Transition to Parenthood Research Papers (original) (raw)

2025

The paper analyzes the impact of life course events, such as parenthood, on paid and unpaid working activity of employed and married (or cohabiting) women and their partners in Italy. To this purpose the Istat Multipurpose Panel Survey in the years 2003 and 2007 is utilized. Applying a Difference-in-Differences estimator, we found that the negative impact of transition-in-parenthood on female paid work supply is stronger than the positive effect of work retribution. Furthermore, a correction method of misspecification effects has been adopted by imposing specific constraints on covariance-matrix of both market and domestic work simultaneous equations.

2025, 46Th Scientific Meeting of the Italian Statistical Society

2025

This report is an international literature review that evaluates the current state of knowledge about maternity protection in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and its outcomes. The objective is to understand whether, how and under what conditions, maternity protection in SMEs can generate positive outcomes for enterprises as well as broader society, and to consider implications for policy and practice.

2025

v ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I am grateful to many people but would like to start by sincerely thanking my advisor, Dr. Maureen Perry-Jenkins, who supported me through this entire thesis writing process. She encouraged me to read, write, and revise which helped me develop and grow as a researcher. She was open to my inquiries and encouraged me to pursue my research interests. I could not thank her enough for her role in completing this thesis and for reaching this stage of my doctoral process. Last, I could not finish without thanking my family, without which this journey would not be possible. Thank you for always believing in me and for hanging in there with me.

2025, Journal of Child and Family Studies

2025

This poster presentation (November 2015, www.ncfr.org 2015 conference, Vancouver, Canada) offers an account of literature review (till 2015) on transition to parenthood (TtP), a demanding and complex life experience for couples who set a goal for a quality relationship. This work uses family theories and describes issues couples face in TtP, based on demographic and relationship characteristics. Marital quality (MQ) in couples’ relationship over time is viewed via current research of couples in the U.S.A. and European countries. The scholarship is unanimous that MQ declines in up to 70% of couples postpartum (Gottman & Notarius, 2000; Kluwer, 2010; Kluwer & Johnson, 2007; Mitnick et al., 2009). Therefore, the goal of the poster was to highlight the issues in the problem and show how couples could increase their capacity to overcome hardships of TtP by engaging in educational interventions that were found to be more effective when they incorporate prenatal and postnatal components, last more than five sessions, and had professional personnel leading the training versus semiprofessionals (Halford et al., 2010; Pinquart & Teubert, 2010a, 2010b; Schulz et al., 2006). Such interventions according to empirical evidences (Pinquart & Teubert, 2010a) build up capacity against relationship decline in TtP.

2025, Journal of Reproductive and Infant Psychology

Background: Depression symptoms may negatively affect the achievement of developmental tasks within the transition to parenthood, increasing the risk of paternal adjustment problems and negative paternal attitudes. Objective: This study analysed the effect of men's depression symptoms on paternal adjustment and paternal attitudes trajectories from the second trimester of pregnancy to six months postpartum. Methods: A sample of 127 men completed measures of depression symptoms and paternal adjustment and paternal attitudes at the second trimester of pregnancy and at six months postpartum. Results: From the second trimester of pregnancy to six months postpartum, men with more depression symptoms revealed a decrease on positive attitudes towards sex (while men with fewer depression symptoms revealed an increase), a steeper decrease in the satisfaction with marital relationship (than men with fewer depression symptoms), and a decrease in positive attitudes towards pregnancy and the baby (while men with fewer depression symptoms revealed an increase). Conclusion: Depression symptoms early in pregnancy may represent a risk factor to increased paternal adjustment problems and negative paternal attitudes during the transition to parenthood.

2025, Anthropology & Medicine

Drawing on a comparison of two ethnographic research projects on surrogacy in the United States and Israel, this paper explores surrogates' views about motherhood and parenthood, relationships and relatedness. The paper challenges three myths of surrogacy: that surrogates bond with the babies they carry for intended parents, that it is immoral not to acknowledge the surrogates' maternity, and that surrogacy upsets the moral order of society by dehumanizing and commodifying reproduction. Contrasting the similarities and differences in the voices of surrogates from these studies, the authors argue that surrogates draw on ideas about technology, genetics and intent in order to explain that they do not bond with the child because they are not its mother. This is followed by an exploration of surrogates' definitions of what constitutes parenthood, suggesting that in both contexts, surrogates draw clear boundaries between their own family and that of the intended parents. Finally, it is suggested that surrogates expect a relationship, or a bond, to develop with the intended parents and view their contribution as exceptional moral work which involves nurturing, caring, friendship and solidarity. The paper concludes that for surrogates in the USA and in Israel, maternity, bonding and kin-ties are not automatic outcomes of pregnancy, but a choice. Surrogates in both contexts hold that bonding with other people's children as if they were one's own is wrong while bonding with their couple and creating 'fictive kin' ties with them is the logical outcome of the intense and intimate process of collaborative baby-making.

