Department of Psychology, University of Warsaw, ul. Stawki 5/7, Warsaw 00-183, Poland.
John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin, al. Raclawickie 14, Lublin 20-950, Poland.
Psychoneuroendocrinology. 2024 Oct;168:107115. doi: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2024.107115. Epub 2024 Jul 2.
The stress experienced by a woman during pregnancy not only has a negative impact on her well-being and physical health but also adversely affects the fetus. Stress is strongly linked with time perspective, defined as the tendency to focus on the past, present, or future. The study aimed to investigate how couples' balanced time perspective was related to maternal prenatal hair cortisol concentration and perceived stress in the first and third trimesters of pregnancy.
The participants were pregnant women and their male partners (84 couples). Women completed online questionnaires: the Zimbardo Time Perspective Inventory (ZTPI), the Dark Future Scale (DFS), and the Perceived Stress Scale, while men completed online versions of the ZTPI and the DFS. These questionnaire measurements were conducted in the first and third trimesters. Maternal cortisol levels were measured in hair samples taken during gynecological visits, in the first and third trimesters.
The study revealed that the more unbalanced the partner's time perspective, the more unbalanced the pregnant woman's time perspective and, consequently, the higher the stress perceived by the pregnant woman. This effect was present in both the first (B = 1.06, SE =.36, p <.001, 95 % CI [.398, 1.826]) and the third trimesters (B =.98, SE =.36, p <.001, 95 % CI [.327, 1.774]). Moreover, the more unbalanced the partner's time perspective, the more unbalanced the woman's time perspective and, consequently, the lower the hair cortisol concentration in the first trimester (B = -.08, SE =.04, p <.05, 95 % CI [-.171, -.010]). Partner's unbalanced time perspective in the first trimester was also a predictor of stress perceived by the woman in the third trimester (t = 2.38, p <.05).
The results suggest the significance of the partner's time perspective for the pregnant woman's mental health. The partner's unbalanced, negative time perspective in the first trimester may increase the pregnant woman's stress in the third trimester. This effect can be even stronger than that of the woman's time perspective.
女性在怀孕期间所经历的压力不仅对其健康和身体健康产生负面影响，还会对胎儿产生不利影响。压力与时间视角密切相关，时间视角是指关注过去、现在或未来的倾向。本研究旨在探讨夫妻平衡的时间视角如何与孕妇产前头发皮质醇浓度和怀孕第一和第三孕期的感知压力相关。
参与者为孕妇及其男性伴侣（84 对）。女性完成了在线问卷：Zimbardo 时间视角量表（ZTPI）、黑暗未来量表（DFS）和感知压力量表，而男性则完成了 ZTPI 和 DFS 的在线版本。这些问卷测量在第一和第三孕期进行。在妇科就诊时，在第一和第三孕期采集了母亲的皮质醇水平的毛发样本。
研究表明，伴侣时间视角越不平衡，孕妇的时间视角越不平衡，孕妇感知到的压力就越大。这种影响在第一孕期（B=1.06，SE=.36，p<.001，95%置信区间[.398，1.826]）和第三孕期（B=0.98，SE=.36，p<.001，95%置信区间[.327，1.774]）都存在。此外，伴侣时间视角越不平衡，女性的时间视角就越不平衡，因此，在第一孕期头发皮质醇浓度越低（B=-.08，SE=.04，p<.05，95%置信区间[-.171，-.010]）。第一孕期伴侣的不平衡时间视角也是女性在第三孕期感知压力的预测因素（t=2.38，p<.05）。
研究结果表明，伴侣的时间视角对孕妇的心理健康具有重要意义。第一孕期伴侣不平衡的消极时间视角可能会增加孕妇在第三孕期的压力。这种影响甚至可能比女性的时间视角更强。
