Maternal adaptation during childbearing in Norway, Sweden and the United States

Abstract

The purpose of the study of 147 healthy primiparous women is to investigate the relationship between maternal adaptation during pregnancy and postpartum. This report is part of a larger study of relationships between family dynamics and maternal adaptation during childbearing in Norway, Sweden and the US. Variables included maternal adaptation, age, social status, mother's employment, type of birth, length of hospitalization and mother infant time together in the hospital. Mothers reporting greater adaptation during pregnancy reported greater adaptation postpartum. Mothers who believed themselves adapted indicated that they were better prepared for labour, had more control over their birth experience, a better relationship with their partner, and perceived greater participation in child care from their partner. Few differences were found in maternal adaptation among all mothers, and few relationships were found among selected sociodemographic variables and maternal adaptation. Formation of maternal identity and mother's confidence in her ability to cope with the tasks of motherhood was affected by mothers' prenatal identification with the motherhood role, supporting the notion that knowing what to expect provides a sense of control. Mothers' prenatal identification with the motherhood role directly or indirectly affected her satisfaction with motherhood. Nurses may want to develop practice strategies to support these findings.

Percepção de Competência Parental: Exploração de domínio geral de competência e domínios específicos de auto-eficácia, numa amostra de pais e mães portuguesas

“…Alguns estudos têm revelado que a percepção de autoeficácia paterna possui preditores diferentes dos da materna (Sevigny & Loutzenhiser, 2009), sendo mais influenciável por fatores externos, como as políticas, leis e valores de cada país (Hofferth, 2003;Kiehl & White, 2003), assim como pelo tamanho e funcionamento da família (Meunier & Roskam, 2009;Salonen et al, 2009). Os pais são, também, influenciados pelas características da criança (e.g., idade) (Salonen et al, 2009), assim como por variáveis intrínsecas a eles próprios (Sevigny & Loutzenhiser, 2009).…”

Gender Role Ideology as a Moderator of the Relationship between Social Power Tactics and Marital Satisfaction

“…Families with a working mother are assumed to be more egalitarian (Yodanis 2005) and thus particularly sensitive to communication patterns and influence tactics used by the partner. Indeed, an examination of labor market trends over the past few decades indicate that Israeli women are entering the work force at the same pace as women in other Western countries (Kiehl and White 2003;Nadiv 2002). Overall, it appears that egalitarian marital relations in all these countries are on the rise.…”

Postnatal Depression in First-Time Mothers: Prevalence and Relationships Between Functional and Structural Social Support at 6 and 12 Weeks Postpartum

“…This article is based on a larger research study that examined social support, maternal parental selfefficacy, and PND in first-time mothers at three periods and explored the relationships between these variables. Becoming a mother is a significant developmental transition, and a woman's adaptiveness involves her biopsychosocial being, family, and the society in which she lives (Kiehl & White, 2003). First-time mothers, in particular, are faced with the demands of learning new skills relating to infant care practices and recovering physically and emotionally from child birth.…”