First baby can spark jealousy among anxious partners: Study

The first child can spark feelings of jealousy in people who already fear being abandoned by their partner, according to a study.

The research, published in the Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, found that partners who showed signs of relationship anxiety before the birth of their first child were more likely to be jealous of the child after it was born.

"You might think, who could be jealous of a baby? But if you already have fears of rejection, it may be scary to see how much attention your partner showers on your new child," said study lead author Anna Olsavsky, from The Ohio State University in the US.

This jealousy can make an already difficult period for couples' relationships even more stressful, the researchers said.

They found that when either partner was jealous of the baby, couples experienced a decline in their satisfaction with their relationship after becoming parents.

"This jealousy can erode a couple's relationship," said Sarah Schoppe-Sullivan, a professor at Ohio State University.

The researchers used data from the New Parents Project, a long-term study investigating how dual-earner couples adjust to becoming parents for the first time.

As many as 182 couples, most of whom were married, participated in the study.

During the third trimester of pregnancy, mothers and fathers completed a variety of questionnaires, including one that examined "attachment anxiety."
They were asked how much they agreed with statements like "I'm afraid that I will lose my partner's love" and "I worry about being abandoned."