This critical ethnographic study explores couples experiences of spousal support during the transition to first-time parenthood and the organization of paid and family work. How first-time parents manage paid and family work is central to the experience of support and critical to an ongoing nurturing relationship. Seven couples were selected from the principal study, Mobilizing Intergenerational Social Support during the Transition to Parenthood, and were interviewed prior to the birth and again when infants were nine months to one year of age. On the whole, first-time parents reported positive support experiences with their spouses. Nonsupport occurred most often when parents were required to manage the interface between family work and paid or student work. The exchange of support between first-time parents may be strengthened by offering flexible work options and enhanced access to and provisions in parental leave policies. Prenatal education highlighting the common concerns of first-time parents may further strengthen support.

Research Doctorate - Doctor of Philisophy (PhD) / This thesis examines the experiences of parents (both mothers and fathers) with mental illness. Following a tradition of sociology, this thesis is guided by the concepts of ‘generosity’ from Frank and ‘stigma’ from Goffman and ‘risk’ from Lupton. The thesis has gathered data from three sources. In-depth interviews with parents with mental illness are explored to gain an insight into their lived experiences of parenthood and mental illness. The national and state mental health policies on mental illness are analysed in order to assess their applicability to support services for parents with mental illness. The submissions to the Senate Select Committee Inquiry on Mental Health (2006) are also analysed to gain further information about the experiences of parents with mental illness based on a small number of submissions relating to their perspectives. Analysis of the data collected and assimilated in this thesis provides a clear picture of the troubled terrain faced by parents with mental illness. The narratives from the interviews reveal stories of long-term mental health issues for parents with mental illness whose parenting role is largely unsupported. Analysis of this data provides a greater understanding of how parents negotiate their parenting role within the context of socially prescribed notions, limited agency, and limited capacity due to a lack of support services for parents with mental illness. Analysis of mental health policies highlights the disparity between policy and practice. Whilst national mental health policies are now in place, parenthood continues to be overlooked through the continued medicalisation of people with mental illness, and policies that operate under an individualist and economic rationalist discourse.The motivation for this research was to elicit increased understanding and insight into how parental mental illness affects experiences of parenthood. This thesis focuses upon lived experience, social processes, and social policies relating to parents with mental illness. The specific contribution of this research to the sociology of mental health is that it documents for the first time parenthood as lived by parents with mental illness. Finally, it offers theories as to how the gaps in policies and services can be filled to support the ‘silent’ parents whose parenthood is so often unacknowledged the lack of attention paid to their mental illness.

Thesis (M.A.)--West Virginia University, 2008. / Title from document title page. Document formatted into pages; contains v, 44 p. Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references (p. 34-40).

The transition to parenthood is arguably one of the most stressful developmental periods in the lifespan, with couples often experiencing increased levels of conflict and relationship distress. It is possible that deteriorating relationship functioning may be due to increases in hostile attributions made towards partners during this time period. In order to better understand how changes in hostile attributions occur within the partner relationship, this study investigated the extent to which hostile attributions made toward a partner increased during the transition to parenthood, as well as identified stable and fluctuating factors that influenced changes in hostile attributions (life stress, parenting stress, trait hostility, and depressive symptoms). In addition, gender differences of these factors influencing hostile attributions were explored. Ninety-eight heterosexual couples were included in the study, all of whom completed online self-report questionnaires during pregnancy, 1-year postpartum, and 2 years postpartum. Hierarchical Linear Modelling was used to examine how changes in stress predicted changes in hostile attributions, and whether these relations were moderated by trait hostility or mediated by depressive symptoms. More specifically, investigations included how increases in life stress and parenting stress influenced increases in hostile attributions over the transition to parenthood, whether increased stress levels interacted with high trait hostility to further increase risk of hostile attributions, as well as whether increased depressive symptoms longitudinally mediated the link between increased stress and increased hostile attributions. Results showed that increases in both life stress and parenting stress significantly predicted increases in hostile attributions for both men and women over the transition to parenthood. Trait hostility was not a significant moderator of hostile attributions for women. For men, increases in life stress were associated with increases in hostile attributions, but only for men who were low in trait hostility. Increases in parenting stress were associated with increases in hostile attributions for men who had low and average trait hostility. Regardless of changes in stress levels, men who were high in trait hostility had high levels of hostile attributions over time. Depressive symptoms did not mediate the relations between stress and hostile attributions, and were a direct predictor of hostile attributions for men but not for women. This study adds to the growing body of literature on mechanisms of change in relationship functioning over the transition to parenthood. Future research should explore other factors that address why relationship functioning changes for women over the transition to parenthood, and should examine depressive symptoms in men and their subsequent effects on family systems. Future longitudinal research should examine child outcomes as well as conflict management between partners in order to ascertain the effect of hostile attributions on family functioning. Changes in hostile attributions also have important clinical implications, and health professionals should screen for high levels of stress, trait hostility, and hostile attributions in order to prevent possible relationship deterioration during the transition to parenthood. / Graduate

