Childbirth Experience Associated With Maternal and Paternal Stress During the First Year, but Not Child Attachment

AbstractIn this chapter, the relation of salutogenesis to maternity care is discussed by giving a critical overview of studies in perinatal care, primarily measuring and promoting parental sense of coherence (SOC) and well-being.An overview is given on salutogenic approaches to neonatal and infant service provision. Important aspects of and salutogenic interventions for parent–child attachment in the first year of a child’s life are examined. Parents’ and caregivers’ relationship with their infants and newborns plays a critical role in shaping the emotional, cognitive, and social development of their child. Different interventions of early support to optimize parenting capacity and their impact are also discussed.Although the chapter focuses only on examples of salutogenic approaches based on reasonable evidence, there is a growing awareness of the value of salutogenic approaches to the provision of maternity care, and to facilities and services to enhance parenting and well-being in infancy and early childhood. Research gaps are identified, and suggestions for the direction of future research are outlined.

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GIVING LIFE: LONELINESS, PREGNANCY AND MOTHERHOOD

Social Behavior and Personality An International Journal ◽

10.2224/sbp.2004.32.7.691 ◽

2004 ◽

Vol 32 (7) ◽

pp. 691-702 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Ami Rokach

Keyword(s):

General Population ◽

Pregnant Women ◽

Emotional Distress ◽

First Year ◽

Childbirth Experience ◽

Social Inadequacy ◽

Item Questionnaire

This study examined the qualitative aspects of loneliness that pregnant women and mothers during the first year after childbirth experience. These were compared to the loneliness of women in the general population. Ninety-one pregnant women, 97 women during the first year following childbirth, and 208 women from the general population answered a 30-item questionnaire. The questionnaire comprised five qualitative dimensions of loneliness, namely Emotional distress, Social inadequacy and alienation, Growth and discovery, Interpersonal isolation, and Self-alienation. Although the literature indicates that pregnancy and motherhood are replete with loneliness, the present study found that those two groups had lower mean subscale scores than did women of the general population.

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Self-Perception of the Antecedents of Loneliness among New Mothers and Pregnant Women

Psychological Reports ◽

10.2466/pr0.100.1.231-243 ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 100 (1) ◽

pp. 231-243 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Ami Rokach

Keyword(s):

General Population ◽

Pregnant Women ◽

Intimate Relationships ◽

First Year ◽

Self Perception ◽

New Mothers ◽

Childbirth Experience ◽

Social Marginality

This study examined the perceived causes of loneliness of pregnant women and mothers during the first year after childbirth experience. These were compared with the causes of loneliness of women in the general population. 91 pregnant women, 97 women during the first year following childbirth, and 208 women from the general population ( M age = 30.4, SD=10.4) answered a 29-item Loneliness Antecedents Questionnaire. In the questionnaire were 5 dimensions of sources of loneliness, namely, Personal Inadequacies, Developmental Deficits, Unfulfilling Intimate Relationships, Relocation/Significant Separation, and Social Marginality. Sources of loneliness were significantly different amongst the three groups. The differences were confined to the Personal Inadequacies, and the Relocation/Significant Separation subscales. In both, women from the general population had the highest mean subscale scores.

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Mothers’ personal growth in the first year: the role of perceived childbirth experience and support

Journal of Reproductive and Infant Psychology ◽

10.1080/02646838.2021.1932778 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 1-11

Author(s):

Taubman–Ben-Ari ◽

Meital Navon ◽

Ofer Davidi

Keyword(s):

Personal Growth ◽

First Year ◽

Childbirth Experience

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Σταθερότητα και αλλαγή των αναπαραστάσεων για τον δεσμό: η επίδραση της επιληψίας στην ποιότητα του δεσμού τον πρώτο χρόνο μετά τη διάγνωση

Psychology: the Journal of the Hellenic Psychological Society ◽

10.12681/psy_hps.26230 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 26 (1) ◽

pp. 1

Author(s):

Κωνσταντίνος Δημάτης ◽

Παναγιώτα Βορριά

Keyword(s):

Social Support ◽

First Year ◽

Attachment Representations ◽

Stability And Change ◽

School Aged Children ◽

Child Attachment ◽

Attachment Quality ◽

The Social ◽

The Stability ◽

The Impact

A secure mother-child attachment early in life promotes healthy socio-emotional development. Security of attachment can be maintained through positive parental care over time. Life stresses can impact on maternal availability and sensitivity and lead to changes in attachment quality towards insecure patterns of attachment. The present study, which is part of a larger research project, aims to explore for the first time in a Greek population of preschool- and school-aged children and their mothers the impact of pediatric illness on stability and change of mother-child attachment representations. Twenty-five children, 9 boys and 16 girls, 4-9 years old with a recent diagnosis of epilepsy, were assessed using the Manchester Child Attachment Story Task (MCAST) at two time points, T1 and T2. Participants’ mothers completed the Social Support Questionnaire (SSQ) at both times (Τ1, Τ2). The results seem to confirm the stability and change of attachment representations during the first year after the diagnosis of epilepsy. The importance of perceived social support by mothers for positive change of mother-child attachment representations is also stressed by the authors.

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Maternal Psychopathology and Child Attachment

10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199778072.013.011 ◽

2014 ◽

Author(s):

Janice H. Goodman ◽

Cindy Hsin-Ju Liu

Keyword(s):

Maternal Mental Health ◽

First Year ◽

Maternal Psychopathology ◽

Relationship Formation ◽

Attachment Relationship ◽

Complex Relation ◽

Child Attachment ◽

Moderating Factors ◽

Direction Of Effects

The formation of an attachment bond to a parent or caregiver is a key developmental milestone that occurs during the first year of a child’s life. In this chapter, we examine the relation between maternal psychopathology and the development of the young child’s attachment relationship with his or her mother. In general, the identified direction of effects from research points to greater risk for child insecure or disorganized attachment when the mother is psychiatrically ill, yet the research is equivocal, and findings suggest that other risk factors, as well as resiliency factors, must be considered for their influences of attachment relationship formation in the context of maternal psychopathology. Studies have begun to elucidate some of the mediating and moderating factors, yet much work remains to be done in order to understand the complex relation between maternal mental health and the quality of attachment.

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