First-Time Mothers' Expectations of Parenthood

Expectations and Experiences in Early Parenthood:

Although it may be beneficial for expectant parents to be optimistic about their impending role, early parenthood does not consist solely of positive experiences. New parents are faced with an array of challenges, including sleep deprivation, mastering infant caregiving tasks, and substantial lifestyle changes . Therefore, it seems likely that some new parents' expectations will be disconfirmed if they are unrealistically optimistic and fail to anticipate more difficult aspects of parenthood. This raises the question of how disconfirmed expectations, particularly when experiences are not as positive as expected, influence adjustment during the transition to parenthood.

A number of studies in which support has been found for the psychological benefits of positive expectations have not made a direct comparison between expectations and experiences. In these cases, it is not possible to determine whether the expectations were confirmed or disconfirmed or whether disconfirmed expectations influenced adjustment. Other studies have found that disconfirmed expectations are associated with a more difficult adjustment to parenthood. Belky measured couples' expectations of how parenthood would influence different aspects of their marriage and found that, on average, the couples had optimistic expectations. However, when experiences were not as positive as expected, there was a decline in marital satisfaction. Similarly, Ruble and colleagues found that when women overestimated the amount of assistance they would receive from their partners, there was a decline in marital satisfaction.