Glade, Bean, and Vira (2005) provided a comprehensive review of interventions

targeting the transition to parenthood and a list of treatment recommendations which

would be valuable to therapists and family educators. Their review is particularly helpful

in guiding professionals' decisions concerning treatment modalities and reaching the

population of couples transitioning to parenthood who could benefit from services.

Implications for Policy

 The results of the current investigation have implications for public policy as well.

Primarily, these relate to work-family policies and policies concerning prevention

programs. In this study, couples' role arrangements and their satisfaction with their roles

were related to the quality of the couples' marriage. Specifically, lower child-related task

differentiation predicted lower role dissatisfaction and marital disaffection; higher child-

related task differentiation predicted higher role dissatisfaction and marital disaffection.

These findings, along with results from much previous research (e.g., Cowan & Cowan,

2000; Feldman, 2000; Gottman, 1994; Ruble et al., 1988) imply a need for policies

encouraging greater father involvement in caring for their children, by removing

institutional-level barriers to their participation and by promoting relational processes

associated with their higher involvement. Difficulties associated with the transition to

parenthood, including more gender-differentiated roles, have been linked to negative

outcomes for men, women, and children, including the couples' decreased marital

satisfaction and individual well-being (Cowan & Cowan, 2000; Gottman, 1994; Hackel

& Ruble, 1992; Ruble et al., 1988; Strazdins et al., 1997) and poorer adaptation among

children (Cowan & Cowan, 2000; Gottman, 1999; Shapiro, 2005). These effects have

serious implications for a society dependent on its foundation of well-functioning

families. As Cowan and Cowan asserted, "In our view, a serious concern about the