Pregnancy Intentions During the Transition to Parenthood and Links to Coparenting for First-Time Fathers of Infants

Parenting ◽  
2009 ◽  
Vol 9 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 1-35 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jacinta Bronte-Tinkew ◽  
Mindy E. Scott ◽  
Allison Horowitz ◽  
Emily Lilja
Keyword(s):  
Transition To Parenthood ◽  
Pregnancy Intentions ◽  
First Time

Dyad to triad: A longitudinal analysis of humor and pregnancy intention during the transition to parenthood

2019 ◽  
Vol 36 (11-12) ◽  
pp. 3611-3630
Author(s):  
Jaclyn C. Theisen ◽  
Brian G. Ogolsky ◽  
Jeffry A. Simpson ◽  
W. Steven Rholes
Keyword(s):  
Relationship Satisfaction ◽  
Transition To Parenthood ◽  
Longitudinal Design ◽  
Unplanned Pregnancy ◽  
Stressful Life Event ◽  
Positive Association ◽  
Pregnancy Intention ◽  
Stress Buffering ◽  
Aggressive Humor ◽  
First Time

The transition to parenthood is a stressful life event that often leads to decreases in relationship satisfaction over time. Guided by the Stress Buffering Model, we examined how pregnancy intention and humor use are associated with relationship satisfaction across the transition to parenthood using a multi-wave longitudinal design. First-time parents were initially assessed prenatally and then every 6-month postpartum for 2 years. Six months after birth, each couple was video-recorded engaging in two support discussions where each partner’s use of different humor styles was observed and rated. The results revealed a positive association between affiliative humor use (assessed at 6-month postpartum) and relationship satisfaction (assessed across the entire transition) for men and women. For men only, there was an interaction between pregnancy intention (assessed prenatally) and aggressive humor use (assessed 6-month postpartum). Specifically, when the pregnancy was unplanned, men who displayed higher levels of aggressive humor at 6-month postpartum reported higher overall relationship satisfaction. There also was a significant interaction between men’s (but not women’s) affiliative humor use and pregnancy intention, such that when men reported an unplanned pregnancy, their greater use of affiliative humor buffered declines in their relationship satisfaction. These findings suggest that, for men, greater use of affiliative humor appears to forestall declines in their relationship satisfaction. More broadly, different forms of humor may promote or sustain higher levels of relationship satisfaction in men across the chronically stressful transition to parenthood because they serve key communicative functions.

Is it me or you? First-time mothers’ attributions for postpartum sexual concerns are associated with sexual and relationship satisfaction in the transition to parenthood

2018 ◽  
Vol 35 (4) ◽  
pp. 577-599 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah A. Vannier ◽  
Kaitlyn E. Adare ◽  
Natalie O. Rosen
Keyword(s):  
Relationship Satisfaction ◽  
Intimate Relationships ◽  
Sexual Functioning ◽  
Transition To Parenthood ◽  
Negative Consequences ◽  
Four Dimensions ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
First Time Mothers ◽  
Sexual Concerns ◽  
First Time

Most first-time mothers experience a decline in both their sexual and relationship satisfaction from prepregnancy, which has negative consequences for the couple and their family. Prior studies have begun to identify risk and protective factors (e.g., empathy) for postpartum sexual and relationship satisfaction. Causal attributions for postpartum sexual concerns may be important because a specific cause can be difficult to pinpoint given the wide range of postpartum sexual problems among first-time parents. In the current study, 120 first-time mothers (3–12 months postpartum) completed validated measures assessing attributions for postpartum sexual concerns, sexual satisfaction, and relationship satisfaction. Attributions were measured on four dimensions: internal/external (i.e., is the sexual concern due to the self or the situation), stable/unstable (i.e., will the cause of the concern occur again in the future), global/specific (i.e., will the cause of the concern affect other situations), and partner responsibility (i.e., is the partner the cause). When new mothers reported more stable and partner attributions for postpartum sexual concerns, they were less sexually satisfied, and when they attributed greater responsibility for sexual concerns to their partners, they were less satisfied with their overall relationship. These associations remained significant after controlling for potential challenges that may also impact sexual and relationship satisfaction during this period (i.e., breastfeeding, sexual frequency, depressive symptoms, fatigue, sexual functioning). As postpartum sexual concerns are common, attributions for these changes may be a valuable target for interventions aimed at strengthening the intimate relationships of women making the transition to parenthood.

