The Swedish family: transition to parenthood

Family interaction during pregnancy and the transition to parenthood creates the social environment in which the fetus becomes part of the family, family relationships and roles are reorganized, and the infant's temperament appears. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships among family dynamics, parental-fetal attachment, and infant temperament across the transition to parenthood. A sample of 91 families in Helsingborg, Sweden completed the Family Dynamics Measure and the Maternal/Paternal Fetal Attachment Scale during the third trimester of pregnancy. When the infant was 8-9 months old, mothers (n = 62) and fathers (n = 54) again completed the Family Dynamics Measure. The mother completed the Revised Infant Temperament Questionnaire as well. Overall, we found small changes in family dynamics, with an increase in perceived role conflict and mutuality reported by mothers. Fathers reported greater fetal attachment than their partners. Greater paternal- and maternal fetal attachment was related to more positive family dynamics, and maternal-fetal attachment was positively related to infant mood at 8 months. The stability of family dynamics across the transition to parenthood is a sign that most families negotiate this transition without difficulty.     

Parents’ experiences of their teenage children’s parenthood: An interview study

In this study, we described and analyzed parents’ experiences of teenage parenthood and the provision of support to their teenage children who had recently have become parents. A qualitative method was used. In‐depth interviews with 24 participants were conducted, all parents of teenage parents. Data were analyzed using content analysis; four themes and 11 subthemes were identified. The results show that parents’ norms and values were strongly influenced by their religious beliefs. The participants had mixed emotions and reactions to their teenage children’s parenthood. Also participants were sources of support to the teenage parents and assisted them in their transition to parenthood. However, the participants also expressed the importance that their teenage children continue their education and avoid repeated pregnancies. This study highlights how emotional, instrumental, and informational support provided by parents to their teenagers can assist the latter in their transition to parenthood. In their work with teenage parents, healthcare providers can benefit from teenage parent's own parents involvement and experiences.     

A cross‐sectional descriptive study of the family functioning,health and social support of hospital patients with family violence backgrounds

Family violence (FV ) has serious effects on the health and well‐being of the family. The health sector plays a vital role in FV prevention by helping to identify abuse early, providing victims with the necessary treatment and referring patients to appropriate care. The aim of the present cross‐sectional study was to describe the prevalence of FV among hospital patients, as well as to assess the association between family functioning, health and social support, considering patients as the perpetrators or victims of violence. The data were collected using a Family Functioning, Health and Social Support (FAFHES ) questionnaire that was given to patients who visited a Finnish central hospital between October 2012 and April 2013. As a result, the data (N = 188) were contributed by the patients who returned the questionnaire and gave permission for a follow‐up survey. The participation rate was 47%, of which 73% were women and 27% were men. Their ages ranged from 18 to 89 years. The data were analysed with quantitative methods using the unadjusted analyses and linear regression model. In total, 24% of both the male and female participants had experienced or used violence at home or in the family. Of these, 22 had been the perpetrators, and 23 had been the victims. Participants in relationships and who were living together had less violence than singles and those who were not living together. The family functioning and health of the participants who had experienced or used FV were worse than those of the participants who had not. Various patients can have an FV background, and nursing professionals are on the front line to identify and intervene in FV situations. The results of this study can be utilised in the treatment of FV victims and perpetrators by training healthcare workers to identify and intervene in violence.     

Family member as a hospital patient: sentiments and functioning of the family

The aim of this pilot study was to find out how families experience the hospitalization of one family member and to chart the participation of the family in the treatment of the hospitalized family member. A questionnaire was used to gather data for the study and the three open-ended questions in the questionnaire were interpreted using content analysis. The study population (n = 70) was the family members of patients in the neurological wards of Tampere University Hospital. The study demonstrated a variety of negative sentiments in the families, such as worry, fear, shock, anxiety and depression at the hospitalization of their family member. The families also expressed neutral and positive sentiments, such as approval, relief and faith in the help given. Nearly 80% of the families' statements dealt with emotional responses. Changes in the everyday life of the family caused by the hospitalization of a family member were also reported, with most changes affecting the immediate family. Hospital visits gave a rhythm to family life. There were changes in the sharing of housework and taking care of affairs, as well as in relationships within the family. Family members spoke of their loneliness, fear and longing. External changes in family life were present in 13% of statements. Helping the patient in hospital involved functions like participation in nursing care, taking the patient to the cafeteria and rehabilitation. Only 20% of statements dealt with emotional support for the patient. Future research could broaden the perspective to include the views of patients, nurses and doctors on the reality of family nursing.     

