20181220 1

Although there is an extensive research literature examining the change in relationship quality of birth parents during the transition to parenthood, there is comparatively less work on how the relationship of adoptive parents fares from pre- to postplacement of the adopted child. In the current study, we examine the relationship quality (global satisfaction, feelings of love, feelings of ambivalence) of 127 adoptive parents across the transition from preplacement to approximately 6 months postp ...[more]

PMID: 30570280

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Project description:BACKGROUND: One of the major factors impacting on a couple's relationship is the desire to have children. To many couples having a child is a confirmation of their love and relationship and a means to deepen and develop their intimate relationship. At the same time parental stress can impact on relationship quality. Relationship quality in lesbian couples is, currently, sparsely studied. The aim of the present study was to compare lesbian and heterosexual couples' perceptions of their relationship quality at the commencement of assisted reproduction, and to relate this to background data such as educational level, having previous children and, for lesbian couples, the use of a known versus anonymous donor. METHODS: The present study is part of the prospective longitudinal 'Swedish study on gamete donation', including all fertility clinics performing donation treatment in Sweden. Of a consecutive cohort of 214 lesbian couples about to receive donor insemination and 212 heterosexual couples starting regular IVF treatment, 166 lesbian couples (78% response) and 151 heterosexual couples (71% response) accepted participation in the study. At commencement of assisted reproduction participants individually completed questionnaires including the instrument 'ENRICH', which is a standardized measure concerning relationship quality. RESULTS: In general, the couples rated their relationship quality as good, the lesbian couple better than the heterosexuals. In addition, the lesbian women with previous children assessed their relationship quality lower than did the lesbian woman without previous children. For heterosexual couples previous children did not influence their relationship quality. Higher educational levels reduced the satisfaction with the sexual relationship (P = 0.04) for treated lesbian women, and enhanced the rating of conflict resolution for treated lesbian women (P = 0.03) and their partners (P = 0.02). Heterosexual women with high levels of education expressed more satisfaction with communication in their relationship (P = 0.02) than did heterosexual women with lower educational levels. CONCLUSIONS: In this Swedish study sample of lesbian and heterosexual couples' relationships, we found that they were generally well adjusted and stable in their relationships when starting treatment with donated sperm or IVF, respectively. However, where lesbian women had children from a previous relationship, it decreased relationship quality. For the heterosexual couples previous children did not affect relationship quality.

Project description:Gene expression microarray experiments are expensive to conduct and guidelines for acceptable quality control at intermediate steps before and after the samples are hybridised to chips are vague. We conducted an experiment hybridising RNA from human brain to 117 U133A Affymetrix GeneChips and used these data to explore the relationship between 4 pre-chip variables and 22 post-chip outcomes and quality control measures.We found that the pre-chip variables were significantly correlated with each other but that this correlation was strongest between measures of RNA quality and cRNA yield. Post-mortem interval was negatively correlated with these variables. Four principal components, reflecting array outliers, array adjustment, hybridisation noise and RNA integrity, explain about 75% of the total post-chip measure variability. Two significant canonical correlations existed between the pre-chip and post-chip variables, derived from MAS 5.0, dChip and the Bioconductor packages affy and affyPLM. The strongest (CANCOR 0.838, p < 0.0001) correlated RNA integrity and yield with post chip quality control (QC) measures indexing 3'/5' RNA ratios, bias or scaling of the chip and scaling of the variability of the signal across the chip. Post-mortem interval was relatively unimportant. We also found that the RNA integrity number (RIN) could be moderately well predicted by post-chip measures B_ACTIN35, GAPDH35 and SF.We have found that the post-chip variables having the strongest association with quantities measurable before hybridisation are those reflecting RNA integrity. Other aspects of quality, such as noise measures (reflecting the execution of the assay) or measures reflecting data quality (outlier status and array adjustment variables) are not well predicted by the variables we were able to determine ahead of time. There could be other variables measurable pre-hybridisation which may be better associated with expression data quality measures. Uncovering such connections could create savings on costly microarray experiments by eliminating poor samples before hybridisation.

Dataset Information

Relationship quality from pre- to postplacement in adoptive couples.

Publications

Relationship quality from pre- to postplacement in adoptive couples.

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