Couple empathy – the mediator of attachment styles for partners adjusting to parenthood

Kaźmierczak, Maria

doi:10.1080/02646838.2014.974148

Cited by 16 publications

(16 citation statements)

References 43 publications

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“…They also reported lower parental satisfaction (Rholes et al, ) and less perceived parenting self‐efficacy (Kohlhoff & Barnett, ) during the first year after childbirth. Similar associations have been found for the anxiety dimension, with general adjustment to motherhood (Kazmierczak, ), mothers' parenting stress (Mazzeschi, Pazzagli, Radi, Raspa, & Buratta, ; Trillingsgaard et al, ), fathers' parenting stress (Howard, ; Schoppe‐Sullivan, Settle, Lee, & Dush, ), and parenting efficacy (Howard, ), as well as parents' satisfaction with parenting (Calvo & Bianco, ). Recent studies have yielded growing evidence for the potential mediating role of couples' characteristics in the influence of romantic attachment on parental adjustment.…”

Section: Introductionsupporting

confidence: 59%

“…In particular, more avoidant parents face challenges after childbirth regarding being sensitive and responsive toward their baby's needs, and they usually strive to maintain distance from others' distress to keep their attachment system deactivated (Rholes, Simpson, & Friedman, 2006). Research shows that parents with high scores on avoidance reported more difficulties in adjusting to parenthood (Kazmierczak, 2015), reported higher parenting stress (Rholes et al, 2006;Trillingsgaard, Elklit, Shevlin, & Maimburg, 2011), and lacked knowledge of child development (Howard, 2010). They also reported lower parental satisfaction (Rholes et al, 2006) and less perceived parenting self-efficacy (Kohlhoff & Barnett, 2013) during the first year after childbirth.…”

Section: Romantic Attachment and Early Parental Adjustmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Romantic attachment, dyadic coping, and parental adjustment across the transition to parenthood

Alves

Milek

Bodenmann

et al. 2019

Personal Relationships

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This study explored the mediating role of common dyadic coping (common DC) on the longitudinal associations between attachment‐related anxiety and avoidance and parental adjustment to the first year postpartum. A total of 92 Portuguese couples completed self‐report questionnaires of romantic attachment, common DC, parenting stress, and parental confidence. Results showed that more avoidant parents (at mid‐pregnancy) engaged less in common DC (at 6 weeks postpartum), which consequently increased their partner's parenting stress (only in mothers) and decreased their partner's parental confidence (in both parents) at 6–9 months postpartum. Anxious attachment did not predict parents' adjustment directly or indirectly. Interventions aimed at preventing adjustment difficulties to early parenthood in more avoidant parents should focus on enhancing their common DC strategies soon after childbirth.

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Section: Introductionsupporting

confidence: 59%

Section: Romantic Attachment and Early Parental Adjustmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

Romantic attachment, dyadic coping, and parental adjustment across the transition to parenthood

Alves

Milek

Bodenmann

et al. 2019

Personal Relationships

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“…sharing housework or maintaining an enjoyable sexual relationship (8 items; the higher the score, the less the perceived problems). The scale is unidimensional and was shown to have a high internal consistency (Kaźmierczak, 2015); for this study Cronbach's α = .80.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 68%

“…The scale consists of 9 items with a 5-point Likert-type scale. The scale is unidimensional and was shown to have a high internal consistency when used to assess reactions after the transition to parenthood (Kaźmierczak, 2015); for this study Cronbach's α = .91. Postpartum depression.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 82%

“…Studies on parents preparing for the birth of a child indicate that expression of empathy within a couple leads to better adaptation to the perinatal and postnatal periods (Kaźmierczak, 2015;Leon, 2008). During those periods empathising with the partner and perspective-taking raise the quality of communication and awareness of the partner's experiences, which positively affects satisfaction with the relationship (Guttmann & Lazar, 2004).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The other side of the mirror – the role of partner’s empathy in transition to parenthood

Kaźmierczak¹,

Kiełbratowska²,

Karasiewicz³

2015

Health Psychology Report

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health psychology report • volume 3(2), 5 original article background The general objective of the project was to verify the role the partner's empathy plays in the perceived adjustment to parenthood. Couple empathy and especially partner's perspective-taking have been linked to better adaptation to parenthood, through increasing the quality of communication between parents or through reducing problems experienced during transition to parenthood. Empathy has been promoted among couples preparing for parenthood, for example during antenatal classes. participants and procedure Two studies were conducted. The first study included 121 young mothers of children in their first year of life. They completed measures of adjustment to parenthood, postpartum depression, satisfaction with romantic relationship, and partner's perceived empathy. In addition, women assessed factors associated with labour and midwife care. The second study involved 112 couples during transition to parenthood. Those couples were randomly assigned to experimental conditions using instructions in which they were asked to imagine a) one's own or b) the partner's situation after the child's birth, and completed the questionnaire measuring expected adjustment to parenthood. results Male perceived empathy, relational satisfaction and postpartum depression were predictors of adjustment to motherhood in Study 1. In addition, the more empathy females perceived in their partners, the lower was the level of postpartum depression they declared. Couples empathizing with the partner in Study 2 perceived the challenges of parenthood in a similar way. Future mothers perceived more parenthood problems only when assuming their own perspective. conclusions The results of the studies indicate that empathy plays an important role in shaping adjustment to parenthood, especially motherhood. Low-dosage interventions might help couples to become aware of their mutual problems concerning transition to parenthood, when conducting longer programmes is not possible.

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Temperament and the Mother–infant Dyad: Associations With Breastfeeding and Formula Feeding With a Bottle

Kiełbratowska

Kaźmierczak

Michałek

et al. 2015

Infant Mental Health Journal

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Breastfeeding supports the formation of an emotional bond between mothers and their children. The feeding method is associated with both the child's temperament and the mother's perception of herself and the child. Therefore, the present study focuses on the feeding method, mothers' reaction during feeding, and infants' temperament traits. Ninety-eight mothers with children aged 3 to 5 months participated in the study. Children were assessed with the Children Development Scale (A. Matczak et al., 2007) to measure their temperament. Mothers completed the Mother and Baby Scale (D. Wolke & I. St James-Roberts, 1987, as cited in T.B. Brazelton & K. Nugent, 1995), which measures mothers' evaluation of their children's behaviors during feeding and their overall experiences with their children's care. The results show that breastfed newborns, as compared to bottle-fed newborns, demonstrate higher vigor, which includes activity and the intensity of reaction. Bottle-fed children demonstrate higher regularity than do breastfed children. Mothers who bottle-feed their children perceive themselves to be less confident in the feeding domain than do mothers who breastfeed. Our results indicate that children's temperament might be an important factor in the decision regarding the feeding method. The study supports the idea of promoting knowledge of children's behaviors during feeding among mothers even before their children are born, such as during antenatal classes.

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Couple empathy – the mediator of attachment styles for partners adjusting to parenthood

Cited by 16 publications

References 43 publications

Romantic attachment, dyadic coping, and parental adjustment across the transition to parenthood

Romantic attachment, dyadic coping, and parental adjustment across the transition to parenthood

The other side of the mirror – the role of partner’s empathy in transition to parenthood

Temperament and the Mother–infant Dyad: Associations With Breastfeeding and Formula Feeding With a Bottle

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