卒中后抑郁患者家庭功能及家庭护理干预的研究进展

卒中后抑郁(post-stroke depression,PSD)是指发生于卒中后,表现为一系列抑郁症状和相应躯体症状的综合征,是卒中后常见且可治疗的并发症之一,如未及时发现和治疗,将影响卒中后患者神经功能的恢复和日常生活能力,增加患者的致残率和死亡率[1-3]。     

Transition to parenthood: consequences on health and well-being. A qualitative study

ObjectiveParenthood is one of the most dramatic developmental transitions in the family life cycle. It requires profound changes in lifestyle, roles and relationships, can increase stress levels and affects both men and women's quality of life. This study aimed to explore the effects on the health and well-being of parents during the first six months of transition to the parental role.MethodA qualitative study using the grounded theory approach. Data collection was from semi-structured interviews (total of 60 interviews). The constant comparative method was used and theoretical sampling in the process of data collection and analysis, and the study was undertaken in a simultaneous and cyclical way. Five fathers and five mothers (couples) participated.ResultsThe category “living on the edge of one's capacities” was described, which is composed of the subcategories “feeling exhaustion”, “perceiving exhaustion in the mother”, “overflowing emotions” and “feeling less exhaustion”, to explain the impact that the birth of a child had on the parents’ lives, when taking on all the tasks and responsibilities of parenthood.ConclusionsAdapting to parenthood is not easy, linear or fast. It involves numerous situations that generate stress and emotional disturbance, linked to tiredness, sleep disturbance, work overload and readjustments of the dynamics of life, which especially affect the mother. Antenatal and postnatal preparation for this impact should, therefore, be encouraged and effective, as a focus of nursing intervention.     

Perceived family functioning in depressed Chinese couples: A cross‐sectional study

This study investigated family functioning in Chinese couples with a first episode of major depression, and in normal controls, and examined the association between depression severity and family impairment. Seventy‐four patients with a first episode of major depression and 73 normal controls, together with their respective spouses, were assessed using the Family Assessment Device and Beck Depression Inventory. Patients with a first episode of major depression reported significantly higher Family Assessment Device scores for all dimensions compared with normal controls. Beck Depression Inventory scores were positively associated with Family Assessment Device scores for patients with a first episode of major depression for five dimensions, but not for affective responsiveness and affective involvement. A first episode of major depression was thus associated with impaired family functioning in Chinese families, and depression severity was positively associated with family impairment for the depressed patients. These findings indicate the importance of including family interventions in the treatment of Chinese patients with a first episode of major depression.     

Transition to parenthood during the transition to modernity in Jordan: New parents' views on family and healthcare support systems

Aims and ObjectivesThis study aims to explore new parents' experiences of family support during their transition to parenthood.BackgroundFamily support is widely considered a crucial factor in contributing toward positive outcomes for parents during transition to parenthood. However, inter-generational and socio-cultural differences among family members in understandings and practices of childcare can be a source of tension between new parents and family members. Few studies have examined the role of family support in the context of rapid social change taking place in Middle Eastern countries. This study aims to address this gap by examining the parenting experiences of young Jordanian couples within the family context they are embedded in.Research Design and MethodsA qualitative study was conducted in Jordan involving sixty semi-structured, in-depth interviews. Twenty mothers, twenty fathers, and twenty family members identified as support providers were interviewed.ResultsThe key theme, “it's too much” emerged from interviews to describe the nature of family support experienced by new parents from marriage to pregnancy and until after the arrival of their first child. The study found varied interpretations of traditional child-care practices among older and younger generation of family members, leading to family conflict. This study also found that the lack of credible information from the health system about child-care compelled them to accept the only available information for them from their parents, often times with much resistance and reluctance. This created a situation of stress and anxiety among young parents and undermined the potential for healthy parenting experience. This study also found that not all social support during early days of parenthood led to beneficial health outcomes to mother and child.”Social visiting” by family members to hospital and home, was particularly found to interfere with new parents' pursuit toward privacy and family bonding, immediately following the birth of child.ConclusionThis study has produced a new understanding of the experience of Jordanian new parents' transition to parenthood. This study particularly sheds light on the current dilemma in which these Jordanian new parents find themselves in, which reflect a clash between traditional and modern values. Although the findings aim to contribute to the body of literature that deals with cultural influences on new parents' experiences in Jordon, the learning could be relevant to the other contexts in the Middle Eastern societies.     

Antecedents of perceived support: Is perceived family environment generalized to new social relationships?

Cognitive models of social support hypothesize that relatively enduring expectancies about social support influence ongoing social information processing. Drawing from research that suggests that perceived support cognitions are generalized to novel social stimuli, we hypothesized that negative perceptions of the family environment would be generalized to perceptions of new social relations. Incoming freshmen who had moved away to college were assessed in the first week of their first semester on perceived family environment, psychological distress, and a variety of interpersonal person variables (i.e., social skills, agreeableness, and extraversion). Followup measures of perceived support at college were obtained at the end of their first semester. Controlling for social desirability, persons with negative perceptions of their family environments, higher distress, and lower levels of social competence, agreeableness, and extraversion developed lower levels of perceived support than their more fortunate counterparts. In addition, the relation between perceived family environment and developed perceived support did not appear to be mediated by psychological distress or the interpersonal person variables. Implications for understanding the processes by which perceived support is developed in new social settings were discussed.