Fiona MacCallum

A systematic review of the parenting and outcomes experienced by offspring of mothers with borderline personality pathology: Potential mechanisms and clinical implications.

There is growing interest in whether the parenting strategies and offspring outcomes of mothers with borderline personality disorder (BPD) differ from those of mothers without BPD. We searched PsychINFO, PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, Scopus and ASSIA databases for studies examining parenting skills and attitudes among mothers with BPD/BPD symptoms and/or offspring outcomes. PRISMA reporting guidelines were followed. Of 10,067 abstracts screened, 101 full-text articles were retrieved and 33 met pre-determined criteria for qualitative synthesis. Overall, studies suggest that mothers with BPD/BPD symptoms are more likely to engage in maladaptive interactions with their offspring characterised by insensitive, overprotective, and hostile parenting compared to mothers without BPD/BPD symptoms. Adverse offspring outcomes include BPD symptoms, internalising (including depression) and externalising problems, insecure attachment patterns, and emotional dysregulation. Findings suggest that vulnerability from mother to offspring may be partly transmitted via maladaptive parenting and maternal emotional dysfunction. Conclusions were limited by study heterogeneity in methodology and construct definitions, as well as a paucity of clinical comparison groups. Prospective studies of mothers with BPD and their offspring from pregnancy onwards may further elucidate mechanisms of transmission and identify resilience factors across development. Parenting behaviour awareness, improving attachment behaviours and emotional regulation strategies may be important intervention targets.

Disclosure patterns of embryo donation mothers compared with adoption and IVF

Attitudes towards information sharing in donor conception have changed in recent years in some parts of the world, with a move towards openness. This study follows up a sample of embryo donation mothers, examining their current disclosure patterns and comparing them with adoptive and IVF mothers to investigate any influence of the method of family creation. This study compared 17 mothers with an embryo donation child aged 5-9 years with 24 mothers with an adopted child and 28 mothers with a genetically related IVF child. Embryo donation mothers were far less likely to share information with the child; 43% were inclined towards disclosing, compared with all adoptive mothers and nearly 90% of IVF mothers. Furthermore, embryo donation and IVF mothers who had disclosed had often only given partial explanations of the childs conception. Differences between embryo donation and adoption in particular should be taken into account when advising embryo recipients.

Embryo donation families : a follow-up in middle childhood

Couples who conceive using donated embryos rear a child to whom they are genetically unrelated. It has been suggested that this may have negative consequences for parenting and child development. Findings are presented of the 2nd phase of an exploratory study of families with a child conceived through embryo donation. Seventeen embryo donation families with a 5- to 9-year-old child were compared with 24 adoptive families and 28 in vitro fertilization families. The quality of the mothers parenting and the childs social and emotional development were assessed using standardized interviews and questionnaires administered to mothers and teachers. Embryo donation children were not at increased risk of psychological problems during middle childhood, and the families were generally functioning well. However, higher emotional overinvolvement of embryo donation parents was found, along with more reluctance to disclose the method of family creation. These preliminary findings are discussed in terms of implications regarding the importance of genetic and gestational relationships between parents and children.

Validation of the mothers object relations scales in 2–4 year old children and comparison with the child–parent relationship scale

BackgroundThe quality of the parent–child relationship has an important effect on a wide range of child outcomes. The evaluation of interventions to promote healthy parenting and family relationships is dependent on outcome measures which can quantify the quality of parent–child relationships. Between the Mothers’ Object Relations – Short Form (MORS-SF) scale for babies and the Child–parent Relationship Scale (C-PRS) there is an age gap where no validated scales are available. We report the development and testing of an adaptation of the MORS-SF; the MORS (Child) scale and its use in children from the age of 2 years to 4 years. This scale aims to capture the nature of the parent–child relationship in a form which is short enough to be used in population surveys and intervention evaluations.MethodsConstruct and criterion validity, item salience and internal consistency were assessed in a sample of 166 parents of children aged 2–4 years old and compared with that of the C-PRS. The performance of the MORS (Child) as part of a composite measure with the HOME inventory was compared with that of the C-PRS using data collected in a randomised controlled trial and the national evaluation of Sure Start.ResultsMORS (Child) performed well in children aged 2–4 with high construct and criterion validity, item salience and internal consistency. One item in the C-PRS failed to load on either subscale and parents found this scale slightly more difficult to complete than the MORS (Child). The two measures performed very similarly in a factor analysis with the HOME inventory producing almost identical loadings.ConclusionsAdapting the MORS-SF for children aged 2–4 years old produces a scale to assess parent–child relationships that is easy to use and outperforms the more commonly used C-PRS in several respects.

Altered images: understanding the influence of unrealistic images and beauty aspirations

In this paper we consider the impact of digitally altered images on individuals’ body satisfaction and beauty aspirations. Drawing on current psychological literature we consider interventions designed to increase knowledge about the ubiquity and unreality of digital images and, in the form of labelling, provide information to the consumer. Such interventions are intended to address the negative consequences of unrealistic beauty ideals. However, contrary to expectations, such initiatives may not be effective, especially in the long-term, and may even be counter-productive. We seek to understand this phenomenon of our continued aspiration for beauty ideals we know to be unreal and even impossible. We draw on our respective disciplines to offer psychological and philosophical accounts for why this might be. We conclude that beauty ideals are deeply embedded in our aspirations, practices, and in our constructions of ourselves. Given this, it is not surprising that simply increasing knowledge, or providing information, will be insufficient to challenge them.