scholarly journals “A Blessing and a Curse” Couples Dealing with Ambivalence Concerning Grandparental Involvement During the Transition to Parenthood—A Longitudinal Study

2020 ◽  
pp. 0192513X2095078
Author(s):  
Ulrike Zartler ◽  
Eva-Maria Schmidt ◽  
Cornelia Schadler ◽  
Irene Rieder ◽  
Rudolf Richter
Keyword(s):  
Transition To Parenthood ◽  
Intergenerational Relationships ◽  
Transition Process ◽  
Mothers And Fathers ◽  
Longitudinal Patterns ◽  
Individual Interviews ◽  
First Time ◽  
Parental Strategies ◽  
Longitudinal Case Studies ◽  
Parents Experiences

This contribution provides an investigation of first-time parents’ experiences and strategies in dealing with ambivalence—i.e., the simultaneous presence of contradictory emotions—regarding grandparental involvement during the transition to parenthood. The study is based on qualitative longitudinal case studies comprising in-depth individual interviews with 11 Austrian couples of first-time mothers and fathers prebirth, and six months and two years after childbirth ( n = 66 interviews). Parents reported ambivalent feelings toward grandparental involvement during all stages of the transition process. We identified three parental strategies for dealing with ambivalence: inclusion, delimitation, and exclusion. Intracouple dynamics are shown to be the key aspect in the variation of these strategies over time. These dynamics are captured in three longitudinal patterns: parallel, divergent, and convergent paths. Overall, the study points to the complexity and fluidity of intergenerational relationships and demonstrates the challenges of negotiating ambivalence within couples and families during the transition to first-time parenthood.

scholarly journals Becoming a parent: a model of parents' post-partum experience

2006 ◽  
Vol 16 (33) ◽  
pp. 25-36 ◽  
Author(s):  
Francine de Montigny ◽  
Carl Lacharité ◽  
Élyse Amyot
Keyword(s):  
Health Professionals ◽  
Transition To Parenthood ◽  
Post Partum ◽  
Perceived Efficacy ◽  
Positive Difference ◽  
Perception Of Control ◽  
First Child ◽  
Help Giving ◽  
First Time ◽  
Parents Experiences

Perceiving oneself as parent is a key challenge during the transition to parenthood. The importance of health professionals in determining perceived efficacy in parents upon the birth of their child is few explored. The objective of this study is to analayze the relations between the first time parents' perceived efficacy and their perceptions of nurses' help-giving and critical events during post-partum period. SAMPLE AND METHOD: One hundred sixty couples participated in a correlational study by completing questionaires after the birth of their first child. RESULTS: A model of parents' postpartum experience was established where nurses' collaboration and help-giving practices contribute directly and indirectly to the parents' perception of control and perceptions of events. They contribute indirectly to parent's perceived self-efficacy. IMPLICATIONS: The help given by health professionals, especially nurses, to parents following the birth of a child makes a major positive difference in the parents' experiences.

Parenting and Relational Well-being During the Transition to Parenthood: Challenges for First-time Parents

2020 ◽  
Vol 29 (7) ◽  
pp. 1938-1956 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sylvie Lévesque ◽  
Véronique Bisson ◽  
Laurence Charton ◽  
Mylène Fernet
Keyword(s):  
Transition To Parenthood ◽  
Well Being ◽  
First Time

scholarly journals Measurement and Correlates of Intimate Partner Violence Among Expectant First-Time Parents

2010 ◽  
Vol 25 (3) ◽  
pp. 319-331 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marni L. Kan ◽  
Mark E. Feinberg
Keyword(s):  
Intimate Partner Violence ◽  
Partner Violence ◽  
Transition To Parenthood ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Community Sample ◽  
Intimate Partner ◽  
First Child ◽  
Expectant Mothers ◽  
Measurement Strategies ◽  
First Time

Research on the implications of varying measurement strategies for estimating levels and correlates of intimate partner violence (IPV) has been limited. This study explored measurement and correlates of IPV using a community sample of 168 couples who were expecting their first child. In line with prior research, couple agreement regarding the presence of violence was low, and maximum reported estimates revealed substantial IPV perpetrated by both expectant mothers and fathers. Different types of IPV scores predicted unique variance in mental health problems and couple relationship distress among both the whole sample and the subsamples who perpetrated any violence. Discussion focuses on the methodological and substantive implications of these findings for the study of IPV during the transition to parenthood.