Submitted in fulfillment of the requirements for the degree MASTER OF EDUCATION in the Department of Educational Psychology in the Faculty of Education at the University of Zululand, 1999. / The aim of this study was to investigate Indian parents' responsibility with regards to family planning. From the literature study it became clear that the needs of children can only be adequately met by parents in a well planned family. Responsible parents will sensibly plan to only have as many children as they can afford. Parents must be able to meet the physical, psychological, social, moral and spiritual needs of their children. A child needs both parents to create an atmosphere of security that will give him the confidence he needs to give mening to the world. Providing a harmonious and healthy family environment does not rest with only one of the parents, but is the outcome of a shared parenting task and responsible parenthood from both parents. Responsible parenthood entails the acceptance of responsibility for the adequate upbringing of the child. Parents should have no uncertainties as to their responsibilities as parents. They should be fully aware of their role, purpose and task, as well as the possibilities and limitations of their activities concerning the education of their children. The relationship between parent and child must be based on trust, understanding and authority with the specific aim of educating the child. For the purpose of the empirical investigation a self-structured questionnaire was utilized. An analysis was done of 123 questionnaires completed by both parents of Indian families from a randomly selected sample. The data thus obtained was processed and interpreted by means of descriptive statistics. in conclusion a summary was presented and based on the findings of the study the following recommendations were made: Urgent attention should be given to the implementation of programmes which will assist parents in establishing a positive parental attitude towards responsible family planning. Media-based parent education programmes must be introduced to help parents in adequate child rearing.

No description available.

published_or_final_version / Social Work / Master / Master of Social Work

As all couples experience stressful life events, understanding how couples adapt to stress is imperative for understanding marital development. Drawing from theories of stress inoculation, which suggest that the successful adaptation to mild stressors may help individuals develop a resilience to future stress, this project examined whether couples who have more experience effectively coping with minor stressors early in the marriage would be most resilient to declines in marital satisfaction when faced with future, larger stressors. Study 1 examined whether couples who enter marriage with good relationship skills and some experience coping with minor stressors exhibit the most stress resilience during the first two years of marriage. Study 2 examined whether couples who enter marriage with good skills and some experience with stress exhibit a greater resilience to the declines in marital satisfaction that often follow the transition to parenthood. Both studies revealed that spouses who have both good relationship skills and early stress experience exhibit better marital outcomes than spouses who have good skills, but little or no experience with stress. Thus, simply possessing good relationship skills may not be sufficient to shield marital satisfaction from stress. Rather, couples also may need practice applying those skills to minor stressors. / text

Denna kvantitativa studies syfte var att undersöka om det förelåg någon skillnad i uppmätt självmedkänsla mellan föräldrar och icke-föräldrar samt mellan kön. En enkät delades på Facebook som innehöll Neffs formulär för att mäta självmedkänsla och andra kompletterande frågor. Den besvarades av 144 respondenter, varav 97 passade in i målgruppen, som var män och kvinnor mellan 25-35 år och som var i ett förhållande. En två-vägs ANOVA genomfördes och visade en tendens, mellan kön. Män hade högre självmedkänsla än kvinnor. Ingen signifikant skillnad mellan föräldrar och icke-föräldrar fanns. Inte heller fanns någon signifikant interaktionseffekt mellan kön och föräldraskap. / This quantitative study’s purpose was to examine if the was any difference in measured self-compassion between parents and non-parents and between the sexes. A survey was published on Facebook, it consisted of the self-compassion formula made by Neff and other additional questions. It was answered by 144 respondents, 97 of them qualified in my target group. My target group was men and women in the age between 25-35 that were in a relationship. A two-ways ANOVA was made and one tendence was seen, between the sexes. Men had a higher amount of self-compassion than women. There was no differences in measured self-compassion between parents and non-parents. Nor was there any significant interaction effect between the sexes and parenthood.

This study examined the relationship between family status and child behavior and the relationship between the primary caregiver groups and child behavior. In total, there were 40 non-randomly selected participants who took part in a cross-sectional design. The Final Survey consisted of a combined questionnaire of the Child Behavior Checklist and the Eyberg Child Behavior Inventory. This study found that there were no statistically significant differences between singular and dual households in regards to child behavior (p =.222) and no statistically significant differences between the primary caregiver groups in regards to child behavior (p= .312). The conclusions drawn from the findings suggest that living arrangements and the primary caregiver groups do not influence maladaptive child behavior.