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RESEARCH PRODUCT

Dynamic Family System Trajectories From Pregnancy to Child's First Year

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According to family systems theory, families consist of hierarchically ordered parts, from basic dyadic relations to marital and parental subsystems (Minuchin, 1985). In the transition to parenthood, family relationships change as the family system adapts to the new situation. Thechanges,suchasimprovementsanddeclines in relationship quality, are different and unique, depending on how emotions and responsibili- ties are shared in the family. For instance, fam- ilies with well-functioning relationships during pregnancy tend also to fare well in the postpar- tum period, whereas families with problematic relationships often experience further decline in their relationship quality across the tran- sition (Doss, Rhoades, Stanley, & Markman, 2009).Two basic dimensions, autonomy and inti- macy, define different family systems and typical relationship patterns. Autonomy refers to individuality and a sense of agency in rela- tions with others, reflecting family boundaries, whereas intimacy refers to sharing or withhold- ing emotions (Kagitcibasi, 2005; Olson, 2000). Well-functioning family systems are high and balanced on both dimensions, whereas a lack of one or both indicates potential problems (Sturge-Apple, Davies, & Cummings, 2010). Despite understanding families as dynamic systems changing over time, earlier researchers have mainly focused on separate aspects of marital and parenting quality. Our aim was there- fore to identify naturally occurring, dynamic family system types during the transition to parenthood and to examine their contextual predictors.Family System Types and Their Longitudinal ChangeThe typological approach depicts families as holistic systems that can be classified according to their unique patterns in relational dimensions (Mandara, 2003). Research suggests that there are at least four family types varying in levels of autonomy and intimacy (e.g., Baumrind, 1971; Minuchin, 1985; Sturge-Apple et al., 2010). The first type, Cohesive families, have an optimal balance between autonomy and intimacy, allow- ing members to maintain sufficient individuality but also to receive emotional support from each other (Stevenson-Hinde, 1990). They are characterized by high emotional warmth and absence of discord (Davies, Cummings, & Win- ter, 2004; Sturge-Apple et al., 2010). Second, Disengaged families lack both autonomy and intimacy, resulting in negative and poorly orga- nized family interactions (Stevenson-Hinde, 1990). They are characterized by poor overall interpersonal functioning, withdrawal between spouses, and low parental acceptance of the child (Davies et al., 2004; V. K. Johnson, 2003). The third type, Enmeshed families, lack autonomy between family members but have moderate to high levels of intimacy, often resulting in boundary disturbances and depen- dency (Kerig, 2005). They are characterized by hostility between spouses and intrusive parental control, but at least moderate levels of parental intimacy (Davies et al., 2004; Sturge-Apple et al., 2010). Fourth and finally, Authoritarian families have relatively low intimacy but high levels of autonomy, suggesting rigid bound- aries between family members (Kerig, 2005; Olson, 2000). In these families obedience typically overrides affective sharing (Jory, Xia, Freeborn, & Greer, 1997; Kagitcibasi, 2005).Despite the central assumption of families as dynamic systems that are prone to qualitative shifts in new situations (Cox & Paley, 2003; Mandara, 2003), only two studies have empir- ically examined longitudinal changes in holis- tic family systems. Favez et al. (2012) identi- fied longitudinal family trajectories based on the overall quality of triadic interactions among primiparous couples from the prenatal period to child's ages of 3, 9, and 18 months. Pre- natal interactions with the baby were simu- lated using a baby doll. Such prenatal interac- tions reflect both parental representations and direct experiences of the baby (achieved, i. …