Perception of genitors on the impact of the second child's birth in the family relationships

Abstract

Families go through several life cycles that may demand adaptations, with the insertion of a new member in the family context being one of them. In this study, the impacts of the birth of the second child on family relationships were investigated, focusing on the first-born child contact, marital relationship, impact on the eldest child and on the parents. To this end, interviews were conducted with three couples who met the research requirements. In the analysis, it is possible to identify some aspects such as the separation of couples in relation to activities for two, the most frequent behavior demonstrated by the firstborn was to draw the attention of parents to it, there is an approximation of fathers in relation to the eldest child and mothers feel a greater need for organization with the arrival of the second child. Finally, the most presented management strategies were to rely on the support network, especially with the maternal grandparents and to invest in dialogue with the firstborn.