Marital and parenting satisfaction and infant care self-efficacy during the transition to parenthood: the effect of infant sex

The purpose of this follow-up study was to examine the effect of infant sex on changes in and differences between parents' reports of infant care self-efficacy and parenting and marital satisfaction from 4 months to 12 months after the birth of their first child. A convenience sample of 32 couples was selected from 44 couples who participated in a longitudinal study of the development of parenting satisfaction and infant care self-efficacy during the first 4 months after the birth of a first child (Brage Hudson, Elek, Fleck, 2001). Couples completed a demographic questionnaire, the Infant Care Survey (ICS, Froman Owen, 1989), the What Being the Parent of a New Baby is Like--Revised Questionnaire (WPBL-R, Pridham Chang, 1989), and the Dyadic Adjustment Scale (DAS, Spanier, 1976, 1989) 4 and 12 months postpartum. Infant care self-efficacy, but not parenting satisfaction, increased from 4 to 12 months; mothers reported higher infant care self-efficacy and parenting satisfaction than fathers at both times. Fathers of boys reported greater parenting satisfaction and infant care self-efficacy at 12 months than fathers of girls. Marital satisfaction decreased from 4 to 12 months for both mothers and fathers. Significant relationships existed among infant care self-efficacy, parenting satisfaction, and marital satisfaction at both 4 and 12 months postpartum. Implications for families and for nursing interventions are discussed.     

Effects of the New Fathers Network on first-time fathers' parenting self-efficacy and parenting satisfaction during the transition to parenthood

The effectiveness of an Internet-based intervention, the New Fathers Network, was tested in improving first-time fathers' parenting self-efficacy and parenting satisfaction during the first 8 weeks following their infants' birth as compared with no intervention (Comparison Group). Parenting self-efficacy and satisfaction scores for the Intervention Group significantly improved from 4 to 8 weeks; parenting self-efficacy and satisfaction scores for the Comparison Group to which no intervention was given did not change significantly. Participants were primarily satisfied with the New Fathers Network.     

Parenting the post-NICU premature infant

The birth of a premature infant is stressful for family members who must adjust to unfamiliar surroundings, learn new vocabularies, cope with the infant's uncertain survival and outcome, maintain vigilance at the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), and eventually assume care for a recovering infant at home. Nursing research has focused on many issues related to parenting prematurely born infants, including parenting during the initial hospitalization, concerns of mothers about infant discharge, the relationship between premature infants and their mothers during the first 2 years after hospital discharge, the quality of the home environment on premature infant outcomes, parenting after the first 2 years, and interventions to improve parenting. This article focuses on research about parenting the post-NICU discharge infant to assist nurses in giving comprehensive, evidence-based care.     

Factors related to maternal employment status following the premature birth of an infant

A sample of 110 two-parent families whose preterm infants were less than 37 weeks gestation, appropriate for gestational age, and free of major congenital anomalies were recruited from two level-III intensive care nurseries. At 3 months postpartum, 40 mothers (36.4%) were employed, 15 (13.6%) stated they were on a leave of absence, and the remaining 55 mothers (50%) were not employed. Although not significantly different on demographic or infant morbidity variables, employed mothers were significantly more employment-oriented and reported less choice and satisfaction with employment status than nonemployed mothers. In addition, employed mothers were employed more hours prenatally and reported prenatal plans to be employed sooner after the infant's birth than nonemployed mothers. Employed mothers also perceived more support from others for their employment and greater financial necessity and availability of child care than nonemployed mothers. Higher scores on employment orientation were correlated with higher maternal education level, fewer children, more hours employed, higher total support for their employment, higher financial necessity, and less choice and satisfaction with employment status.     

Parents' health, health care utilization, and health behaviors following the violent deaths of their 12- to 28-year-old children: a prospective longitudinal analysis

Health status, health care utilization, and health behaviors of parents bereaved by the violent deaths of their adolescent and young adult children were examined 4, 12, and 24 months later. Participants were 261 bereaved parents (171 mothers, 90 fathers). About 20% of the parents reported 'poor' physical health during the early bereavement period compared with 16% of Americans the same age. Over time, mothers' health improved whereas fathers' health deteriorated. Fathers in poor health compared with fathers in good health are 15 times more likely to report emotional distress and 4.6 times more likely to report trauma symptoms. Mothers in poor health compared with mothers in good health are 11 times more likely to report emotional distress and 3 times more likely to report trauma symptoms. Mothers' reports of physician visits and medication use were higher than fathers', however, mothers' rates for both decreased significantly over time whereas fathers' remained constant. Over 70% of the mothers and nearly 60% of fathers practiced 2 or more health protective behaviors over time - a finding significantly associated with fewer stress-related illnesses, days from work, and non-productivity at work. Implications for the findings are discussed.     

