Effect of maternal expectations on early infant behavior

Prenatal attachment in Swedish IVF fathers and controls

“…This result is similar to a study of expectant mothers showing that those women with high degree of psychastenia score high on the Maternal Fetal Attachment subscale that the authors named ''wonder and worry'' (Sjö gren et al, 2004). Furthermore, Brazelton (1973) considered anxiety among fathers during pregnancy as a process to adapt to forthcoming parenthood in order to be sensitive to the infant's needs. On the contrary, another previous study found an inverse correlation between prenatal attachment and state anxiety (Mercer et al, 1988) and our result from the assessment in gestational week 36 showed that high attachment was significantly correlated to low anxiety related to pregnancy in univariate analyses.…”

Prevention of Emotional Disability Following Stillbirth—The Role of the Obstetric Team

“…This perceived failure of support is probably one of a number of characteristics defining the subgroup of bereaved women who subsequently decompensate. Fantasy and reality may be less sharply distinguished, emotions more labile and behaviour more impulsive (19)(20)(21). The author has elsewhere (19) recently reviewed the literature on women's psychological functioning in late pregnancy (and at delivery).…”

Altered cognitive functioning in pregnant women: A shift towards primary process thinking

“…Finally, Bibring comments on the relative ease with which good psychotherapeutic results could be achieved and draws a parallel with other periods of hormonal disruption such as puberty and menopause. Bibring (1959) provided one of the earliest and more detailed descriptions of this Similarly, Brazelton (1973) also found in normal pregnant women: loaded and distorted material so near the surface which would indicate, if taken at face value, the prognosis for adjustment for the mother role would be grim. Caplan (1961) formulated much of his crisis theory from observations during pregnancy.…”

“…The crisis view of pregnancy is now widely accepted (Breen, 1975) and evidence suggests that a significant minority of pregnant women are overwhelmed by the psychological tasks involved (Rossi, 1974;Oakley, 1980). These tasks include the restructuring of the self-concept inherent in the transition to the maternal role and working through of the accompanying losses and threats (Rossi, 1974), the development of an emotional attachment to the unborn child (Condon, 1985), a reworking of the identification with the woman's own mother (Breen, 1975; Ballou, 1978) and, in the case of a first pregnancy, a relinquishment of the one-to-one dyadic marital relationship (Rossi, 1974; Ballou, 1978). The ability of the individual ego to surmount the crisis depends upon the vicissitudes of its development which, in turn, determine the ego's strengths and weaknesses, the symbolic meaning of the pregnancy and the likelihood of child bearing recapitulating old unresolved conflicts.…”