Trajectory Patterns of Personal Growth in the Transition to Motherhood: The Role of Fertility Treatments and Emotional Regulation

Objectives: The transition to motherhood carries the potential for experiencing mental distress alongside positive mental changes such as personal growth. This study sought to expand the scarce knowledge regarding the trajectories of personal growth in the transition to motherhood and to identify multiple patterns of growth and their predictors, such as undergoing fertility treatments, emotion regulation abilities, and background variables. Method: Four hundred three pregnant nulliparous women were recruited through social media and completed self-report questionnaires in three phases: during the second half of their pregnancy, 3 months after the birth of their first child, and 6 months after childbirth. Latent class growth analyses and growth mixture modeling were used to identify latent subgroups of the trajectory of growth. Stepwise multinomial regression models were used to identify significant predictors of personal growth trajectories. Results:We identified three trajectories that reflect an increase in personal growth with different starting points and slopes, and one trajectory with a quadratic effect. Age, economic status, physical health, undergoing fertility treatments, impulse control, and emotion regulation strategies differentiated between the different growth patterns. Conclusions: The study expands the knowledge regarding the heterogeneity of personal growth trajectories in the transition to motherhood and suggests that certain characteristics may predict the chances of developing in certain pathways rather than in others.