Spousal differences in marital satisfaction during transition to parenthood

Ninety-six couples were assessed to determine the contributions of sex role attitudes, marital equity, perceived father involvement, and infant temperament to satisfaction during transition to parenthood. Both parents reported a significant decline in marital satisfaction from 3 months prebirth to 3 months postbirth. Mothers' evaluations of their postbirth marital relationships were positively influenced by more nontraditional sex role attitudes and greater father involvement in infant care, and negatively influenced by marital inequity and a more temperamentally active infant. Fathers' postbirth marital satisfaction was more negatively influenced by marital inequity than mothers'. Other factors did not contribute to fathers' marital assessment. Results suggest that a mother's perception of marital satisfaction after parenthood is more complex than a father's, and that equity is a greater consideration for men than for women during the transition to parenthood.     

From alienation to familiarity: experiences of mothers and fathers of preterm infants

BACKGROUND: The birth of a preterm infant has a long-term impact on both parents. Mothers report more stress and poor adjustment compared with fathers. Influencing factors, such as family situation and health status of the child, can support or weaken the coping ability of the parents. Studies on experiences of fathers are sparse. AIM: The aim of this research was to study how mothers and fathers of preterm infants describe their experiences of parenthood during the infant's first 18 months of life. METHODS: Seven consecutively selected sets of parents of preterm infants born at 相似文献   

Mothers' and nurses' perceptions of infant care skills

New mothers' confidence in their infant care skills are important concerns for maternity nurses. In this study, correlates of mothers' self-efficacy ratings on 52 infant care behaviors included in the Infant Care Scale were identified. Data on demographic variables and nurses' ratings of mothers' skill on five selected tasks were collected from 200 mothers and their nurses. Results from bivariate and multivariate analyses pointed to predictors of maternal feelings of efficacy and to discrepancies between mothers' and nurses' ratings. Maternal age, number of children, and nurses' ratings of mothers' skills were the strongest predictors of self-efficacy for infant care. Mothers of male infants showed slightly lower efficacy perceptions than did mothers of females. Implications for assessing mothers' educational needs before discharge and focusing teaching efforts are discussed.     

The Father-Infant Relationship: Becoming Connected

purpose . To explore fathers' experiences of developing a relationship with their infants during the infant's first 2 months of life
design . Grounded theory approach
setting . Fathers' homes or other mutually agreed-upon site
participants . First-time fathers (N = 14), ages 28–44, Caucasian, middle class
main outcome measures . Tape-recorded semistructured interviews to elicit fathers' perceptions of their fathering selves, their infants, and the father-infant relationship.
results . Using constant comparative method for analysis, three major categories were identified as operative in the initial development of the father-infant relationship: (a) making a commitment, (b) becoming connected, and (c) making room for the baby.
conclusions . With an increased understanding of the father-infant relationship, nurses can provide humanistic, thoughtful care to assist fathers in developing this significant relationship.     

Life course theory as a framework to examine becoming a mother of a medically fragile preterm infant

Life course theory, a sociological framework, was used to analyze the phenomenon of becoming a mother, with longitudinal narrative data from 34 women who gave birth prematurely after a high-risk pregnancy, and whose infant became medically fragile. Women faced challenges of mistimed birth and mothering a technologically dependent infant. Before social ties were established, legal and biological ties required mothers to make critical decisions about their infants. Liminality characterized mothers' early involvement with their infants. The mothers worked to know, love, and establish deeper attachments to this baby. The infant's homecoming was a key turning point; it decreased liminality of early mothering, increased mothers' control of infants' care, and gave them time and place to know their infants more intimately.     

Adolescent reactions to sibling death: perceptions of mothers, fathers, and teenagers

Fourteen families in which a child had died participated in this study; the mother, father, and one teenager from each family were interviewed. All participants completed a sibling bereavement inventory consisting of 109 scaled items that measured self-concept perceptions and grief reactions. The teenagers completed the inventory in terms of their own reactions; the mothers and fathers were instructed to complete the inventory as they anticipated their teenager would answer it. Mothers held significantly different views of their teenagers' self-concept and grief than did the fathers or the teenagers. Fathers' responses resembled those of their teenagers. In addition to accenting the need to study more fully the family dynamics involved when a child dies, the results call into serious question commonly held views regarding the accuracy and reliability of mothers' perceptions of bereaved children. The results suggest that more credence be given to fathers' observations about the phenomena of bereavement engaging their teenage children.     

