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Movement through motherhood: Exploring mood, wellbeing, and prenatal emotional availability (EA) through EA-based dance intervention.
- Source :
-
Infant mental health journal [Infant Ment Health J] 2024 Jan; Vol. 45 (1), pp. 22-39. Date of Electronic Publication: 2023 Dec 11. - Publication Year :
- 2024
-
Abstract
- Emotional availability (EA) is a construct that describes the observed emotional connection in parent-child relationships. During pregnancy, EA is assessed only using caregiver sensitivity and nonhostility. We used the nonverbal aspects of these qualities to create a new dance/movement intervention ("EA-Based Dance Intervention"). Given the scarcity of pregnancy interventions, we provided training to participants on how to be emotionally engaged with their unborn babies through dance/movement. The EA-Based Dance Intervention alone comprised the first intervention arm (n = 12). A second intervention arm involved the combination of EA-Based Dance Intervention with brief psychoeducation (n = 10). The third arm was a control group, which received only the assessments (n = 7). Measures of self-reported symptoms of depression and anxiety, emotional expressivity, flourishing, and the (newly developed) self-reported prenatal EA were used at pre- and posttest. The measure of observed prenatal EA was used to compare intervention versus control at posttest only. In this pilot study, we found that participants receiving the EA-Based Dance Intervention alone or combined with psychoeducation, self-reported improved anxiety symptoms and self-reported higher prenatal EA. When compared with the control group, those experiencing EA-Based Dance Intervention reported fewer depressive symptoms from pre- to posttest.<br /> (© 2023 Michigan Association for Infant Mental Health.)
- Subjects :
- Female
Pregnancy
Humans
Pilot Projects
Emotions
Anxiety therapy
Affect
Dancing
Subjects
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 1097-0355
- Volume :
- 45
- Issue :
- 1
- Database :
- MEDLINE
- Journal :
- Infant mental health journal
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 38081788
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1002/imhj.22093