ABSTRACT
The transition to parenthood seemed an ideal time to bring couples together in small groups to share the inevitable challenges for partners becoming parents. Parents from the 16-week couples groups showed reductions in parenting stress and, no decline in marital satisfaction. A pre-post assessment found statistically significant declines in parents’ reports of violent problem-solving, parenting stress, and children’s aggressive behaviours, and increases in father involvement and household income. While most fatherhood programs have involved men in groups led by male staff, Parents as Partners/Supporting Father Involvement shows that including both partners in an intervention designed to include fathers has positive benefits for men’s involvement with the mothers of their children, and for the fathers themselves. The Supporting Father Involvement intervention was developed in collaboration with Marsha Kline Pruett and Kyle Pruett. In the 16-week fathers-only groups, fathers’ involvement in care of the children increased, but both fathers and mothers declined in marital satisfaction over the 18-month study.