2025

We analyze the causal effect of unemployment on fertility timing. Neoclassical theory of fertility has ambiguous (both positive and negative) predictions regarding the effect of unemployment for women. Additionally, existing empirical research shows contradictory results and makes a weak case for exogeneity of unemployment and fertility behavior. We suggest that (unexpected) firm closure constitutes an exogenous source of job loss and adopt it as an instrument to estimate husbands' and wives' fertility response, using a unique administrative panel data from Denmark, which includes all residents in Denmark between 1982 and 2006. It contains monthly information about employment status, marital status and child birth of individuals who can be matched with the characteristics of the firm that they work in. We estimate our models separately for husbands' and wives'. Our preliminary results provide evidence against the substitution effect for women and show that women delay childbirth in the event of unemployment.

2024, Ellīniko Periodiko tīs Nosīleutikīs Epistīmīs

Introduction: Measuring parental satisfaction is of major importance for pediatric hospitals and the key component of evaluating the quality of services provided to health services. Aim: To assess the degree of parental satisfaction from the care provided to their hospitalized children.Methodology: A descriptive study conducted using a convenience sample of parents of hospitalized children in two public pediatric hospitals in Athens. Data collection was completed in a period of 3 months. 352 questionnaires were collected (response rate 88%). The Pyramid Questionnaire for parents of hospitalized children was used which estimates the degree of parental satisfaction from the care provided to their hospitalized child.Results: More parents were satisfied with health care professionals' behavior (81,9%), the supplied care (78,2%) and the information provision to parents regarding the hospitalized child's disease (71,9%). In contrast, less parents were satisfied with their hospital...

2024

Selbst junge Erwachsene, die noch keine Kinder haben, sind durch traditionelle Familienbilder gepragt, wie eine vom Schweizerischen Nationalfonds unterstutze Studie zeigt. Gleichzeitig haben sie moderne Ansichten von Gleichberechtigung, beruflichem Engagement und Kinderbetreuung. Das bringt nicht nur die jungen Frauen, sondern auch die jungen Manner bereits fruh in eine Zwickmuhle.

2024, Transition to Parenthood

2024, PLOS ONE

Model 1: Depressive symptoms predicted by time.

2024, Journal of Couple & Relationship Therapy

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a prevalent and common problem yet is rarely screened for, or addressed, in couple relationship education (CRE). The current study examined the prevalence of IPV in 250 couples expecting their first child who were recruited into a study of CRE across the transition to parenthood. The couples were generally highly satisfied with their relationship, yet 32% reported at least one incident of IPV in the past 12 months, and 7% reported at least one spouse had been injured by IPV. The majority of violence was of low severity (pushing, slapping, or shoving), and the most common pattern was of reciprocal aggression between the partners. Given that even low severity IPV is associated with

2024

Despite elevated incidence of preterm births among African Americans, very little is known about how aspects of family functioning, such as the division of labor and maternal functioning, operate within this population of families. The current study examines the applicability of a reliable questionnaire of household labor division and support (Who Does What; Cowan & Cowan, 1988) in a predominantly low-income sample of urban-dwelling African American mothers with preterm infants. It was hypothesized that lower discrepancy between actual and preferred divisions of labor and child care tasks would predict higher levels of maternal self-efficacy and relationship satisfaction and lower levels of parental stress. Participants were African American mothers of premature infants recruited into a larger study from four hospitals in the Baltimore/Washington, DC area. Of 173 mothers recruited, 79 who were married or living with partner served as subjects; assessments for the current analyses oc...

