title: MOTHERS' AND FATHERS' PRENATAL REPRESENTATIONS IN RELATION TO MARITAL DISTRESS AND DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS.
abstract: Marital distress, parental depression, and weak quality of parental representations are all known risk factors for parent-child relationships. However, the relation between marital distress, depressive symptoms, and parents' prenatal representation is uncertain, especially regarding fathers. The present study aimed to explore how mothers' and fathers' prenatal experience of marital distress and depressive symptoms affects the organization of their prenatal representations in late pregnancy. Participants were 153 pregnant couples from a Finnish follow-up study called "Steps to the Healthy Development and Well-being of Children" (H. Lagström et al., ). Marital distress (Revised Dyadic Adjustment Scale; D.M. Busby, C. Christensen, D. Crane, & J. Larson, 1995) and depressive symptoms (Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale) were assessed at 20 gestational weeks, and prenatal representations (Working Model of the Child Interview; D. Benoit, K.C.H. Parker, & C.H. Zeanah, 1997; C.H. Zeanah, D. Benoit, M. Barton, & L. Hirshberg, 1996) were assessed between 29 and 32 gestational weeks. The mothers' risks of distorted representations increased significantly when they had at least minor depressive symptoms. Marital distress was associated with the fathers' prenatal representations, although the association was weak; fathers within the marital distress group had less balanced representations. Coexisting marital distress and depressive symptoms were only associated with the mothers' representations; lack of marital distress and depressive symptoms increased the likelihood for mothers to have balanced representations. The results imply that marital distress and depressive symptoms are differently related to the organizations of mothers' and fathers' prenatal representations.
authors.affiliation: University of Turku.
authors.forename: Sari
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ahlqvist-Björkroth
authors.affiliation: University of Turku.
authors.forename: Riikka
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Korja
authors.affiliation: University of Turku.
authors.forename: Niina
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Junttila
authors.affiliation: University of Turku.
authors.forename: Elina
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Savonlahti
authors.affiliation: University of Turku.
authors.forename: Marjukka
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pajulo
authors.affiliation: University of Turku.
authors.forename: Hannele
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Räihä
authors.affiliation: City of Turku.
authors.forename: Minna
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Aromaa
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003863:Depression; D005220:Fathers / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D005387:Finland; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009035:Mothers / Q000523:psychology*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011248:Pregnancy Complications / Q000523:psychology*; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D018454:Spouses / Q000523:psychology*; D013315:Stress, Psychological; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
keywords: Repräsentationen; STEPS study; STEPS-Studie; STEPS研究; Schwangerschaft; ansiedad marital; depressive Symptome; depressive symptoms; détresse matrimoniale; eheliche Probleme; embarazo; estudio STEPS; grossesse; marital distress; pregnancy; representaciones; representations; représentations; symptômes dépressifs; síntomas depresivos; étude STEPS; 妊娠; 婚姻困擾; 婚姻関係の苦痛; 懷孕期; 抑うつ症状; 抑鬱症狀; 表徵; 表象