title: The Trauma of Birth or Parenting a Child: Effect on Parents' Negative Emotion in China.
abstract: The present study assessed negative emotions associated with the traumas of infertility and child rearing (child's disability or death) and the correlates of duration of trauma. The widely used Chinese Mental Health Scale was used to assess negative emotions in 294 individuals who experienced the aforementioned traumas and 124 who did not (control group). Results showed that individuals with infertility exhibited greater anxiety, depression, and solitude than the control group; bereaved parents and had greater solitude and fear than control group; and parents of children with disabilities had greater solitude than the control group. Parents who experienced the death of a child had more fear and physiological maladjustment than parents of a child with disabilities. In addition, individuals without parenting experience had higher scores on solitude, fear, and physiological disease than those with parenting experience. After controlling for demographic variables, the duration of trauma significantly negatively predicted depression in the infertile group and for bereaved parents. The results suggest that in order to prevent psychological and physiological health problems among infertile couples, parents of a disabled child, and parents who experience the death of child, family and community-based strategies should be developed and implemented.
authors.affiliation: Center for the Study of Applied Psychology, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China; School of Psychology, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China; Guangdong Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Cognitive Science, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China. Electronic address: xyh914@163.com.
authors.forename: Yanhui
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Xiang
authors.affiliation: College of Psychology and Sociology, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China.
authors.forename: Xinli
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Chi
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, School of Health Management, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China.
authors.forename: Hao
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.affiliation: Center for the Study of Applied Psychology, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China; School of Psychology, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China; Guangdong Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Cognitive Science, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China.
authors.forename: Tianyu
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Zeng
authors.affiliation: Xinhu School, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China.
authors.forename: Xiaomei
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Chao
authors.affiliation: College of Psychology and Sociology, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China.
authors.forename: Peichao
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Center for the Study of Applied Psychology, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China; School of Psychology, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China; Guangdong Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Cognitive Science, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China. Electronic address: molei_edu@163.com.
authors.forename: Lei
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Mo
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001007:Anxiety; D046688:Child Mortality; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002681:China; D003863:Depression; D019988:Children with Disabilities / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D004644:Emotions; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007246:Infertility / Q000523:psychology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010290:Parents / Q000523:psychology*; D013315:Stress, Psychological; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
keywords: Child death; Child disability; Infertility; Negative emotion; Trauma