2024, HAL (Le Centre pour la Communication Scientifique Directe)

Actualités de la Psychologie du Développe e t et de l'Educatio Actes du 6ème Colloque International du RIPSYDEVE R seau I te u i e sitai e de Ps hologie du D eloppe e t et de l'Edu atio

2024, RIASE

Resumo O momento da estadia na maternidade, assim como o pós-parto depois da alta clínica, são encarados como a altura ideal para dar informação e prestar formação à puérpera, aumentando as suas competências e tornando-a assim a principal agente no seu bem-estar. É neste período de recuperação física e psicológica, que a mulher vivência muitas transformações, e emerge a necessidade dos profissionais de saúde acompanharem as puérperas na nova realidade. Objetivo: perceber as principais preocupações sentidas pelas puérperas à data da alta hospitalar. Método: Estudo descritivo e exploratório de natureza quantitativa. Utilizou-se o questionário de preocupações maternas (QPM) para obter as preocupações maternas e assim adequar a informação/formação às necessidades/interesses da mulher. Resultados: Foram identificadas preocupações em relação à puérpera, ao bebé, ao companheiro, à família e à comunidade. O período de internamento pós-parto revela-se insuficiente no que concerne a aquisição das competências maternas básicas. Conclusão: É Necessário estar atento as preocupações maternas e arranjar estratégias no sentido de colmatar as dúvidas/preocupações e ajudar as puérperas a viver a adaptação à maternidade de forma consciente e saudável.

2024, Personal Relationships

Drawing on the relational turbulence model, this study queries whether it is the amount of relational uncertainty and partner interference in a relationship, or the magnitude of an increase in these mechanisms over time, that accounts for decreased relationship satisfaction for new parents. To test these competing hypotheses, a longitudinal study of 78 couples was conducted in which both partners completed surveys about their relationship at 4 time points during the transition to parenthood. Multilevel modeling revealed that the amount and the increase of relational uncertainty and partner interference were negatively associated with relationship satisfaction when considered separately, but when evaluated in combination, the magnitude of an increase in these variables was the stronger predictor of relationship satisfaction. The transition to parenthood is usually an exciting time for couples, but the myriad changes to the romantic relationship that accompany the birth of a first child can contribute to unexpected stressors (Gottman & Notarius, 2000; Simpson, Rholes, Campbell, Wilson, & Tran, 2002). Although some studies have shown that relationship satisfaction remains relatively stable during the transition to parenthood (e.g., Clements & Markman, 1996; Huston & Vangelisti, 1995; Kurdek, 1993), most existing research on this pivotal moment in relationships suggests that the birth of a first child is associated with a decline in relationship satisfaction (e.g.

2024, Infant mental health journal

Coparenting is based on parents' representations of themselves as coparents. Attachment theory can be a useful framework to understand the way that different coparenting representations are developed during the transition to parenthood. This study aimed to analyze the association between men's attachment and coparenting representations at the first trimester of pregnancy and from the first trimester of pregnancy to 6 months' postpartum. A sample of 86 men was recruited and completed self-report measures of attachment and coparenting representations at the first and third trimester of pregnancy and at 1 and 6 months' postpartum. At the first trimester of pregnancy, higher attachment avoidance was associated with higher lack of coparenting support. From the first trimester of pregnancy to 6 months' postpartum, higher attachment avoidance was associated with (a) a steeper increase on lack of coparenting support, (b) an increase on coparenting conflict (while low attachment avoidance was associated with a decrease), and (c) a lower decrease on coparenting disagreement. This study may contribute to coparenting research by showing new evidence on attachment theory as a useful framework to understand how different coparenting representations are developed in men during the transition to parenthood.

2024, Journal of Reproductive and Infant Psychology

2024, Infant Mental Health Journal

ABSTRACTCoparenting is based on parents’ representations of themselves as coparents. Attachment theory can be a useful framework to understand the way that different coparenting representations are developed during the transition to parenthood. This study aimed to analyze the association between men's attachment and coparenting representations at the first trimester of pregnancy and from the first trimester of pregnancy to 6 months’ postpartum. A sample of 86 men was recruited and completed self‐report measures of attachment and coparenting representations at the first and third trimester of pregnancy and at 1 and 6 months’ postpartum. At the first trimester of pregnancy, higher attachment avoidance was associated with higher lack of coparenting support. From the first trimester of pregnancy to 6 months’ postpartum, higher attachment avoidance was associated with (a) a steeper increase on lack of coparenting support, (b) an increase on coparenting conflict (while low attachment ...

