First-Time Mothers’ and Fathers’ Developmental Changes in the Perception of Their Daughters’ and Sons’ Temperament: Its Association With Parents’ Mental Health

BackgroundComparing women's and men's emotional reactions to childbirth can clarify the impact on mental health of childbirth as a life event.MethodFifty-four first-time mothers attending obstetric services in Oporto, Portugal, and 42 of their husbands or partners participated in a longitudinal study of their mental health. All subjects were given a semi-structured clinical interview (SADS) at 6 months antenatally and at 12 months postnatally and sub-samples were interviewed at 3 months postnatally. At all these times all the mothers and fathers also completed a translated version of a self-rating scale for depression, the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS).ResultsMore women than men had past histories of depression but their rates of depression did not differ significantly during pregnancy. In the first 3 months postnatally, nearly a quarter of the women ‘at risk’ were found to have become depressed (major, minor and intermittent) in contrast with less than 5% of the men. In the next nine months men were more prone to become depressed than previously and their conditions tended to follow an earlier onset of depression in their spouses.ConclusionComparisons of EPDS and SADS ratings showed that the translated EPDS was a valid instrument for women but it was less satisfactory when applied to men.

Download Full-text

Higher Adherence to the Australian Dietary Guidelines Is Associated with Better Mental Health Status among Australian Adult First-Time Mothers

Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics ◽

10.1016/j.jand.2016.01.010 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 116 (9) ◽

pp. 1406-1412 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

Rebecca Lee Huddy ◽

Susan Jane Torres ◽

Catherine Margaret Milte ◽

Sarah A. McNaughton ◽

Megan Teychenne ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Health Status ◽

Mental Health Status ◽

Dietary Guidelines ◽

First Time Mothers ◽

First Time

Download Full-text

The Meaning of Family Health Among Mexican American First-Time Mothers and Fathers

Journal of Family Nursing ◽

10.1177/107484079900500207 ◽

1999 ◽

Vol 5 (2) ◽

pp. 218-233 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Kathleen Niska ◽

Mariah Snyder ◽

Betty Lia-Hoagberg

Keyword(s):

Mexican American ◽

Family Health ◽

Mothers And Fathers ◽

First Time Mothers ◽

First Time

Download Full-text

Unintended pregnancy and depressive symptoms among first-time mothers and fathers.

American Journal of Orthopsychiatry ◽

10.1037/h0087671 ◽

2000 ◽

Vol 70 (4) ◽

pp. 523-531 ◽

Cited By ~ 53

Author(s):

Sonya J. Leathers ◽

Michele A. Kelley

Keyword(s):

Depressive Symptoms ◽

Unintended Pregnancy ◽

Mothers And Fathers ◽

First Time Mothers ◽

First Time

Download Full-text

Parents' dietary patterns are significantly correlated: findings from the Melbourne Infant Feeding Activity and Nutrition Trial Program

British Journal Of Nutrition ◽

10.1017/s0007114511005757 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 108 (3) ◽

pp. 518-526 ◽

Cited By ~ 18

Author(s):

Sandrine Lioret ◽

Sarah A. McNaughton ◽

David Crawford ◽

Alison C. Spence ◽

Kylie Hesketh ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Infant Feeding ◽

