ADAPTATION TO MOTHERHOOD FROM POSTPARTUM TO EARLY CHILDHOOD (SIBLINGS, NURSING, MATERNAL BEHAVIOR).
Contributors: University of Michigan.
Published: 1984
Number of pages: 198
Subjects: Health Sciences, Nursing.
Description: The purpose of this study was to investigate factors comprising maternal adaptation, a complex developmental sequence. Thirty-six multiparous women, followed in a previous study from the third trimester through six weeks postpartum were studied again three to four years later. Interviews and questionnaires assessed seven maternal personality dimensions: quality of relationship with husband, husband's participation in child care, gratification from labor and delivery, satisfaction with life circumstances, maternal confidence, maternal satisfaction, and support from family and friends. Additional measures at three to four years included the Sibling Questionnaire, assessing maternal perceptions of sibling relationships and adjustment, and the HOME Inventory, assessing the mother-child-environment.

There were consistent patterns of relationships at both time points for personality dimensions on the quality of relationship with husband, maternal confidence, and support from family and friends. Questionnaire measures of maternal role satisfaction and the quality of the marital relationship, and interview measures of confidence in maternal role showed significant decreases over time. While confidence and satisfaction with the maternal role were significantly correlated, the correlational patterns showed that a distinction needed to be made between maternal confidence and satisfaction. Maternal confidence showed its strongest relationship to satisfaction with labor and delivery, suggesting general self confidence in relation to reproductive and parental roles. The questionnaires indicated stability of personality dimensions over time, with all dimensions showing significant predictive correlations from six weeks to three to four years.

The Sibling Questionnarie correlated significantly to all seven personality dimensions. The HOME Inventory indicated that this sample had adequate maternal-child relationships and safe environments, and showed strongest associations with the quality of relationship with husband, paternal involvement with child care, maternal confidence, and support from family and friends.

Overall, the results suggest that maternal adaptation is influenced by environmental, social, and familial factors, and requires multiple measures of assessment. The results highlight some special needs of multiparous women. Identification of the factors comprising maternal adaptation may allow nurses to become more aware of development of the mothering role in women with more than one child.
Notes: Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 45-07, Section: B, page: 2104.

Thesis (PH.D.)--THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN, 1984.

School code: 0127.