Search

Background: Unwanted, intrusive thoughts of infant-related harm are a normal, albeit distressing experience for most new mothers. The occurrence of these thoughts can represent a risk factor for the development of obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD). As the early postpartum period represents a time of increased risk for OCD development, the transition to parenthood provides a unique opportunity to better understand OCD development., Aims: The purpose of this study was to assess components of cognitive behavioural conceptualizations of postpartum OCD in relation to new mothers' thoughts of infant-related harm., Method: English-speaking pregnant women (n = 100) participated. Questionnaires were completed at approximately 36 weeks of gestation, and at 4 and 12 weeks postpartum. An interview to assess postpartum harm thoughts was administered at 4 and 12 weeks postpartum. Questionnaires assessed OC symptoms, OC-related beliefs, fatigue, sleep difficulties and negative mood., Results: Prenatal OC-related beliefs predicted postpartum OC symptoms, as well as harm thought characteristics and behavioural responses to harm thoughts. The severity of behavioural responses to early postpartum harm thoughts did not predict later postpartum OC symptoms, but did predict frequency and time occupation of accidental harm thoughts, and interference in parenting by intentional harm thoughts. Strong relationships between OC symptoms and harm thought characteristics, and concurrent sleep difficulties, negative mood and fatigue were also found., Conclusions: Findings provide support for cognitive behavioural conceptualizations of postpartum OCD and emphasize the importance of maternal sleep, fatigue and negative mood in the relationship between OC-related beliefs and maternal cognitive and behavioural responses to postpartum harm thoughts.

There are many factors that may influence parenting, from societal norms and expectations, dispositional differences, experience and maturity, and availability of resources. In the current research, we examined how stable demographic characteristics associated with these different factors predict the goals parents pursue with their children. We examined whether the pursuit of four parenting goals—child love and security, child development, parent image, and child acceptance—varies based on the characteristics of parents (i.e., gender, age, and socioeconomic status) and their children (i.e., gender and age). First, we provided evidence for the measurement invariance of the Parenting Goals Scale. The results suggested that across key characteristics, parents largely pursue the same four parenting goals on which they could be meaningfully compared. Second, meta-analytic results (k = 5; N total = 2,240) indicated that parents were largely similar in the goals they pursued with their children across their own and their child's characteristics. We identified only a few exceptions, with these differences being small in magnitude: mothers and noncollege-educated parents pursued child love and security goals more than fathers and college-educated parents, older parents pursued child development goals less than younger parents, parents of older children pursued image goals more than parents of younger children, and lower income parents pursued child acceptance goals more than higher income parents. These results suggest that while there may be some small differences in parenting goal pursuit based on demographic characteristics, parents are largely motivated by similar goals when caring for their children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]