Experiences of transition to parenthood ans changes in the partner relationship
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| Titel: | Experiences of transition to parenthood ans changes in the partner relationship |
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| Autoren: | Manojlović, Milica, Gvozden, Matija, Stanković, Biljana |
| Quelle: | 31st Scientific Conference Empirical Studies in Psychology |
| Verlagsinformationen: | Univerzitet u Beogradu, Filozifski fakultet, 2025. |
| Publikationsjahr: | 2025 |
| Schlagwörter: | partner relationship, transition to parenthood, pregnancy, qualitative research |
| Beschreibung: | The pregnancy period and transition to parenthood bring about a wide range of changes in terms of adapting to the new role as a parent and also the relationship between partners. Previous research tended to either focus only on the perspective of one partner or on exploring gender differences. This study aimed to understand the lived experiences of both expectant parents during pregnancy and to explore how they perceive the changes in their relationship. Five heterosexual couples expecting their first child took part in in-depth semi-structured interviews. We relied on interpretative phenomenological thematic analysis, and developed the coding scheme inductively. Two clusters of themes emerged. The first one, concerned with the perception of relationship changes, includes a closely knit cluster of three themes: Strengthened partner relationship, Baby as the center of the world - becoming a family, and Overly optimistic view of the future. The partners emphasized that during pregnancy, they felt closer to each other, had more mutual understanding, and perceived each other as a crucial support in life. The parents-to-be stressed the importance of the baby as the source of a new purpose and meaning, transforming the relationship from a mere partner relationship to a “real family”. The couples were characterized by an overly optimistic vision of the future, which included the expectation of further strengthening of the relationship after the birth, without any obstacles or challenges. The second cluster of themes concerns the partners’ experience of pregnancy as a transitory period that poses various challenges and requires adjustments and includes the following themes: Sexual challenges associated with differences in perceptions of women’s attractiveness, The importance of teamwork, and Different attitudes towards worry. Body changes are perceived as more difficult by women than by men, but they generally do not affect intimacy. Teamwork and mutual support are perceived as especially important both during pregnancy and when raising a child, although patriarchal gender norms are still visible to a certain extent. Anxiety regarding childbirth and child rearing is significantly more pronounced in women, while men represent an important source of support. Our findings expand the scope of knowledge regarding the early transition to parenthood and partner dynamics during pregnancy, implying an egalitarian, supportive and highly optimistic image of a growing family. 31. međunarodni naučni skup Empirijska istraživanja u psihologiji 28–30. mart 2025; Filozofski fakultet, Univerzitet u Beogradu - saopštenje štampano u izvodu |
| Publikationsart: | Conference object |
| Sprache: | English |
| Zugangs-URL: | https://reff.f.bg.ac.rs/handle/123456789/7417 http://reff.f.bg.ac.rs/bitstream/id/21277/bitstream_21277.pdf https://hdl.handle.net/21.15107/rcub_reff_7417 |
| Rights: | CC BY |
| Dokumentencode: | edsair.od.....10312..1088dc27f3f63dcd68b84fe078e03680 |
| Datenbank: | OpenAIRE |
Nájsť tento článok vo Web of Science | Abstract: | The pregnancy period and transition to parenthood bring about a wide range of changes in terms of adapting to the new role as a parent and also the relationship between partners. Previous research tended to either focus only on the perspective of one partner or on exploring gender differences. This study aimed to understand the lived experiences of both expectant parents during pregnancy and to explore how they perceive the changes in their relationship. Five heterosexual couples expecting their first child took part in in-depth semi-structured interviews. We relied on interpretative phenomenological thematic analysis, and developed the coding scheme inductively. Two clusters of themes emerged. The first one, concerned with the perception of relationship changes, includes a closely knit cluster of three themes: Strengthened partner relationship, Baby as the center of the world - becoming a family, and Overly optimistic view of the future. The partners emphasized that during pregnancy, they felt closer to each other, had more mutual understanding, and perceived each other as a crucial support in life. The parents-to-be stressed the importance of the baby as the source of a new purpose and meaning, transforming the relationship from a mere partner relationship to a “real family”. The couples were characterized by an overly optimistic vision of the future, which included the expectation of further strengthening of the relationship after the birth, without any obstacles or challenges. The second cluster of themes concerns the partners’ experience of pregnancy as a transitory period that poses various challenges and requires adjustments and includes the following themes: Sexual challenges associated with differences in perceptions of women’s attractiveness, The importance of teamwork, and Different attitudes towards worry. Body changes are perceived as more difficult by women than by men, but they generally do not affect intimacy. Teamwork and mutual support are perceived as especially important both during pregnancy and when raising a child, although patriarchal gender norms are still visible to a certain extent. Anxiety regarding childbirth and child rearing is significantly more pronounced in women, while men represent an important source of support. Our findings expand the scope of knowledge regarding the early transition to parenthood and partner dynamics during pregnancy, implying an egalitarian, supportive and highly optimistic image of a growing family.<br />31. međunarodni naučni skup Empirijska istraživanja u psihologiji 28–30. mart 2025; Filozofski fakultet, Univerzitet u Beogradu - saopštenje štampano u izvodu |
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