Family dynamics and infant temperament in urban Iceland.

Pregnancy is a time of transition and crisis when many families are challenged with the addition of an infant. Studies of this challenge are unknown for Icelandic families. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of pregnancy and the young infant on family dynamics and the relationship between family dynamics and the infant's developing temperament. Fifty families completed the Family Dynamics Measure during the third trimester of pregnancy and when the infant was eight months old. Mothers also completed the Revised Infant Temperament Questionnaire. Mothers perceived a decrease in role reciprocity across this transition. More stable organized families had more rhythmic infants. There was no association between family structure and either family dynamics or infant temperament. After the birth of the child, fathers perceived more role reciprocity while mothers perceived more individuation and mutuality. Mothers of second infants reported greater individuation than mothers with first infants.     

Strengthening New Fathers' Skills in Interaction With Their 5‐Month‐Old Infants: Who Benefits From a Brief Intervention?

ABSTRACT Objectives: To determine the utility of a parenting education program for fathers of infants, and to determine which fathers benefited.
Design: Fathers' perceptions of the program's utility were captured in a brief, structured interview. Using secondary data analysis, pretest/posttest father-infant interaction scores of fathers who improved were compared with those of fathers who did not. Demographic predictors of improvement were identified using multiple regression.
Sample: Community sample of 81 adult, English-speaking, primarily European Canadian, first-time fathers of 5-month-old infants, who participated in the intervention group of a randomized controlled trial.
Intervention: When infants were 5 and 6 months old, videotaped self-modeling and positive feedback about father-infant interaction were provided by specially trained nurses.
Measurements: Father-infant interaction was assessed at baseline (5 months) and outcome (8 months) using the Nursing Child Assessment Teaching Scale.
Results: Fathers found the program useful, indicating that their needs for educational programs are different from mothers. Controlling for baseline interactions, demographic variables did not significantly predict fathers' outcome interactions.
Conclusions: The program may prove useful in public health settings where implementing programs for fathers of infants is a priority. Future research needs to explore other predictors to identify fathers who will benefit from the program.     

Discharge and beyond. A longitudinal study comparing stress and coping in parents of preterm infants

This study compared patterns in the stress, coping and parenting efficacy of mothers and fathers of low risk preterm infants. 25 couples completed a survey about their perceptions of their stress, coping, social support and parenting efficacy just prior to their infant’s discharge from hospital and again three months later. For both mothers and fathers negative stress appraisals decreased and controllability appraisals increased in the three months following discharge. There were also changes in their coping strategies and social support. Psychological distress was higher among mothers than fathers but mothers tended to appraise the situation more optimistically, than fathers. Parenting efficacy also increased for mothers in the three months following discharge but was unchanged for fathers. These findings help us to understand parents’ specific responses to stress and to plan discharge and community follow-up care in order to support families as they adjust to life subsequent to this stressful event.     

A comparison of parental interactions with term and preterm infants

The purpose of this study was to compare father interactions to mother interactions with term and preterm infants. A purposive sample of 59 two-parent families with either a healthy term infant or a clinically normal preterm infant were recruited following the infant's birth. At 3 months, separate observations were made of each parent interacting with the infant during a teaching task in the home setting. As has been found in other research, mother-infant interactions scores were less favorable for preterm dyads. In contrast, father-infant interaction scores were less favorable for term dyads. The different pattern of interactions by the fathers was not explained by differences in paternal age, education, socioeconomic status, the father's current frequency of participation in child care or by infant gender.     

Changes in parents' mental distress after the violent death of an adolescent or young adult child: a longitudinal prospective analysis

This study examined changes in bereaved parents' mental distress following the violent deaths of their 12 - to 28 - year - old children . A community - based sample of 171 bereaved mothers and 90 fathers was recruited by a review of medical examiner records . Data were collected 4 , 12 , and 24 months post - death . Repeated measures analysis of variance showed significant reductions in 8 of 10 measures of mental distress among mothers and 4 of 10 for fathers , with the most change for both genders occurring between 4 and 12 months post - death . During the 2nd year of bereavement , mothers' symptoms continued to decline , whereas fathers , who started out with less distress than mothers , reported slight increases in 5 of 10 symptom domains . Nonetheless , 2 years after the deaths , mothers' mental distress scores were to 5 times higher than those of 'typical' U . S . women and fathers' scores were to 4 times higher than 'typical' U . S . men . Of the 7 intervening variables , higher scores on self - esteem and self - efficacy predicted lower distress for mothers and fathers 4 , 12 , and 24 months post - death . Repressive coping was of distress among fathers . It was concluded that violent death bereavement sustained , distressing consequences on parents of children who die as a result of , homicides , and suicide .     

