Disillusioned by long hours at home alone and by demands from the older generation, Japanese women are marrying later, resulting in a sharp decline in the Japanese birth rate. Muriel Jolivet ...considers the reasons why Japanese women are finding it increasingly difficult to accept the terms and conditions of motherhood.Japan: The Childless Societyexplores the major factors contributing to maternal malaise in Japan including:* the 'Ten Commandments of the Good Mother'* the changing role of the father* education and careers* nostalgia from older generationsDrawing on extensive interviews with Japanese women and translated into English for the first time, this innovative study examines the implications behind the declining birth rate and looks towards the future of a country that is in danger of becoming a 'childless society'.
Single motherhood is known to be distressing, and to be associated with poor mental health. However, less is known about the pathways into and out of single motherhood, or about the mental health ...trajectories of single mothers. We used total population registry data on Finnish women who experienced the life events of separation (616,762), widowhood (43,355), or child birth (515,756) during the 1995–2018 period while between the ages of 15–64. Single mothers were compared with women who experienced the same life event, but without becoming a single mother. The results for women who separated showed that among single mothers, there was a substantial increase in antidepressant use at the time of separation, and only a moderate decline after separation. Among women who experienced widowhood, those who had underage children initially had lower antidepressant use than women without children, but this gap narrowed in the post-widowhood period. In addition, single women experienced more unfavorable mental health trajectories than partnered women around the time they gave birth. Re-partnering was associated with more favorable mental health among all groups of single mothers. Given the growing prevalence of single-parent households, our results underscore the need for context-specific interventions to support single mothers’ mental health.
Motherhood is a cultural process that has traditionally anchored women's identities in their ability to nurture infants and children (Ross, 2018). As a cultural and dynamic construct, it not only ...shapes women's social identity but also plays a pivotal role in influencing gender roles. The aim of the present study is to analyze the psychometric properties of the Motherhood Belief Scale, which explore Sense of Life and Social Duty as two dimensions of motherhood in a general sample (n = 6207) with different sex, age, education, and parenthood status. The reliability of the Motherhood Belief Scale in our sample showed low fitted scores, low variability, and a floor-like effect, which was more eminent for the Social Duty dimension. These findings showed differences in motherhood beliefs across sex, age, education, and parenthood. Additionally, we explored answers for two open questions about motherhood with a sentiment analysis which showed a more significant bias to positive emotional valence in people without professional studies out professional studies. These findings suggest a more stereotypical view of motherhood in populations with low education, very young or elderly, men, and with parenthood status.
Emotion regulation in parenthood Rutherford, Helena J.V.; Wallace, Norah S.; Laurent, Heidemarie K. ...
Developmental review,
06/2015, Letnik:
36
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Odprti dostop
•Emotion regulation (ER) is a critical faculty of parenthood.•ER is important for both parent and child development.•Changes in neurophysiology and psychology may facilitate parental ER.•Parental ER ...is an important area for experimental and clinical research.
Emotion regulation, defined as the capacity to influence one's experience and expression of emotion, is a complex skill now recognized to evolve throughout the lifetime. Here we examine the role of emotion regulation in parenthood, and propose that regulatory function during this period is distinct from the emotion regulation skills acquired and implemented during other periods of life. In this review, we consider the unique demands of caring for a child and recognize that parents have to maintain a regulated state as well as facilitate regulation in their child, especially early in development. We examine neurobiological, hormonal and behavioral shifts during the transition to parenthood that may facilitate parental regulation in response to infant cues. Furthermore, we consider how parents shape emotion regulation in their child, and the clinical implications of regulatory functioning within the parent–child relationship.
The monster within Almond, Barbara
2010., 20100904, 2010, 2010-10-04, 20100101
eBook
Mixed feelings about motherhood--uncertainty over having a child, fears of pregnancy and childbirth, or negative thoughts about one's own children--are not just hard to discuss, they are a powerful ...social taboo. In this beautifully written book, Barbara Almond brings this troubling issue to light. She uncovers the roots of ambivalence, tells how it manifests in lives of women and their children, and describes a spectrum of maternal behavior--from normal feelings to highly disturbed mothering. In a society where perfection in parenting is the unattainable ideal, this compassionate book also shows how women can affect positive change in their lives.
Many women in countries in the global North access digital media information sources during pregnancy and the early years of motherhood. These include websites, blogs, online discussion forums, apps ...and social media platforms. Little previous research has sought to investigate in detail how women use the diverse range of digital media now available to them and what types of information they value. A qualitative study using focus groups was conducted to address these issues.
Four focus groups were held in Sydney, Australia, including a total of 36 women who were either pregnant or had given birth in the previous three years. The participants were asked to talk about the types of digital media they used for pregnancy and parenting purposes, why they used them and in what ways they found them useful or helpful (or not). Group discussions were transcribed and thematically analysed, identifying the dominant information characteristics identified by women as valuable and useful.
