relationships; they also were less expressive, had less intimacy, and had varying degrees

of shared power. "Dominant-submissive" couples were characterized by an imbalance in

power, low expressiveness, low intimacy, and high commitment. "Conflicted" couples

were locked in power struggles and had high degrees of conflict but poor conflict-

resolution skills; these couples had low levels of expressiveness, intimacy, and

commitment, and were more likely to use manipulation. Across the transition to

parenthood, most of the "highly competent couples" and the "dominant-submissive"

couples remained fairly stable. The "competent but pained" couples tended to regress in

functioning, developing a greater imbalance of power, increasing distance, and having

more frequent and intense conflict. The "conflicted" couples demonstrated the most

variability, with some couples functioning better after having a child, some remaining

stable, and some regressing. In summary, depending on couples' levels of family

competence before the birth of their babies, conflict resolution skills could improve,

deteriorate, or remain unchanged.

 A study of 40 married couples expecting their first child also tracked relational

patterns across the transition to parenthood, including patterns of conflict resolution

(Heinicke & Guthrie, 1996). Couples in this study were interviewed separately during the

women's pregnancies, and also participated in a joint conflict resolution task before the

birth of the baby; the researchers used this data to categorize the couples' marital

interaction and their approach to conflict resolution. Post-birth marital adaptation was

determined through interviews with only the wives, representing a limitation of this

study. The majority of couples (although not all) who were able to come to a resolution

of the conflicts discussed prior to the babies' arrival remained consistently high