Thesis advisor: Stephen Pfohl / Parenthood is one of the most salient, fundamental roles that adults adopt cross-culturally, yet, as this dissertation will show, the process of becoming a parent is culturally fraught with both meaning and privilege. In particular, I focus on the cultural tensions of biological parenthood, exploring what the biological relationship between parent and child means for various groups, and how the concept of biological parenthood is judged differently for those different populations. Specifically, I focus on young parents (who society deems unfit to both reproduce and to parent) and teen pregnancy prevention efforts, birthparents who relinquish infants for adoption (who society deems fit to reproduce, but unfit to parent) and the consequences for their lifecourses, and individuals experiencing infertility (who society deems fit to both reproduce and parent - but challenges their ways of achieving either) and their interactions with the biomedical model and healthcare system. From each population, we can gain more nuanced insight into the role of biology in framing parenthood, and how society determines whose parenthood is "acceptable," allowable, and supported. Finally, I draw specific recommendations from each piece, hoping to gain insight into how changes to sexual education, reproductive health advocacy, adoption policy, and the healthcare system can improve the outcomes for vulnerable, marginalized populations and legitimate the pathways to parenthood for all. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2011. / Submitted to: Boston College. Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. / Discipline: Sociology.

Thesis--PlanB (M.S.)--University of Wisconsin--Stout, 2002. / Includes bibliographical references.

In reality, couples face many challenges in the transition to parenthood. These challenges can hardly be imagined and are always beyond the couple expectations. In the transition process, three common difficulties that new parents encounter are postnatal depression, the decline of marital relationships and inadequate parenting competence. This study aimed to implement and evaluate the ‘Becoming Parents’ programme for a cohort of Chinese new parents using a cluster randomized controlled trial. 138 couples were recruited to the intervention group and 150 couples to the control group. The attrition rate in intervention and control groups was around 12.3% and 3-4%, respectively, by three months post-delivery. Couples in the intervention group were invited to join the ‘Becoming Parents’ programme that consisted of two phases. Phase one consisted of three antenatal sessions which focused on enhancing their communication skills and baby caring skills. Phase two provided social support to new parents from trained volunteers for up to three months post-delivery. The mixed linear analysis method with the intention-to-treat principle was used to evaluate the intervention effects. The couples’ postnatal depressive symptoms, marital satisfaction and parenting competence scores at three time-points, 20-24 weeks of gestation, 30-34 weeks of gestation and three months post-delivery, were collected and analyzed. After three months post-delivery, there were no intervention effects on minimizing postnatal depressive symptoms in the women (mean difference -7.51, CI -1.49 to 0.01, p=0.48) and men’s groups (mean difference -0.32, CI -0.65 to 0.58, p=0.91). There was no effect on sustaining marital satisfaction in the women’s group (mean difference 0.39, CI -1.99 to 2.77 p=0.74); however a mild effect was noted in the men’s group (mean difference -0.65 CI, -2.97 to 1.66, p=0.57) but it was not significant. There was no effect on parenting competence among either women (mean difference 1.1, CI -0.37 to 2.58, p=0.14) or men’s groups (mean difference 0.05, CI -1.42 to 1.54, p=0.93), although no significant was noted. In addition, the study found that women with no family support had a higher mean depression score (6.0, CI 1.64-10.35, p>0.5) than women cared for by four people (0.5, CI -3.86 to 4.86, p>0.5). Moreover, the mean depression score of women who were taken care of by their mothers-in-law (4.16, CI 3.44 to 4.87) was higher than those taken care by their own mothers (2.71, CI 2.15 to 3.26). In general, the couples welcomed support from volunteers. The factors affecting the intervention may be related to the difference in the women’s employment status and the social support they received, as more women in the control group were housewives and all of them had supported by at least one caregiver in the postnatal period. However, not all women in the intervention group received social support, and the number of women supported by their mothers-in-law was higher in that group. This is the first programme to adopt non-professional mother-volunteers to support new mothers and fathers together. Both new parents and volunteers had positive perceptions towards the programme and also expressed that the project was beneficial to them. / published_or_final_version / Nursing Studies / Doctoral / Doctor of Nursing

Thesis (M.S.W.)--University of Hong Kong, 1994. / Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M.S.)--Brigham Young University. Dept. of Marriage and Family Therapy, 2004. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 56-62).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Wisconsin--Madison, 1984. / Typescript. Vita. eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 90-98).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Wisconsin--Madison, 1982. / Typescript. Vita. eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 246-258).

A qualitative phenomenological research design was used to investigate the experience of parenthood decision-making for couples who were initially uncertain about starting a family. The purpose of the study was to explicate couples' experiences of deciding if, and when, to have children, including how they determine the viability and timing of parenting in their lives and relationships. Eight couples who had recently made the decision to try to have a child volunteered to describe their experiences and understanding of parenthood decision-making in joint, in-depth, audio-taped interviews. A thematic analysis of the essential meaning structures of participants' parenthood decision-making experiences revealed six common themes: A Sense of the Costs of Parenthood; A Sense of Fear; Changing Perceptions from the Costs to the Gains of Parenthood; An Emerging Sense of Readiness for Parenthood; A Sense of Excitement and Curiosity; and A Sense of Faith in the Relationship. These themes were confirmed and refined through validation interviews with participants. These findings are discussed as they relate to and extend upon models of decision-making, in general, and of parenthood decision-making, in particular. It is argued that the results support a conceptualization of parenthood decision-making as a complex and value-laden phenomenon that is comprised of both individual and interpersonal components.

A qualitative phenomenological research design was used to investigate the experience of parenthood decision-making for couples who were initially uncertain about starting a family. The purpose of the study was to explicate couples' experiences of deciding if, and when, to have children, including how they determine the viability and timing of parenting in their lives and relationships. Eight couples who had recently made the decision to try to have a child volunteered to describe their experiences and understanding of parenthood decision-making in joint, in-depth, audio-taped interviews. A thematic analysis of the essential meaning structures of participants' parenthood decision-making experiences revealed six common themes: A Sense of the Costs of Parenthood; A Sense of Fear; Changing Perceptions from the Costs to the Gains of Parenthood; An Emerging Sense of Readiness for Parenthood; A Sense of Excitement and Curiosity; and A Sense of Faith in the Relationship. These themes were confirmed and refined through validation interviews with participants. These findings are discussed as they relate to and extend upon models of decision-making, in general, and of parenthood decision-making, in particular. It is argued that the results support a conceptualization of parenthood decision-making as a complex and value-laden phenomenon that is comprised of both individual and interpersonal components. / Education, Faculty of / Educational and Counselling Psychology, and Special Education (ECPS), Department of / Graduate

The current study examined whether pre-birth risk factors mediate the relation between family of origin risk factors and couples’ relationship functioning after birth. Participants in the present study were 132 heterosexual couples who had their first child during the course of a larger, longitudinal study (Laurenceau et al., 2004). Results showed several significant mediation effects for both mothers and fathers. Additionally, for fathers, family-of-origin factors did not appear to directly influence their transition to parenthood, but were related to functioning before birth. For mothers, family-of-origin risk factors appeared to both directly and indirectly influence their relationship functioning after the birth of a child. Information on how pre-birth functioning risk factors mediate family of origin risk factors to the transition to parenthood is useful to psychologists who wish to intervene and assist at risk couples through the transition. This study contributes to the literature by illustrating a more complete picture of which individuals may be at risk during the transition to parenthood, which will allow psychologists to tailor their interventions to those it will help most.