2024, Journal of Reproductive and Infant Psychology

2024, Journal of Adult Development

This study aimed to examine the psychometric characteristics of the Coparenting Relationship Scale when administered in fathers during pregnancy. During the first trimester of a partner's pregnancy, 91 primiparous fathers completed the Coparenting Relationship Scale-Father's Prenatal Version (CRS-FPV), and self-report measures of depressive and anxious symptoms, adult attachment, and partner's relationship quality. The CRS-FPV revealed good internal consistency. Exploratory factor analysis revealed four factors: lack of coparenting support, coparenting conflict, coparenting disagreement, and coparenting undermining. Confirmatory factor analysis revealed a good model fit. Significant associations between the CRS-FPV and the original CRS subscales were found. Hypothesized associations between the CRS-FPV subscales and individual (depressive and anxious symptoms and adult attachment) and dyadic (partner's relationship quality) constructs were also significant. The present study suggested that the CRS-FPV is a reliable multidimensional measure to assess coparenting in fathers during pregnancy.

2024, Journal of affective disorders

The association between the couple relationship and the mothers' and fathers' psychological adjustment to the transition to parenthood has been examined in the literature. However, the direction of effects between these variables has not been extensively explored. This study aimed to assess the direction of effects between mothers' and fathers' positive and negative interactions and anxiety and depression symptoms trajectories over the transition to parenthood. A sample of 129 couples (N = 258) completed self-report measures of positive and negative interactions, anxiety and depression symptoms at each trimester of pregnancy, at childbirth, and at 3- and 30-months postpartum. Dyadic growth curve models were performed using multilevel modeling. Whereas anxiety and depression showed no moderation effect on positive and negative interactions over time, negative interaction moderated depression from 3- to 30-months postpartum. Mothers and fathers with high negative inter...

2024

Em primeiro lugar gostaria agradecer à Professora Doutora Bárbara Figueiredo por toda a dedicação durante o processo de orientação. Para mim, será sempre uma mentora. A todos os elementos do grupo de investigação Family: Studies & Intervention por estarem sempre disponíveis, destacando a Cláudia Dias e a Catarina Canário. Ao Luis Pinheiro e a Margarida Monteiro por todo o apoio. Por último, um agradecimento muito especial aos meus pais e ao meu irmão que demostraram sempre um apoio incondicional em todas as etapas da minha vida e sem os quais nada disto seria possível.

2024, Journal of Reproductive and Infant Psychology

Background: Little is known about the development of fathers' parenting self-efficacy during the transition to parenthood. Objectives: To analyse (1) fathers' parenting self-efficacy developmental path and (2) the effects of anxious and depressive symptoms and coparenting support on fathers' parenting self-efficacy developmental path, from the first trimester of pregnancy to 6 months postpartum. Methods: Eighty-six fathers recruited at the first trimester of pregnancy completed self-report measures of anxious and depressive symptoms, coparenting support and parenting self-efficacy at the first and third trimesters of pregnancy, and at 1 and 6 months postpartum. Growth curve models were performed. Results: An increase in fathers' parenting self-efficacy was found from the first trimester of pregnancy to 6 months postpartum. The main effects of anxious symptoms and interaction effects of anxious symptoms and time were found on fathers' parenting self-efficacy. Fathers with higher anxious symptoms revealed lower levels of parenting self-efficacy at the first trimester of pregnancy and a lower increase of parenting self-efficacy from this time to 6 months postpartum. The main effects of coparenting support were found in fathers' parenting self-efficacy. At the first trimester of pregnancy, fathers who perceived more coparenting support revealed higher levels of parenting self-efficacy. Conclusion: The present study may contribute to the literature by describing fathers' parenting self-efficacy developmental path and the effects of anxious symptoms and coparenting support on fathers' parenting self-efficacy developmental path during the transition to parenthood.

2024, Psychopreneur Journal

One of the reason couples get married are to start a family and have children. The presence of a child either brings happiness or can lead to a negative impact on the parent"s relationship. The aim of this study is to examine the relationship between co-parenting and communication, together and partially with marital satisfaction among married couples with teenagers. The subjects (N=67) were either husbands or wives who have one or more teenage child. Subject consists of 32,8% husbands and 67,2% wives. The data was collected using the adaptation scale from Cordova (2009), an adaptation scale from PREPARE / Enrich (Olson & Larson, 2008), and an adaptation scale from Kansas Marital Satisfaction (Grable & Britt, 2006). Results showed that there is a significant positive relationship between co-parenting and communication together with marital satisfaction (R = 0.63; ρ <0.05). The results of partial correlation between co-parenting and marital satisfaction by controlling communication showed no correlation (r = 0.09; ρ > 0.05). Meanwhile, the results of the partial correlation between communication and marital satisfaction by controlling the co-parenting showed a significant positive correlation (r = 0.5; ρ <. 0.05). Based on these results, it could be concluded that co-parenting and communication indicates that there is a strong positive relationship with marital satisfaction among married couples with teenagers.

