Labor, delivery, and early parenthood: an attachment theory perspective.
Having a baby is a powerful experience that, according to attachment theory, should activate the attachment system and elicit attachment needs and motives. The current study investigated first-time parents' perceptions of and responses to events surrounding labor and delivery and early parenthood. Couples expecting their first child completed measures of attachment orientations and questionnaires assessing key aspects of the experience of labor, delivery, and early parenthood. Attachment anxiety and avoidance significantly predicted individuals' perceptions of themselves and their partners, reactions to their partners' behavior, and emotional responses to their infants. Jealousy of the infant, perceptions of support given to or received from partners, and feelings of closeness to the infant were all associated with attachment orientations in theoretically meaningful ways.
Wilson
Carol L
CL
Department of Psychology, Franklin & Marshall College, Lancaster, Pennsylvania 17603, USA. carol.wilson@fandm.edu
Rholes
W Steven
WS
Simpson
Jeffry A
JA
Tran
Sisi
S
D000328:Adult; D001007:Anxiety; D036861:Delivery, Obstetric / Q000523:psychology; D005220:Fathers / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007578:Jealousy; D007743:Labor, Obstetric / Q000523:psychology; D008297:Male; D009035:Mothers / Q000523:psychology; D009769:Object Attachment; D010287:Parent-Child Relations; D010290:Parents / Q000523:psychology*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011582:Psychological Theory; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012944:Social Support; D018454:Spouses / Q000523:psychology*; D013781:Texas