{"title":"Marital Satisfaction and the Quality of Mother–Father–Child Triadic Interactions: A Systematic Review","authors":"Jessica Letot, Laurine Colin, Emmanuel Devouche, Aurélie Untas","doi":"10.1111/fare.70131","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div>\n \n \n <section>\n \n <h3> Objective</h3>\n \n <p>This systematic review aimed to characterize the link between marital satisfaction and triadic interactions.</p>\n </section>\n \n <section>\n \n <h3> Background</h3>\n \n <p>Current literature has demonstrated a link between marital satisfaction and dyadic parent–infant interactions, two concepts that are known to impact infant development. These results obtained for dyadic interactions cannot be transposed to triadic interactions.</p>\n </section>\n \n <section>\n \n <h3> Method</h3>\n \n <p>A systematic review was conducted using the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis) method. An electronic search was conducted in four databases for all articles published on the topic. A total of 11 articles met the inclusion criteria. The findings differ between studies; no link, a positive link, and a negative link were found between marital satisfaction and triadic interactions.</p>\n </section>\n \n <section>\n \n <h3> Results</h3>\n \n <p>We discuss the adaptive and nonadaptive nature of marital satisfaction during the perinatal period. A decrease in marital satisfaction allows the parents' relationship to evolve from a couple-centered relationship to a triadic relationship. Triadic interactions are of poorer quality when this decrease reaches a distress threshold, however.</p>\n </section>\n \n <section>\n \n <h3> Conclusion and Implications</h3>\n \n <p>Future studies should explore this link before the infant is 3 months old, for early prevention of the potential negative effects of low marital satisfaction or poor-quality triadic interactions on infant development. Although more research is required on this topic to generalize the effects to the general population, identifying marital distress in couples—as early as during pregnancy—appears important to prevent its effects on their interactions with the infant.</p>\n </section>\n </div>","PeriodicalId":48206,"journal":{"name":"Family Relations","volume":"75 2","pages":"1069-1083"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8000,"publicationDate":"2026-03-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Family Relations","FirstCategoryId":"90","ListUrlMain":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/fare.70131","RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"2026/2/17 0:00:00","PubModel":"Epub","JCR":"Q2","JCRName":"FAMILY STUDIES","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Objective
This systematic review aimed to characterize the link between marital satisfaction and triadic interactions.
Background
Current literature has demonstrated a link between marital satisfaction and dyadic parent–infant interactions, two concepts that are known to impact infant development. These results obtained for dyadic interactions cannot be transposed to triadic interactions.
Method
A systematic review was conducted using the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis) method. An electronic search was conducted in four databases for all articles published on the topic. A total of 11 articles met the inclusion criteria. The findings differ between studies; no link, a positive link, and a negative link were found between marital satisfaction and triadic interactions.
Results
We discuss the adaptive and nonadaptive nature of marital satisfaction during the perinatal period. A decrease in marital satisfaction allows the parents' relationship to evolve from a couple-centered relationship to a triadic relationship. Triadic interactions are of poorer quality when this decrease reaches a distress threshold, however.
Conclusion and Implications
Future studies should explore this link before the infant is 3 months old, for early prevention of the potential negative effects of low marital satisfaction or poor-quality triadic interactions on infant development. Although more research is required on this topic to generalize the effects to the general population, identifying marital distress in couples—as early as during pregnancy—appears important to prevent its effects on their interactions with the infant.
目的本系统综述旨在描述婚姻满意度与三合一互动之间的联系。目前的文献已经证明了婚姻满意度和二元亲子互动之间的联系,这两个概念已知会影响婴儿的发育。二进相互作用的这些结果不能转置到三进相互作用。方法采用PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis)方法进行系统评价。在四个数据库中进行了关于该主题的所有文章的电子检索。共有11篇文章符合纳入标准。不同研究的结果不同;在婚姻满意度和三合一互动之间存在无关联、正关联和负关联。结果探讨了围产期婚姻满意度的适应性和非适应性。婚姻满意度的下降使父母关系从以夫妻为中心的关系演变为三位一体的关系。然而,当这种减少达到痛苦阈值时,三合一互动的质量较差。结论和启示未来的研究应该在婴儿3个月大之前探索这种联系,以便早期预防低婚姻满意度或低质量的三元互动对婴儿发育的潜在负面影响。虽然这方面还需要更多的研究来推广其对一般人群的影响,但在怀孕期间就确定夫妻的婚姻困扰似乎对防止其对他们与婴儿的互动产生影响很重要。
期刊介绍:
A premier, applied journal of family studies, Family Relations is mandatory reading for family scholars and all professionals who work with families, including: family practitioners, educators, marriage and family therapists, researchers, and social policy specialists. The journal"s content emphasizes family research with implications for intervention, education, and public policy, always publishing original, innovative and interdisciplinary works with specific recommendations for practice.