Nine characteristics emerged from the focus group discussions as most important to women: information that was: 1) immediate; 2) regular; 3) detailed; 4) entertaining; 5) customised; 6) practical; 7) professional; 8) reassuring; and 9) unbiased. These characteristics were valued for different purposes and needs. Digital media provided women with details when they most needed them or at times when they had opportunities to access them. The study showed that women value apps or digital platforms that are multi-functional. The findings revealed the importance of using digital information for establishing and maintaining social connections and intimate relationships with other mothers. However, participants also highly valued expert advice and expressed the desire for greater and more ready access to information and support offered by healthcare professionals.
Pregnant women and those with young children place a high value on the information and support they receive from and sharing using online sources and apps. They are accustomed to ready and immediate access to information using digital technologies and want better access to that offered by professionals. Recognising and finding ways to meet these needs should be included in planning healthcare provision and support for this group. Further research with women from socioeconomically disadvantaged backgrounds and non-urban locations is required to identify whether they have different information needs and values from the women who were included in the study reported here.
Motherhood ideology is commonly found in literary works, including narratives depicting the figure of a mother. In literature, especially in Europe, the figure of a mother is mystified and is often ...associated with the figure of the Virgin Mary. This is closely related to the oppression experienced by women due to the inequality of gender construction produced by society. The novel Chanson Douce by Leila Slimani narrates two mothers with different backgrounds. This study aims to carry out a deconstruction reading, especially on the discourse of motherhood. In interpreting something we are always dominated by dominant hierarchies and superior poles which are considered as "single truth". This single truth can lead to vulnerability to discrimination or service. The deconstruction method used in this study uses the concepts of trace and difference, in readings that lead to the meaning of texts that are "friendly" to the others. The results of this study lead us to new questions regarding the challenges of motherhood in this post-industrial era.
Allopregnanolone (ALLO) is a metabolite of progesterone and a neuroactive steroid hormone. As a positive allosteric modulator of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) receptors, ALLO seems to have ...antidepressant and anxiolytic effects, and was therefore approved as a specific medication for the treatment of postpartum depression in 2019. Despite the growing number of publications investigating ALLO levels, results on the biological and psychological correlates in the peripartum period remain inconsistent, possibly due to methodological challenges regarding measurement. To date, however, there is no systematic review examining the correlates, concentrations, and challenges in measuring ALLO in peripartum women.
A systematic literature search of PubMed and PsycINFO was conducted in August 2023. Original research articles that measured ALLO concentrations in peripartum women were included. Reports were excluded if they were not original research, included non-human subjects, did not include peripartum women, did not include ALLO measurement as an outcome, included (pharmacological) interventions, constituted method validations, or used the same cohort as another study.
The literature search yielded 234 articles, and two articles were identified from other sources. After full-text screening, 19 articles (N = 1401) met the inclusion criteria, of which seven focused on biological correlates of ALLO and 12 on mood correlates. Of the latter, six found no association between ALLO and mood, four found a negative association, and two found a positive association. Overall, the results show an increase in ALLO levels during pregnancy and a decrease after birth, with levels then remaining low until six months postpartum. ALLO was most commonly measured in blood plasma and by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). A significant matrix effect was found for blood serum and a significant method effect for radioimmunoassays (RIAs). A significant effect of time of measurement was found.
ALLO measurement shows method and matrix effects. ALLO levels are higher when measured in serum compared to in plasma, and when measured using RIA compared to other methods. Time of measurement, study design, and standardization of measurement also influence the reliability of measurement and the interpretation of results.
•ALLO levels increase during pregnancy, decline after birth, and remain low up to six months postpartum.•ALLO measurement needs method and matrix specific standardization due to higher levels in RIA and in serum than in plasma.•Method factors influence mood outcomes due to within-person time effects and between-person sensitivity differences.•Frequent standardized measurement may establish ALLO as a reliable predictive biomarker for reproductive mood disorders.
•Mumsnet Talk pages contained discourses of maternal regret from 2008 on.•Digital media allow women to break the taboo of regretting motherhood.•Expressions of regret as instances of after-the-fact ...agency.•Mothers mourn their previous child-free lives.•Responses to posts portray maternal regret as temporary or deficient.
One of the main criteria of being a “good mother” is evaluating motherhood as worthwhile and fulfilling. Yet in recent years there has been increased debate regarding women who regret having had children and who question the utilitarian rhetoric of childbirth and parenting. However, there is as yet little research into such counter-discourses of maternity and femininity in online environments. This study addresses this research gap by examining expressions of maternal regret in the Talk fora of Mumsnet, a UK-based parenting website. Focusing on stance-taking, it examines how women attempt to deal with regret and to create a sense of self between the binaries of good/bad mother discourses. The study contributes to an appreciation of the diversity of experiences of motherhood and the emotions and cognition that accompany them – ranging from mourning for one’s previous life through guilt to acceptance – and highlights how digitally mediated communication functions as an arena in which women can break the taboo of maternal regret.
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