What is it about?
Becoming a parent is a major life transition that changes how couples relate to each other and share caregiving responsibilities. We show for the first time that feelings of jealousy about a partner’s relationship with their infant are linked to behaviors that may encourage or limit a partner’s involvement in parenting. These findings highlight the importance of understanding parents’ emotional experiences during the transition to parenthood and how they may shape early coparenting relationships.
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Why is it important?
This study is the first to demonstrate a relationship between jealousy of the partner–infant relationship and maternal gatekeeping during the transition to parenthood. This is important because it identifies a previously unrecognized emotional pathway through which parents’ experiences during the transition to parenthood may shape early coparenting dynamics and father involvement. Our findings expand understanding of maternal gatekeeping beyond parenting beliefs and behaviors by showing that complex emotions about the partner’s bond with the infant may also play an important role in family relationships.
Perspectives
Working on this study was meaningful to me because it allowed me to explore an overlooked emotional experience of becoming a parent, one of the most important transitions in family life. As a researcher interested in family well-being, I was especially motivated to understand how parents’ emotions and experiences during this transition may shape the development of early coparenting relationships. I hope this work encourages greater attention to the emotional complexities of becoming a parent and inspires future research and interventions that support parents and promote the well-being of families as they navigate their evolving roles.
Dr. Kübra Aytaç-DiCarlo
University of Pittsburgh
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Jealousy of the partner–infant relationship and maternal gatekeeping at the transition to parenthood., Journal of Family Psychology, July 2026, American Psychological Association (APA),
DOI: 10.1037/fam0001521.
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