A perinatal coparenting intervention is associated with better parent health outcomes eight years later

The transition to parenthood is a common yet stressful experience faced by many young and midlife adults when the risk of many chronic diseases also begins to rise. Consequently, the transition to parenthood represents an opportune time to intervene with adults to support their psychological and their physiological health and well-being. Here, we examine whether psychosocial benefits of the Family Foundations (FF) program, a perinatal coparenting intervention, extend to levels of systemic inflammation and self-rated health among parents. Results presented here are from a follow-up visit with 292 parents (155 mothers, 137 fathers) who, eight years prior, were either randomly assigned to the 9-session FF program (n=168) or the control condition (n=124). At follow-up, dried blood spots were collected to measure levels of C-reactive protein (CRP) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) and parents further reported on their overall self-rated health. Participation in FF eight years prior was associated with lower levels of IL-6 (B=-.254, p=.038) and better self-reported health (B= -.222, p=.015) specifically among parents who were observed to have more negative communication styles prior to participation in the program. There was also a marginal effect of the FF intervention on mothers’ but not fathers’ CRP levels (B=-.378, p=.055). These findings support the notion that coparenting interventions, such as FF, could be leveraged to not only support parents’ psychological well-being but also benefit their longer-term physical health, especially among mothers and expecting couples who have more negative communication styles.

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