2012 President’s Message

I attended the Utah Council on Family Relations conference for the first time 20 years ago.  I really enjoyed the conference and enjoyed networking with colleagues.  At that time, the conference primarily consisted of faculty and students from Weber State University, Brigham Young University, and Utah State University.  I am pleased to see that UCFR is still a dynamic and active organization.  Currently, we are experiencing an exciting time of growth.  In the past few years, three university programs have either joined UCFR or have renewed their connection.  We are delighted that the University of Utah is hosting the conference for the first time in several years.  Utah Valley University is in the beginning stages of playing an active role in the organization and we are very pleased to have the continued association with Brigham Young University Idaho.  This year’s conference promises to be an excellent experience for both faculty and students.  We are very grateful for the hard work and long hours devoted by Dr. Don Herrin at the University of Utah for planning and organizing this year’s conference.  He has done an excellent job and we appreciate his hard work.  We hope to continue our collaboration and involvement with the University of Utah, Utah Valley University, and BYU Idaho and the other programs for many years to come.

The theme of this years conference focuses on the transition to parenthood which is a major event for all families.  Utah leads the country in transitioning to parenthood with the highest fertility rate in the nation (2.6) and over 55,000 live births each year (US Census Bureau, 2010).  Utah has a birth rate of 88 live births per 1000 women (nation’s highest) compared to 55 per 1000 women in Vermont (nation’s lowest).  Certainly the transition to parenthood is a big issue for Utah families.

It is important to note that this transition can be very challenging and difficult for couples and families. The transition to parenthood has a major impact on the entire family system and is often associated with lower levels of marital happiness.  According to research by John Gottman and colleagues (2007), 2/3 of the couples in their study reported significant increases in marital problems with the transition to parenthood.  Yet, some couples were able to maintain higher levels of marital satisfaction.  Many were able to find ways to communication more effectively with each other.  They were able to coparent and share workloads.  They demonstrated flexibility in meeting the demands of parenthood and paid employment.  The happier couples were able to find assistance from their support networks as they navigated this major change in their family life.  Cowan and colleagues (2009) found that a family life education program promoting stronger couple relationships was a very effective approach to promoting father involvement, reducing parental stress, increasing couple satisfaction, and reducing conflict about parenting.  There will always be changes to the family system with the transition to parenthood, yet with greater knowledge and support, this transition need not lead to permanent and irreparable harm to the marital relationship and the larger family system.  Dr. Alyson Shapiro, an Assistant Professor at Arizona State University will be the keynote speaker at this year’s UCFR conference.  She believes it is vital to consider the larger family context when examining infant and child development, which includes couple adjustment to parenthood.  Her research interests include studying the dynamics within the mother-father-infant-triad in both low and high risk families, co-parenting, father involvement, the impact of marital discord on early development, the couple's transition to parenthood, and family focused preventative intervention.  We hope you can join us for a very exciting conference!

Paul L. Schvaneveldt, Ph.D., CFLE
UCFR President

Sources:

Cowan, P. A., Cowan, C. P., Pruett, M. K., Pruett, K. and Wong, J. J. (2009), Promoting Fathers' Engagement With Children: Preventive Interventions for Low-Income Families. Journal of Marriage and Family, 71: 663–679.

Gottman, J.M., & Gottman, J. S.  (2007).  And Baby Makes Three: The Six-Step Plan for Preserving Marital Intimacy and rekindling romance after the baby arrives.  Crown Publishers, New York.