Don't let the children hear, but parenthood can ruin marital¹ bliss²

It may not come as a surprise to parents, but having children really does impinge on marital bliss.

Nine in ten couples suffer a downturn in 'marital satisfaction' once the first child is born, according to an eight-year study.

And relationship and stress problems are worse for those who live together before getting married and starting a family.

The findings will ring true for millions of parents who found everything from their finances to their sex lives suddenly changed with a new arrival.

But the researchers insist the findings should not be seen as a reason to remain childless as bringing children into the world can bring a 'whole dimension of family happiness'.

Psychologists at the universities of Denver and Texas examined the marriages of around 220 couples over an eight-year period.

They found 90 per cent suffered what they called a 'decrease in marital satisfaction' after the birth of a child.

Childless couples suffered the same problems - only a little later, explained Denver University psychology³ professor Scott Stanley.

He said: 'Couples who do not have children also show diminished marital quality over time.

However, having a baby accelerates the deterioration⁴, especially seen during periods of adjustment right after the birth of a child.'

The research, published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, found relationship problems were worse for those who had lived together first - possibly because long-established shared routines are more disrupted by new arrivals.

也许这对于为人父母者来说并不奇怪，但生孩子的确会影响婚姻幸福。

一项为期八年的调查显示，90%的夫妻在第一个孩子出生后“婚姻满意度”下降。

对在结婚成家之前就已经同居的人来说，生孩子对两人关系的影响及其所带来的压力问题更为严重。

这些调查结果对于很多为人父母者来说似乎的确如此。他们发现，随着小生命的降临，家庭经济状况以及两人的性生活等一切问题突然都发生了变化。

但研究人员强调，这项调查结果不应成为不要孩子的理由，因为孩子会带来一种“全方位的家庭幸福”。

丹佛大学和得克萨斯大学的心理学家在为期八年的时间里对大约220对夫妻的婚姻状况进行了调查。

他们发现，90%的夫妻在有了孩子之后“婚姻满意度降低”。

丹佛大学的心理学教授斯科特•斯坦利解释称，没有孩子的夫妻也会面临同样的问题，只不过是早晚的问题。

他说：“时间久了，没有孩子的夫妻的婚姻质量也会逐渐下降。“

”但生孩子会加速这一过程，尤其是在孩子出生后不久的调整阶段。”

这项在《个性与社会心理学杂志》上发表的研究成果表明，对婚前就已同居的人来说，孩子对两人关系的影响更为严重，这可能是因为两人长期形成的共同的生活规律被新成员打破了。