Strong Marriages Make For Stronger Parents

Couples with a strong marriage are better equipped to handle a fussy or difficult baby, according to a study by Ohio State University.

The study, published in the journal Infant Behavior & Development, found that a couple's relationship with each other was key in determining how they reacted as parents when faced with a temperamental baby.

"When couples with a supportive marital relationship have a difficult baby, they tend to rise to the challenge," study co-author Sarah Schoppe-Sullivan said in a statement. "Couples who don't have a strong relationship with each other are more likely to undermine each other and get into conflicts when they have to deal with a particularly challenging baby."

There have been studies examining how mothers deal with difficult babies, but this study focused on how mothers and fathers work together as parents -- what researchers call the "coparenting relationship."