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.