2024, The Family Journal

Prevalence rates of infertility show that one in every six couples worldwide have experienced fertility problems; however, there is still a relatively high chance of spontaneous conception for couples with unexplained infertility. Nevertheless, most existing research has focused on the infertility experience leading up to potential parenthood, rather than the actual parenting experience itself. Hence, this paper presents an in-depth exploration of the lived experiences and personal meaning of becoming parents of individuals affected by unexplained infertility. Semi-structured interviews were conducted, and transcripts were subjected to Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA). Four themes emerged: perception of fragility of life, father's embodied emotional connection with child, becoming a parent-identity shift, and imprint of infertility on relationships with a partner. The findings emphasize clinicians' and researchers' awareness of the need to process couple's grief and highlight the importance of addressing romantic relationship issues, experienced during the infertility period to facilitate couples transitioning to parenthood.

2024, Gender a výzkum / Gender and Research, 24(2)

The ever-watchful eyes of society have created burdensome challenges for mothers in the 21st century, who are constantly trying to manage their emotions and daily life in accordance with the dominant discourse of what a 'good mother' should be like. The aim of the paper is to explore the 'deep story' of new mothers in Latvia, employing the theoretical framework of sociologist Arlie Hochschild and her concept of 'emotion work'. Data were gathered from ten phenomenological interviews with women with a child under the age of two. The results of the narrative analysis show that new mothers systematically apply the principles of 'emotion work' and communicate negative experiences only to selected confidants out of a fear of being condemned for not complying with the dominant narrative of motherhood. Although the 'deep story' of mothers is rather bleak, the key is open communication without judgement or patronising remarks.

2024

As the authors declare in their title and preface, this book looks at the implications of attachment theory for couples and their ability to bond successfully, or not. Densely populated with references, it builds on Bowlby's theory of the critical influence of childhood attachment styles, and the expectations subsequently developed regarding needs, emotions, emotion-regulation, and social behaviour. It is made clear up front that individual attachment patterns (alone) are not a good predictor for couple success. Rather, dynamics within the couple dyad, impacted upon by internal and external stressors, provide the risk or opportunity for the couple to split or prosper. The authors are not family therapists, and while the term 'system' is frequently used, and intense focus is placed on the fluidity of dyad dynamics in current time, a great deal of attention is given to classifications and seeking generalised predictors of couple survival. Every chapter includes beautifully clear case descriptions, which bring the many theories expounded to life and are often the highlights. Adopting Mikulincer's definition of love, a 'dynamic state involving both partners' needs and capacities for attachment, caregiving and sex' (Mikulincer, 2006, p. 23), the authors constantly return to these three parameters to explain success or failure of the partnership bond. They also add, 'a passionate affair that fades over time, cannot be referred to as an attachment bond' (Castellano, Velotti, & Zavattini, 2014, p. 3). Another theme that threads throughout the book is that of Bowlby's 'preferential bonds' (attachments), each with the following fundamental behavioural features.

2024, Scandinavian Journal of Caring Sciences

Objective: To reach consensus between care providers and childbearing women about the midwife's relevant and appropriate domains and elements to support transition to motherhood. Methods: A modified web-based Delphi study was conducted... more

2024, Frontiers in Psychology

The transition to parenthood is both a joyous and a challenging event in a relationship. Studies to date have found mostly negative effects of the birth of the first child on the parental relationship. We propose that partners' pre-pregnancy individual happiness may serve as a buffer against these negative effects. We predicted that parents who are happy prior to pregnancy fare better in terms of relationship commitment after childbirth than unhappy parents. To test our prediction, we used data of a 5-wave longitudinal study among 109 Dutch newlywed couples who had their first child during the study and a comparison group of 55 couples who remained childless. We found that the relationship commitment of fathers with higher pre-pregnancy happiness and fathers with a partner with higher pre-pregnancy happiness increased slightly in the years after childbirth, whereas the relationship commitment of fathers with lower pre-pregnancy happiness and fathers with a partner with lower pre...

