Parental depression has significant implications for family functioning, yet much of the literature does not consider family-level dynamics in investigating individual, parenting and child outcomes. In the current study we apply a new index of couple-level support, partner reflective functioning (RF), or the romantic partner’s ability to consider how the partner’s mental states can guide behavior, to study familial resiliency in the face of prenatal parental depression among first-time parents. We investigate how partner RF buffers the association between prenatal parental depression and outcomes of postnatal parental depression, parenting style, and child effortful control. Maternal and paternal depression were measured in 91 primiparous couples during the sixth month of pregnancy and parental depression, partner RF, parental RF at 6 months postnatally. Outcomes of parental depression, permissive parenting, and children’s effortful control were assessed 24 months postnatally. Results indicate that average and high levels of paternal partner (not parental) RF attenuate risk for maternal postnatal depression, maternal permissive parenting, and deficits in child effortful control. Implications are discussed from a family systems approach.

父母抑郁对家庭功能具有重大影响，但许多文献在调查个人、养育子女和儿童结果时并未考虑家庭层面的动态。在当前的研究中，我们应用了夫妻层面支持的新指数、伴侣反思功能（RF）或浪漫伴侣考虑伴侣的心理状态如何指导行为的能力，来研究面对产前父母抑郁症的家庭弹性。第一次当父母。我们研究伴侣 RF 如何缓冲产前父母抑郁与产后​​父母抑郁结果、养育方式和孩子努力控制之间的关联。对 91 对初产夫妇在怀孕第六个月期间的母亲和父亲抑郁症以及父母抑郁症、伴侣 RF、产后 6 个月时父母的 RF。出生后 24 个月对父母抑郁、宽容养育和儿童努力控制的结果进行评估。结果表明，父亲伴侣（而非父母）RF 的平均水平和高水平会降低母亲产后抑郁症、母亲宽容养育以及儿童努力控制缺陷的风险。从家庭系统方法中讨论了影响。