The effects of mothers' singing on full-term and preterm infants and maternal emotional responses

The purpose of this research was to determine the effects of mothers' singing on their adjustment to and bonding with their new infants as well as use of music in the home environment in the first 2 weeks after their infants' birth. Preterm mothers were assessed for coping with their infants' NICU stay, and premature infants' length of hospitalization was evaluated. Fifty-four full-term infants and mothers and 20 premature infants and 16 mothers were randomly assigned to experimental or control conditions. Mothers in both experimental groups were recorded singing songs of their choice for use at home. Recordings of each preterm mother's voice were played 20 minutes per day, 3 to 5 times per week, at a time when she was not able to visit her infant in the NICU. All full-term and preterm mothers in experimental and control groups completed a posttest survey 2 weeks after infants were discharged. Comparisons revealed that experimental preterm and full-term mothers indicated less adjustment to their baby and lifestyle changes and less bonding compared to control mothers, though this difference was not significant. Preterm and full-term experimental mothers reported the greatest number of postpartum medical complications, which might explain their poor adjustment and bonding scores. There was a significant difference between mothers' value of music, with preterm experimental valuing music more. Preterm and full-term experimental mothers used music with and sang to infants more compared to preterm and full-term control mothers, but not to a significant degree. Preterm mothers reported a mean score of 4.75 (with a 5 indicating that they strongly agreed) for the following item: knowing my infant listened to my singing helped me to cope with my infant's stay in the NICU. Furthermore, preterm infants who listened to the CD recording of their mothers' singing left the hospital an average of 2 days sooner than those in the control group, though this difference was not significant.     

Mothers' and fathers' interactions with children with motor delays.

OBJECTIVE: In early intervention programs, parents are often asked to teach their child new skills. As fathers are increasingly involved in intervention, clinicians need more information on fathers' unique interactive style. This pilot study compared mothers' and fathers' parent-child interactions during a teaching episode to identify similarities and differences in order to better understand parents' strengths. METHODS: The Nursing Child Assessment Teaching Scale was used to observe 10 mothers and 10 fathers interacting with their 10- to 28-month-old children in their homes. The children were receiving early intervention for a motor delay. The Caregiver Scores (parent's contribution to the interaction) of mothers and others were compared using paired t tests. RESULTS: Mothers had more optimal interactions as indicated by significantly higher Caregiver scores than fathers, t (9) = 3.83, p = .004. The subscales with statistically significant differences were Caregiver Contingency and Cognitive Growth Fostering. Children's scores when they interacted with their mothers or fathers did not differ. CONCLUSION: When observing fathers teaching their child new skills, therapists should remember that fathers of children with motor delays (and typically developing children) may use a more task-oriented communication style with less consideration of the child's actions than do mothers.     

Situational,maternal, and infant influences on parenting stress among adolescent mothers

This longitudinal study compared infant care competence, infant temperament, and parenting stress of younger (less than 17 years) and older (greater than or equal to 17 years) adolescent mothers. Relationships were examined between situational, maternal infant care competence, and infant temperament. Staged multiple regression was used to quantify the role of various situational, maternal, and infant characteristics as predictors of parenting stress. A convenience sample of 78 adolescent mothers was recruited from two major teaching hospitals in Winnipeg, Canada. No significant age group differences were found for infant care competence or parenting stress. However, younger adolescent mothers reported more difficult infant temperament, t = 2.24, p =.03. A significant Pearson correlation was found between the Mom&Baby subscale of the Infant Care Questionnaire (ICQ) and the Parenting Stress Index (PSI) subscale, Relationship with Spouse, r =.59, p =.01. The Emotionality subscale of the ICQ was significantly associated with both the PSI subscales of Depression, r =.52, p =.006, and Relationship with Spouse, r =.50, p =.02. A second-stage multiple regression model that included situational (social support), infant (difficult temperament), and maternal (emotionality) variables significantly explained both total parent stress domain scores, R2 =.46, p =.04, and the depression subscale, R2 =.66, p =.000. While the study findings suggest that situational, infant temperament, and infant care competence variables together predict parenting stress, confirmation of study findings with larger and more diverse samples is required. The finding that difficult temperament and enacted social support were the most salient predictors of parenting stress underscores the need for nurses to evaluate these parenting factors.