The New Parents Project (NPP) is a long-term research study of families in Central Ohio that began in 2008-2009. At that time, 182 married or cohabiting couples (expectant mothers and fathers) anticipating the birth of their first child were recruited during the third trimester of pregnancy.
These couples and their children were studied after their child’s birth at three, six, and nine months postpartum. Many NPP families have also participated in follow-up studies when their oldest child was 2.5 years old and 7.5 years old. Currently we are conducting a new follow-up study of NPP families as the firstborns reach adolescence.
The central goals of NPP are to understand the development of family relationships and how these relationships affect children’s social and emotional development. However, NPP has evolved into so much more—spawning scientific discoveries regarding how new mothers and fathers divide childcare, the evolution of romantic relationships across the transition to parenthood, and even how policy-relevant factors such as parental leave may affect the lives and parenting experiences of mothers and fathers.
NPP has been funded by the National Science Foundation (to Sarah Schoppe-Sullivan, the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (to Claire Kamp Dush), and Ohio State’s Institute for Population Research.
Unique features of the NPP study and data include:
- focus on dual-earner couples in which both mothers and fathers worked for pay prior to and after their first child’s birth
- use of multiple methods of assessment, including observations of family interactions, time diary interviews, and surveys
- full inclusion of fathers in all aspects of the study
- integration of psychological and demographic perspectives on family development
The New Parents Project has thus far produced 50 peer-reviewed papers and book chapters: NPP PUBLICATIONS Updated Feb 2025.