TY - JOUR
T1 - Psychological Well-being during Pregnancy
T2 - The Contribution of Stress Factors and Maternal-Fetal Bonding
AU - Navon–Eyal, Meital
AU - Taubman - Ben-Ari, Orit
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2023 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.
PY - 2023/6/9
Y1 - 2023/6/9
N2 - Background: Pregnancy and anticipation of the birth of the first child is considered a happy and exciting time. However, the stress involved in pregnancy has been found to put women at greater risk of impaired psychological well-being, or higher distress. Confusion in the theoretical literature between the terms ‘stress’ and ‘distress’ makes it difficult to understand the underlying mechanism that may enhance or reduce psychological well-being. We suggest that maintaining this theoretical distinction and examining stress from different sources, may allow us to gain new knowledge regarding the psychological well-being of pregnant women. Objective: Drawing on the Calming Cycle Theory, to examine a moderated mediation model for the explanation of the dynamic between two stress factors (COVID−19-related anxiety and pregnancy stress) that may pose a risk to psychological well-being, as well as the protective role of maternal-fetal bonding. Methods: The sample consisted of 1,378 pregnant women who were expecting their first child, recruited through social media and completed self-report questionnaires. Results: The higher the COVID−19-related anxiety, the higher the pregnancy stress, which, in turn, was associated with lower psychological well-being. However, this effect was weaker among women who reported greater maternal-fetal bonding. Conclusion: The study expands knowledge of the dynamic between stress factors and psychological well-being during pregnancy, and sheds light on the unexplored role of maternal-fetal bonding as a protective factor against stress.
AB - Background: Pregnancy and anticipation of the birth of the first child is considered a happy and exciting time. However, the stress involved in pregnancy has been found to put women at greater risk of impaired psychological well-being, or higher distress. Confusion in the theoretical literature between the terms ‘stress’ and ‘distress’ makes it difficult to understand the underlying mechanism that may enhance or reduce psychological well-being. We suggest that maintaining this theoretical distinction and examining stress from different sources, may allow us to gain new knowledge regarding the psychological well-being of pregnant women. Objective: Drawing on the Calming Cycle Theory, to examine a moderated mediation model for the explanation of the dynamic between two stress factors (COVID−19-related anxiety and pregnancy stress) that may pose a risk to psychological well-being, as well as the protective role of maternal-fetal bonding. Methods: The sample consisted of 1,378 pregnant women who were expecting their first child, recruited through social media and completed self-report questionnaires. Results: The higher the COVID−19-related anxiety, the higher the pregnancy stress, which, in turn, was associated with lower psychological well-being. However, this effect was weaker among women who reported greater maternal-fetal bonding. Conclusion: The study expands knowledge of the dynamic between stress factors and psychological well-being during pregnancy, and sheds light on the unexplored role of maternal-fetal bonding as a protective factor against stress.
KW - COVID-19-related anxiety
KW - Maternal-fetal bonding
KW - Pregnancy
KW - Pregnancy stress
KW - Psychological well-being
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85161724019&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1080/02646838.2023.2222143
DO - 10.1080/02646838.2023.2222143
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C2 - 37294055
AN - SCOPUS:85161724019
SN - 0264-6838
JO - Journal of Reproductive and Infant Psychology
JF - Journal of Reproductive and Infant Psychology
ER -