"Desperate Not to Make the Same Mistakes": Couple Adjustment to Parenthood in the Context of Childhood Maltreatment

This study explored how a history of childhood maltreatment shapes the transition to parenthood, with a focus on how partners jointly negotiate this adjustment within the couple relationship. Using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA), in-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted with 11 heterosexual couples (22 individuals) living in the United States, in which at least one partner reported a history of childhood maltreatment. Interviews were analyzed for emergent themes related to adjustment to parenthood, relational functioning, and dyadic support processes. Four overarching dyadic themes emerged: (1) relational meaning-making of childhood maltreatment, (2) relational challenges activated by maltreatment history, (3) dyadic support as co-regulation for maltreatment-related vulnerability, and (4) couples' resilient and intentional orientation toward family life. Findings suggest that supportive romantic partnerships may function as a relational context through which parenting-related self-doubt is negotiated, emotional safety is fostered, and caregiving approaches distinct from participants' own childhood experiences are collaboratively constructed. These insights have implications for dyadic interventions during the transition to parenthood that aim to support reflective parenting and relational resilience.