Reisz Samantha, Jacobvitz Deborah, George Carol
University of Texas at Austin.
Infant Ment Health J. 2015 Mar-Apr;36(2):167-78. doi: 10.1002/imhj.21500. Epub 2015 Feb 20.
Childbirth is a major experience in a woman's life, but the relation between childbirth experiences and later mother-infant outcomes has been understudied. This study examined the relation between mode of delivery and subjective birth experience (e.g., perception of control, social support during labor and delivery), and mothers' descriptions of their babies and their maternal self-esteem, both powerful predictors of maternal caregiving behavior. This study had three questions: (a) Do mode of delivery and subjective birth experience predict mothers' descriptions of their babies and maternal self-esteem? (b) Are the effects of mode of delivery on mothers' descriptions and maternal self-esteem mediated by subjective birth experience? (c) Does infant age moderate any of these pathways? The sample consisted of 269 mothers of full-term, healthy infants who gave birth in the year prior to the study. Mode of delivery showed a direct effect on how mothers describe their babies, but not maternal self-esteem, which was not mediated by subjective birth experience. Subjective birth experience had direct effects on both outcomes. Infant age did not moderate any of these pathways. Results point to the subjective aspects of childbirth as important components of women's experience of labor and delivery. Implications are discussed.
分娩是女性生命中的一段重要经历，但分娩经历与随后的母婴结局之间的关系一直未得到充分研究。本研究考察了分娩方式与主观分娩体验（例如，对控制权的感知、分娩期间的社会支持）之间的关系，以及母亲对其婴儿的描述和她们的母亲自尊，这两者都是母亲养育行为的有力预测因素。本研究有三个问题：（a）分娩方式和主观分娩体验能否预测母亲对其婴儿的描述和母亲自尊？（b）分娩方式对母亲描述和母亲自尊的影响是否通过主观分娩体验介导？（c）婴儿年龄是否会调节这些途径中的任何一个？样本包括269名在研究前一年分娩的足月健康婴儿的母亲。分娩方式对母亲如何描述她们的婴儿有直接影响，但对母亲自尊没有影响，母亲自尊也不受主观分娩体验的介导。主观分娩体验对这两个结局都有直接影响。婴儿年龄没有调节这些途径中的任何一个。研究结果表明，分娩的主观方面是女性分娩经历的重要组成部分。文中对研究结果的意义进行了讨论。
