Journal of Reproductive and Infant Psychology

AIMS/BACKGROUND: Coping with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) presents significant challenges for pregnant women and their partners, which may result in elevated prenatal depression symptoms. However, research has predominantly centred on pregnant women with GDM, with little involvement of their partners. To understand their dyadic interactions, it is imperative to involve GDM couples in the study. This study aims to examine the interplay between dyadic coping and prenatal depression symptoms among GDM couples and to explore the possible mediating role of marital satisfaction...

AIMS/BACKGROUND: Routine third-trimester ultrasonography is increasingly conducted to screen for foetal growth restriction (FGR) and reduce adverse perinatal and child neurodevelopmental outcomes using timely obstetric management. While it did not reduce adverse perinatal outcomes in previous trials, evidence regarding its association with child neurodevelopmental outcome is absent. We examined whether routine third-trimester ultrasonography is positively associated with child developmental and behavioural/emotional outcomes compared to usual care...

AIMS/BACKGROUND: Transition to parenthood is a complex and challenging situation not only for mothers but also for fathers. In this process, fathers' feelings, thoughts and experiences are very important. This study aims to understand fathers' feelings, thoughts and experiences in the early postpartum period. DESIGN/METHODS: The descriptive phenomenological design was used in this study. Data were collected from 13 fathers through in-depth interviews. The content analysis method was used in data analysis...

AIMS/BACKGROUND: Although the Pregnancy-Related Anxiety Scale - also referred to as the Pregnancy-Related Thoughts Scale (PRT) - is one of the most widely utilised measures of pregnancy-related anxiety (PrA), there is limited research exploring its factor structure and psychometric properties. The present study sought to (a) explore the factor structure of the PRT and (b) examine whether specific dimensions of PrA differentially predict postpartum outcomes. DESIGN/METHODS: A community sample of pregnant women ( N  = 159) was recruited from a Midwestern city in the United States and completed the PRT alongside other self-report measures of stress and maternal health and mood during pregnancy...

BACKGROUND: Psychotic-like experiences (PLEs) refer to subclinical experiences consistent with psychosis that may include hearing, feeling or seeing things that others cannot, or experiencing unusual beliefs. These experiences appear to be more common during the perinatal period. There appear to be barriers which make it difficult for midwives to support mothers with mental health difficulties. However, it is important that midwives can provide support with PLEs. AIM: This study aimed to explore UK midwives' perspectives and perceptions relating to mothers' psychotic-like experiences in the perinatal period...

BACKGROUND: The Birth Satisfaction Scale-Revised (BSS-R) is a widely used, psychometrically robust and brief self-report measure of birth experience from the mothers perspective. The current study sought to adapt and validate the BSS-R for partners, evaluating key psychometric properties, including the underlying tri-dimensional factor structure of stress experienced, personal attributes and quality of care. AIM: To translate and validate a Czech speaking partner version of the Birth Satisfaction Scale-Revised (BSS-R) and examine key measurement characteristics and association with fundamental clinical outcome variables...

AIMS/BACKGROUND: Young mothers have reported facing specific challenges such as stigmatisation and social isolation, which may be exaggerated by the increasing maternal age in industrialised countries. Despite these challenges, some young mothers have been shown to exhibit resilience and confidence during the transition to parenthood. Using strength-based psychological concepts, this study aimed to identify the facilitators of and barriers to the development of positive psychological states in young Australian mothers...

BACKGROUND: The mother-child bond may be related to maternal health, especially postpartum depression (PPD). Existing studies show the need for further in-depth research on the subject. AIM: To determine the relationship between bonding and the probability of the development and presence of PPD in women with a biological child between 6 weeks and 18 months of age. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted. A questionnaire containing sociodemographic, psychosocial, and health variables referring to the mother and the newborn, a questionnaire measuring the mother-child bond (VAMF-bond), and the Edinburgh Postpartum Depression Scale (EDPS) were administered...

BACKGROUND: Parents exposed to psychosocial adversities often experience challenges which, combined with the needs of a new-born infant, can be difficult to manage and increase the risk of poor outcomes for both parents and infants. Psychosocial adversity can disrupt the development of parental-foetal attachment to the baby during pregnancy, which can have a negative effect on parental care and quality of interaction during the postnatal period. This intervention is based on the proposition that enhanced parental capacity to mentalise and emotionally connect to unborn children during pregnancy, and better understanding about how to manage distressing infant behaviour (i...

