Interparental conflict dynamics across the transition to parenthood and infant behavioral problems: The roles of maternal sensitivity and infant negative affect

The transition to parenthood often involves heightened and fluctuating interparental conflict, which may affect parenting and child outcomes. This study followed 212 primiparous mothers (Meanage = 25.3, SD = 5.5; 63% European American) and infants from pregnancy to age 2, examining whether interparental conflict lability (prenatal, 6 months, and 1 year) predicted infant behavioral problems (2 years) via maternal sensitivity to distress and nondistress (1 year), and whether infant negative affect (6 months and 1 year) moderated these pathways. Greater conflict lability predicted lower maternal sensitivity. Sensitivity to nondistress mediated the associations with internalizing problems, and predicted fewer externalizing problems among infants with low negative affect but more externalizing problems among infants with extreme negative affect. Implications are also discussed.