Dietary Patterns ◽

Feeding Activity ◽

High Energy ◽

Processed Foods ◽

Inverse Association ◽

High Fat ◽

Mothers And Fathers ◽

First Time Mothers ◽

First Time

The objectives of the present study were to identify dietary patterns independently in first-time mothers and fathers, and to examine whether these patterns were correlated within families. Dietary intakes were collected at baseline in the Melbourne Infant Feeding Activity and Nutrition Trial Program using a validated FFQ in 454 pairs of first-time mothers and fathers. Education level was reported in associated questionnaires. Principal components analyses included frequencies of fifty-five food groups and were performed independently in mothers and fathers. Spearman's correlation coefficients were used to assess associations between dietary pattern scores. A total of four dietary patterns were identified in mothers and fathers. Of these, three dietary patterns had similar characteristics between these two populations, namely ‘Fruits and vegetables’, ‘High-energy snack and processed foods’, ‘High-fat foods’ in mothers; and ‘Fruits’, ‘High-energy snack and processed foods’, ‘High-fat foods’ in fathers. The following two additional patterns were identified: ‘Cereals and sweet foods’ in mothers and ‘Potatoes and vegetables’ in fathers. Patterns incorporating healthier food items were found to be positively associated with parent education. An inverse association with education was found for the ‘High-fat foods’ and ‘High-energy snack and processed foods’ dietary patterns. Qualitatively similar patterns between corresponding mothers and fathers were the most strongly correlated (ρ = 0·34–0·45, P < 0·001). There were some differences in dietary patterns between mothers and fathers, suggesting that it is worth deriving patterns separately when considering couples, and more generally between men and women. Exploring how these various patterns correlate within households provides important insights to guide the development and implementation of family-based interventions.

Download Full-text

Satisfaction with Life, Emotions, and Identity Processes in Polish First-Time Mothers and Fathers and Their Child’s Age

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph18020799 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 18 (2) ◽

pp. 799

Author(s):

Hanna Liberska ◽

Monika Deja

Keyword(s):

Identity Development ◽

Identity Formation ◽

Satisfaction With Life ◽

Perinatal Period ◽

Satisfaction With Life Scale ◽

Mothers And Fathers ◽

Identity Processes ◽

First Time Mothers ◽

First Time

The experiences of women regarding conception, the birth of the first child, and care of an infant in the perinatal period have long attracted the attention of researchers, but the knowledge about the experiences of men entering the role of fathers for the first time is still insufficient. The aim of the research was to identify the level of satisfaction with life, emotions and identity formation of first-time parents depending on the gender and age of the child. Seventy-five pairs of Polish first-time parents participated in the study. The research used the SUPIN scale (Polish adaptation of Positive and Negative Affect Schedule), the Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS), the Dimension of Identity Development Scale (DIDS), and a questionnaire prepared by the authors. On the basis of the conducted research, it can be concluded that there is a similarity of satisfaction with life, experienced emotions, and identity processes of first-time mothers and fathers, as well as the importance of the child’s age for the specificity of developmental changes in women and men. Understanding development changes which include identity, emotional functioning, and life satisfaction of first-time parents can provide bases for creating supporting programs in the case that problems in undertaking the role of a parent emerge.

Download Full-text

COVID-19-Related anxieties and parenting stress among first-time mothers and fathers in their first year of parenthood

Psychology and Health ◽

10.1080/08870446.2021.1942875 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 1-15

Author(s):

Ofir Ben-Yaakov ◽

Orit Taubman Ben-Ari

Keyword(s):

Parenting Stress ◽

First Year ◽

Mothers And Fathers ◽

First Time Mothers ◽

First Time

Download Full-text

Mental Health and Prenatal Bonding in Pregnant Women During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Evidence for Heightened Risk Compared With a Prepandemic Sample

Clinical Psychological Science ◽

10.1177/21677026211049430 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 216770262110494

Author(s):

Alyssa R. Morris ◽

Darby E. Saxbe

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Pregnant Women ◽

Social Contact ◽

Well Being ◽

The United States ◽

Prenatal Bonding ◽

First Time Mothers ◽

Clinically Significant ◽

First Time

We compared 572 pregnant women (319 first-time mothers) surveyed in spring 2020, during the first wave of COVID-19 lockdowns in the United States, with 99 pregnant women (all first-time mothers) surveyed before the pandemic (2014–2020). Compared with the prepandemic sample, women assessed during the pandemic showed elevated depression, anxiety, and stress and weaker prenatal bonding to their infants. These findings remained significant when restricting the pandemic sample to first-time mothers only and held after controlling for race/ethnicity, education, and pregnancy stage. Average levels of depression and anxiety within the pandemic group exceeded clinically significant thresholds, and women who estimated that the pandemic had more negatively affected their social relationships reported higher distress. However, pandemic-related changes to social contact outside the household were inconsistently associated with mental health and with some positive outcomes (fewer depressive symptoms, stronger prenatal bonding). Given that prenatal stress may compromise maternal and child well-being, the pandemic may have long-term implications for population health.

Download Full-text