First-Time Mothers: For Vaccine Questions, Consult Your Peers on Facebook

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amanda Bradshaw
Keyword(s):  
Social Network ◽  
Conceptual Model ◽  
Health Information ◽  
Information Seeking ◽  
Transition To Parenthood ◽  
The United States ◽  
Health Information Seeking ◽  
First Time Mothers ◽  
Childhood Vaccine ◽  
First Time

Despite numerous scientific studies affirming the safety and efficacy of vaccinations, decreased parental uptake has led in part to disease resurgence in the United States (Ventola, 2016). A systematic review of 42 studies revealed that exemption rates for vaccination requirements to enter public schools or daycares have been increasing and occur in geographic“clusters,” where vaccination rates fall dangerously below the national average (Wang, Clymer, Davis-Hayes, & Buttenheim, 2014). At the transition to parenthood, mothers rely on Facebook with increased intensity for health information-seeking purposes. In a rejection of the health information deficit model, the purpose of this study was to propose a conceptual model which describes how first-time mothers’ dependence on Facebook may lead to childhood vaccine avoidance, in accordance with social network theory. A model is presented and propositions are offered to explain why discerning first-time mothers, who are consistently more vaccine hesitant, may seek and rely on information from peers in closed Facebook groups rather than from health professionals. While research has separately explored both vaccine hesitancy and social network utilization for health information seeking, no conceptual model to date has linked these concepts with first-time mothers’ childhood vaccine avoidance. Published research supports the constructs included in the proposed causal pathway, and this “Maternal Facebook Dependence-Childhood Vaccine Avoidance Model” will act as a springboard for advancement in operationalization of this complex relational construct.

scholarly journals Dads Get Sad Too: Depressive Symptoms and Associated Factors in Expectant First-Time Fathers

2015 ◽  
Vol 11 (5) ◽  
pp. 1376-1384 ◽  
Author(s):  
Deborah Da Costa ◽  
Phyllis Zelkowitz ◽  
Kaberi Dasgupta ◽  
Maida Sewitch ◽  
Ilka Lowensteyn ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Support ◽  
Depressive Symptoms ◽  
Sleep Quality ◽  
Life Events ◽  
Transition To Parenthood ◽  
Depression Scale ◽  
Third Trimester ◽  
Antenatal Depressive Symptoms ◽  
Expectant Fathers ◽  
First Time

This cross-sectional study aims to determine the prevalence and determinants of depressive symptoms in first-time expectant fathers during their partner’s third trimester of pregnancy. As part of a prospective study examining depressive symptoms in men over the first postnatal year, 622 men (mean age = 34.3 years, ±5.0 years) completed standardized online self-report questionnaires measuring depressed mood, physical activity, sleep quality, social support, marital adjustment, life events, financial stress, and demographics during their partner’s third trimester of pregnancy. The Edinburgh Depression Scale was used to assess depressed mood. Partners also completed the Edinburgh Depression Scale in the third trimester. The results revealed that 13.3% of expectant fathers exhibited elevated levels of depressive symptoms during their partner’s third trimester of pregnancy. Significant independent factors associated with antenatal depressive symptoms in men were poorer sleep quality, family history of psychological difficulties, lower perceived social support, poorer marital satisfaction, more stressful life events in the preceding 6 months, greater number of financial stressors, and elevated maternal antenatal depressive symptoms. These findings highlight the importance of including fathers in the screening and early prevention efforts targeting depression during the transition to parenthood, which to date have largely focused only on women. Strategies to promote better sleep, manage stress, and mobilize social support may be important areas to address in interventions tailored to new fathers at risk for depression during the transition to parenthood.

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