EARLY POSTPARTUM PARENTAL PREOCCUPATION AND POSITIVE PARENTING THOUGHTS: RELATIONSHIP WITH PARENT-INFANT INTERACTION.

TitleEARLY POSTPARTUM PARENTAL PREOCCUPATION AND POSITIVE PARENTING THOUGHTS: RELATIONSHIP WITH PARENT-INFANT INTERACTION.
Publication TypeJournal Article
AuthorsKim, P., L. Mayes, R. Feldman, J. F. Leckman, and J. E. Swain
PubMed ID26834300
PubMed Central IDPMC4732877
Grant ListK05 DA020091 / DA / NIDA NIH HHS / United States
K05 MH076273 / MH / NIMH NIH HHS / United States
RC2 MD004767 / MD / NIMHD NIH HHS / United States
UL1 RR024986 / RR / NCRR NIH HHS / United States

Parenting behaviors and parent-infant emotional bonding during the early postpartum months play a critical role in infant development. However, the nature and progression of parental thoughts and their relationship with interactive behaviors have received less research. The current study investigated the trajectory of parental thoughts and behaviors among primiparous mothers ( = 18) and fathers ( = 15) and multiparous mothers ( = 13) and fathers ( = 13), which were measured at the first and third postpartum month. At the third postpartum month, the relationship between parental thoughts and parental interactive behaviors also was tested. Mothers and fathers showed high levels of preoccupations and caregiving thoughts during the first postpartum month that significantly declined by the third postpartum month. In contrast, positive thoughts about parenting and the infant increased over the same time interval. Mothers presented higher levels of preoccupations and positive thoughts than did fathers, and first-time parents reported more intense preoccupations than did experienced parents. Although maternal sensitivity was inversely related to maternal anxious thoughts, paternal sensitivity was predicted by higher levels of anxious as well as caregiving and positive thoughts.

Title EARLY POSTPARTUM PARENTAL PREOCCUPATION AND POSITIVE PARENTING THOUGHTS: RELATIONSHIP WITH PARENT-INFANT INTERACTION.
Publication Title Infant Ment Health J
Publication Type Journal Article
Published Year 2013
Authors P. Kim; L. Mayes; R. Feldman; J.F. Leckman; J.E. Swain
ISSN Number 1097-0355
PubMed ID 26834300
PubMed Central ID PMC4732877
Grant List
K05 DA020091 DA NIDA NIH HHS United States
K05 MH076273 MH NIMH NIH HHS United States
RC2 MD004767 MD NIMHD NIH HHS United States
UL1 RR024986 RR NCRR NIH HHS United States

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