BACKGROUND: Pregnancy is a transformative time for women and their bodies, and therefore thoughts and feelings about the body understandably change during this period. While previous research has established the impact of body dissatisfaction on factors like antenatal attachment and maternal mental health, there is a notable gap in understanding its long-term effects on postnatal factors. This is often due to high attrition rates in longitudinal studies. Using retrospective measures could address this issue, however a measure of retrospective pregnant body dissatisfaction has not yet been identified...

AIMS/BACKGROUND: Social factors are increasingly recognised as influential on antenatal physical activity. While pregnant women describe the people and support they require to remain physically active, little is known about how pregnant women select and make sense of their social experiences throughout pregnancy. This study followed pregnant women's sense-making of their physical activity-related social experiences as pregnancy progressed, and physical activity declined. DESIGN/METHODS: This study used a qualitative design...

BACKGROUND AND AIM: PTSD after childbirth is a significant but often under-recognised mental health problem. This systematic review aims to examine the measures used to assess childbirth-related PTSD (CB-PTSD) and posttraumatic stress symptoms (CB-PTSS) in mothers in the first year postpartum and to evaluate their psychometric properties. Methods: Following PRISMA guidelines, a comprehensive search of multiple databases and grey literature sources was conducted. Studies that involved mothers in the first year postpartum and reported measures of CB-PTSD and/or CB-PTSS were included...

BACKGROUND: Although the association between a history of infertility treatment and perinatal depression has been investigated, most research has been cross-sectional and has not used diagnostic assessment tools. AIMS: This study investigates longitudinally the association between a history of infertility treatment and perinatal depression using WHO-Composite International Diagnostic Interview 3.0 (WHO-CIDI 3.0) and the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS)...

BACKGROUND: The attachment between father and infant is essential to a child's later development and well-being; yet, hardly any research has examined father-to-infant attachment during the outbreak of COVID-19. This study, therefore, aims to examine psychological, interpersonal, and health-related factors associated with father-to-infant attachment at 3-12 months postpartum during the pandemic. METHOD: An online cross-sectional study was conducted between June and December 2021...

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

AIMS: The aim of this study was to examine potential mediators of the relationship between traumatic experiences, perceived stress, and the subjective, retrospectively measured, intensity of symptoms of premenstrual disorders. It was hypothesised that pessimistic attributional style and trait anger mediate the said relationship. METHODS: The study sample comprised 150 non-clinical subjects (aged 18-31; M  = 21.82; SD  = 2.19). Study variables were assessed with self-report questionnaires: the Premenstrual Symptoms Screening Tool (PSST); the Traumatic Experiences Checklist (TEC); the Perceived Stress Scale-4 Short Form (PSS-4); the Attributional Style Questionnaire (ASQ); and the State-Trait Anger Expression Inventory-2 (STAXI-2 - trait anger subscale)...

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

BACKGROUND: Parental stress is a critical problem because it affects both the mental health of the mother and children's development. In addition to many factors related to birth and marriage, mother - infant bonding and psychological inflexibility are essential factors that can affect stress. In this study, we examined the effects of the psychological processes of mothers and factors related to pregnancy, mother, environment on parental stress, and their relationships. METHODS: A sociodemographic variables scale, Acceptance and Action Questionnaire-II, Postpartum Bonding Questionnaire, and Parental Stress Scale were completed by 115 mothers in their first postpartum year...

BACKGROUND: There is growing evidence that antenatal education incorporating relaxation practices can positively influence perinatal psychological wellbeing. However, a paucity of qualitative research is evident. Gaining insight into how and why such education may influence childbearing women, can inform the design of effective educational interventions. This study aimed to explore the perspectives of women and their partners on how and why a single Antenatal Relaxation Class (ARC) might influence perinatal psychological wellbeing and childbirth experiences...

BACKGROUND: Breastfeeding has a positive impact on child and maternal health outcomes. Black and Latina women and adolescent mothers have lower rates of breastfeeding initiation and continuance in the U.S. Maternal depression and psychosocial stressors may contribute to reduced rates of breastfeeding. The current study aims to better understand behaviours and associated factors related to breastfeeding in a diverse group of adolescent mothers attending a teen-tot clinic for postpartum and infant well care...