1. Objectifs

Intentions :
«The purpose of the present study is to examine the moderational role played by the degree of pregnancy planning efforts in the relationship between marital status and the well-being of couples expecting their first child.» (p. 143-144)

Questions/Hypothèses :
The authors proposed four hypotheses:
«H1: Married individuals will have less difficulty adjusting to a planned pregnancy than to an unplanned pregnancy. Given that married individuals report, on average, greater adjustment than cohabiting couples, we postulate that:
• H2: When facing a planned pregnancy, married individuals will exhibit higher levels of well-being compared to cohabiting individuals. Given cohabitors’ more flexible life trajectory and unconventional attitudes towards life in general, we postulate that:
• H3: Cohabiting individuals will have less difficulty adjusting to an unplanned pregnancy than married individuals.
• H4: Cohabiting individuals will adapt to an unplanned pregnancy as easily as to a planned pregnancy.» (p. 145)

2. Méthode

Échantillon/Matériau :
«We relied on a sample of 154 French-Canadian adult couples, all expecting their first child. Participants were either cohabiting (n = 52 couples; 34%) or legally married (n = 102 couples; 66%). The vast majority of married couples (n = 97; 95%) had cohabited prior to marriage.» (p. 145)

Instruments :
Questionnaires

Type de traitement des données :
Analyse statistique

3. Résumé

«Cohabiting women are less likely to plan their pregnancies than married women. Research on marital and pregnancy statuses remains distinct and, consequently, the effects of both variables are confounded. Results show that pregnancy planning efforts contribute to future parents’ well-being only if they are married. Similarly, marriage offers more benefits than cohabitation, but only if partners have planned the pregnancy.» (p. 141) « In brief, both marital status and pregnancy planning efforts influence future parents’ well-being during the third trimester of the first pregnancy and, when considered interactively, the two variables lead to a more complete understanding of the situation. The current results are important in light of Deave’s (2005) study, which has revealed that women’s psychological state during pregnancy is associated with children’s cognitive, motor, and behavioural development. All things considered, married men and women facing planned pregnancies represent the subgroup of future parents who fare the best during the first stage of the transition to parenthood.» (p. 156)