Exploration of childhood influences on the development of first-time mothers’ prenatal parenting expectations.

Abstract

During the transition to motherhood, the woman is moving from seeking care from her own caregivers to also providing care to her own baby in the near future (i.e. she is becoming an attachment figure herself). This transition may, therefore, be triggering attachment insecurities for some pregnant women – especially those with adverse childhoods. The purpose of this research is to examine the effect of attachment style and how one was parented (represented by parental care, parental over-protection, and parenting style) on parental expectations during the first trimester of pregnancy (represented by the desire to have children (DTC), perceived ability to relate to children (PARC), meaning associated with motherhood, and preoccupations regarding becoming a mother).

A sample of 100 Spanish first-time pregnant women was studied. Respondents with a secure attachment style were more likely to have more positive prenatal expectations than the ones with insecure attachment. Secure attachment was related to higher PARC and lower excessive preoccupations regarding motherhood. Insecure attachment, however, was associated with more negative meanings ascribed to becoming a mother. In addition, recollection of higher parental care and lower parental over-protection in childhood were correlated with higher PARC and lower excessive preoccupations regarding motherhood.

Optimal parenting was only related to higher perceived ability to relate to children. In this sample, DTC was not found to be related to any of the explanatory variables. These findings shed light on important concepts related to how one’s own attachment background can affect caregiving representations and perceptions of the self as a future mother. This theoretical understanding can be directly translated into early psycho-educational, psychotherapy, and prevention initiatives, which can positively impact how women deal with their potentially challenging attachment backgrounds, experience their transition to motherhood in a smoother sense, and help build healthier maternal-infant attachment – which can start from pregnancy.