2024

Author contributions: Author ter Kuile designed the study, conducted the statistical analyses, interpreted the results, and wrote the first draft of the manuscript. Author Kluwer aided in designing the study, provided conceptualization and theory used to integrate findings, interpreted results, and edited the manuscript. Author Finkenauer designed the questionnaire, directed data-collection, and provided feedback on the manuscript. Author van der Lippe provided conceptualization and theory used to integrate findings, interpreted results, and edited the manuscript.

2024

A relacao entre pai e filho(s) apos a separacao conjugal e um tema que vem sendo discutido na atualidade em decorrencia das novas configuracoes familiares. Frente a essa realidade, foi realizado um estudo com o objetivo de compreender a relacao entre o pai e seus filhos apos o termino do casamento. A pesquisa foi desenvolvida sob abordagem qualitativa, e teve carater exploratorio. Participaram do estudo quatro pais, separados conjugalmente, e que nao possuem a guarda dos filhos, sendo os dados colhidos por meio de entrevista. Os depoimentos dos participantes do estudo foram analisados pela tecnica de Analise de Conteudo, cujo principio basico e investigar atraves da descricao objetiva, sistematica e qualitativa, o conteudo que e comunicado. Como resultados o estudo apontou as novas organizacoes sociais das relacoes de genero, onde os pais tem se mostrado mais participativos e envolvidos com os filhos, dispondo-se a investir mais na relacao entre ambos. Foi possivel perceber que a se...

2024, Prevention science : the official journal of the Society for Prevention Research

This study explored the use of dynamical systems modeling techniques to evaluate self- and co-regulation of affect in couples' interactions before and after the transition to parenthood, and the impact of the Family Foundations program on these processes. Thirty-four heterosexual couples, randomized to intervention and control conditions, participated in videotaped dyadic interaction tasks at pretest (during pregnancy) and posttest (1 year after birth). Husbands' and wives' positivity and negativity were micro-coded throughout interactions. Individual negativity set-points, self-regulation, and partner co-regulatory processes during interactions were examined using a coupled oscillators model. Regarding self-regulatory processes, men exhibited amplification of negativity at the prenatal assessment that did not change at the postnatal assessment; women demonstrated no significant damping or amplification at pretest and a marginally significant change towards greater ampli...

2024, Pakistan Journal of Psychological Research

The present study was intended to develop a measure of relational turbulence for the young married individuals in Pakistan's cultural framework. In the first phase of developing scale, 19 semistructured interviews were taken from married individuals. The married individuals were taken with inclusion criteria of 1-5 years marital duration and age between 21-40 years to generate an item pool that encompassed 45 items. Based on connection, similarity or matching themes, 29 items were finalized after 11 experts' validation and piloted on 8 participants. To determine psychometric properties of scale, Relational Turbulence Scale (RTS) was presented along with demographic sheet to 156 young married individuals (67 men, 89 women) with age range 21-40 years. Principal Component Analysis of RTS comprised of three different factors namely Lack Understanding, Apprehensions, and Lack of Support. Moreover, RTS was found to have high internal consistency (.83), test-retest reliability .83 (p < .001), split half reliability of .82 (p < .001), and acceptable convergent validity. Furthermore, results are discussed in context of factor structure of RTS, demographics, and risk factors as predictors of RTS in cultural context.

2024, Journal of Family and Economic Issues

advantage" in aspirations to complete a college degree, and the driving forces behind the desire for an upward mobility among immigrant Latino Families was investigated by Arellanes, Viramontez Anguiano and Lohman. Two traditionally important components to family life in the US, parenting and marriage, were looked at by Mathew, Zhai, and Gao. In their investigation on Asian Indian parental practices Mathew et al. focused on parental practices among Asian American groups identifying the importance of family support in relation to parental nurturance for the parent. They found that parental self-efficacy had a significant mediating role in this relationship. While the traditional view in the US would be to focus on parenting after marriage, we have seen increases in non-marital birth in this country over the last two decades. Daniels, Kakar, and Chaudhuri contribute to the research on racial differences in the likelihood of unmarried mothers marrying their child's biological father. They examined maternal characteristics such a race, education, economic status, and child characteristics as well as other factors associated with the transition to marriage for unmarried mothers over a nine-year time period following the birth of the reference child. Racial difference are identified as a key finding, and the authors discuss critical implications for child welfare and intergenerational transmission of inequities. We hope this special section contributes to the working knowledge of investigators focused on families and economic issues. As the US population becomes more diverse we must work to expand our knowledge and understanding of these diverse life expereinces. We must focus not only on our similaries but on the strengths that exist within our differences.

2024, Revista Psicologia e Saúde

Vivências da prematuridade: a aceitação do filho real pressupõe a desconstrução do bebê imaginário? Experiences of prematurity: has the acceptance of the real child assumed the deconstruction of the imaginary baby? Vivencias de la... more

2024, Revista Psicologia e Saúde

2024

2024, 'Am I Grateful Enough?': Emotions and Communication in the 'Deep Story' of New Mothers in Latvia

2024, Springer eBooks

And after having the baby, yeah, we got a good support from [my wife's] mum, so even after [we] came back to the home, she helped both of us-how to manage the baby, how to feed the baby, how to bath the baby. … [A]nd I get a good support from my family back in India. They're calling me regularly and asking, "How's the baby? How are you going?" …They all want to see the baby in the Skype and they want to get the photos. Nadir 9

2024, Subjectivity

In this paper we consider early maternal distress and clinical care, drawing on narratives of women interviewed to populate an Australian health information website. We consider the notion of 'care barriers', which has become popular in the biomedical literature as a means of explaining why 'not enough' women seek out clinical care. As an alternative to barriers we propose 'care entanglements', offering a way of conceptualizing socioculturally situated and biographically embedded formalized care. In part we argue that clinical encounters are 'haunted' by women's biographies, circulating discourses, and the relational clinical moment, which accounts for why some women reject formalized care. However we also contend that many women have in fact already 'slipped through' to the clinic, whether this be in their adoption of medical language to describe their distress, or in their enactments in designated clinical spaces. Finally we reflect more broadly on the maternal, care and distress.

2024, PLOS ONE

Perinatal distress affects approximately 10% of fathers, but little is known about how gay fathers experience the challenges surrounding childbirth and early parenting of a child. This study explored gay fathers’ experiences of having a baby via transnational surrogacy, raising that baby as a gay parent, and the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. In-depth qualitative interviews were conducted with 15 Israeli men to understand their experiences of surrogacy and early parenthood, focusing on the impact on their mental health and the relational factors involved. Secondary narrative analysis revealed that fathers constructed surrogacy as a perilous quest that required strong intentionality to undertake. The first year of parenthood was conceptualised alternately as a joyful experience and/or one that challenged fathers’ identities and mental health. A relational framework was applied to better conceptualise the fathers’ narratives, revealing that actual connections—and the potentials for...

2024, PLOS ONE

Perinatal distress affects approximately 10% of fathers, but little is known about how gay fathers experience the challenges surrounding childbirth and early parenting of a child. This study explored gay fathers' experiences of having a baby via transnational surrogacy, raising that baby as a gay parent, and the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. In-depth qualitative interviews were conducted with 15 Israeli men to understand their experiences of surrogacy and early parenthood, focusing on the impact on their mental health and the relational factors involved. Secondary narrative analysis revealed that fathers constructed surrogacy as a perilous quest that required strong intentionality to undertake. The first year of parenthood was conceptualised alternately as a joyful experience and/or one that challenged fathers' identities and mental health. A relational framework was applied to better conceptualise the fathers' narratives, revealing that actual connections-and the potentials for links-considerably shaped experiences of surrogacy, perinatal distress and recovery. Implications for research and policy are discussed.

2023, Journal of Child and Family Studies

This investigation examined the validity of parental reflective functioning (RF; Fonagy, Target, Steele, & Steele, 1998) which is a measure designed to assess understanding of emotions and other mental states. RF was coded based on the prebirth Adult Attachment Interviews (AAI; George, Kaplan, & Main, 1985). Parenting and coparenting quality were assessed 13 months after the birth of the target child. Correlational and factor analyses indicated considerable overlap between RF and traditional AAI coding. Exploratory factor analyses of RF and AAI state of mind scales indicated that RF loaded, along with coherence of mind, on the primary factor distinguishing between individuals categorized as secure and dismissing. Maternal RF significantly predicted paternal dyadic sensitivity and coparenting quality and marginally predicted maternal dyadic and paternal triadic sensitivity. Paternal RF did not predict parenting quality. Interestingly, fathers' RF predicted coparenting quality of daughters, and mothers' RF predicted coparenting quality of sons. These findings indicate that the RF measure is an important predictor of family functioning and warrants further investigation.