Ethical issues in embryo donation

The use of a donated embryo in assisted conception was first reported by Trounson et al. in 1983, when a female patient was successfully treated using an embryo created from a donor egg and donor sperm. It was deemed by the clinicians involved to be no different from egg or sperm donation, and indeed they postulated that it could be less problematic in that there would be no inequality in the genetic contributions of the parents (Trounson et al., 1983). However, embryo donation (strictly defined as treatment using donated embryos) raises distinctive ethical concerns and questions. In this chapter, we will focus on three areas which we consider key to debating these concerns, covering regulatory issues, the structure of the practice of embryo donation and ARTs generally, and the individual perspectives of recipients and donors.

‘Living each week as unique’: Maternal fears in assisted reproductive technology pregnancies

OBJECTIVE to explore womens fears during pregnancy following conception via assisted reproductive technology (ART). METHODS 19 expectant first-time mothers were interviewed during the third trimester of pregnancy using a semi-structured schedule. Perceptions of and feelings about pregnancy were assessed. Content analysis was used to identify themes and subthemes. FINDINGS four overarching themes emerged: the babys survival, the health of the baby, the efficacy of the mother and childbirth. Of these, the most commonly reported fears were related to miscarriage or fetal death, and the baby being born with an abnormality. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS in addition to fears that are experienced by some women who conceived spontaneously, the women in this study who conceived via ART reported other fears, such as miscarriage or fetal death, that are more specific to this context. This suggests that these concerns should be taken into consideration when providing psychological support for ART mothers.

The experience of pregnancy resulting from Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) treatment: A qualitative Brazilian study

BACKGROUND Pregnancies achieved through medical treatments following a period of infertility may demand extra emotional and practical investment from women. AIM This paper aims at understanding the experience of pregnancy after Assisted Reproductive Technology, and exploring whether this experience is affected by previous failed infertility treatments. METHODS This paper uses a qualitative approach. Participants were nineteen expectant first-time mothers from Brazil who conceived through Assisted Reproductive Technology treatment. During the third trimester of gestation, a semi-structured interview was administered to assess perceptions of and feelings about treatment and pregnancy. Interview transcripts were analysed using thematic analysis, and the sample was divided into two groups according to whether it was the participants first treatment or not. FINDINGS Themes identified include: tolerance of the demands of treatment and pregnancy, consideration of the mechanics of treatment and pregnancy, and emotionally painful aspects of treatment and pregnancy. Pregnancy itself was regarded as a reward or compensation for the difficulties undergone. Perspectives differed according to whether pregnancy followed the first Assisted Reproductive Technology treatment; those who had undergone previously unsuccessful treatments focused less on the mechanical aspects of the process but were more concerned about possible physical problems. CONCLUSION The similarities and differences found according to number of treatments attempted should be taken into consideration when providing psychological support for expectant Assisted Reproductive Technology mothers.

Maternal experience of Lego Therapy in families with children with autism spectrum conditions: What is the impact on family relationships?

This study aimed to explore mothers’ experience of implementing Lego Therapy at home within the family. Following a Lego Therapy training session, mothers carried out hourly sessions with their child with an autism spectrum condition and the child’s sibling, once a week, for 6 weeks. Mothers were interviewed following the intervention, and the data were analysed using interpretative phenomenological analysis. Themes emerged around improved family relationships, a positive impact on the child as an individual, and changed maternal, sibling and child perspectives. Challenging and facilitative aspects also emerged, as did some ambivalence about the impact of the intervention in the wider context. The findings are supportive of previous Lego Therapy studies and have implications for strengths-based service provision.

The Demands of Beauty: Editors’ Introduction

This article introduces a Special Issue comprising four papers emerging from the Beauty Demands Network project, and maps key issues in the beauty debate. The introduction first discusses the purpose of the Network; to consider the changing demands of beauty across disciplines and beyond academia. It then summarises the findings of the Network workshops, emphasising the complex place of notions of normality, and the different meanings and functions attached to ‘normal’ in the beauty context. Concerns are raised here about the use of normal to justify and motivate engaging in beauty practices such as cosmetic surgery and ‘non-invasive’ procedures. Other workshop findings included the recognition of beauty as increasingly a global value rather than a culturally distinct ideal, and the understanding that there is no clear distinction between beauty practices that are considered standard and those that are considered extreme. These themes, especially the concerns around understanding of normal, are reflected in the recommendations made by the Network in its Briefing Paper, which are presented next in this introduction. A further theme picked up by these recommendations is the extent to which individuals who are not traditionally vulnerable may be so in the beauty context. Finally, the introduction highlights the key matters covered in the four papers of the Special Issue: regulatory concerns around cosmetic surgery tourism; the impact of digitally altered images from psychological and philosophical perspectives; the ethics of genetic selection for fair skin; and the attraction and beauty of the contemporary athletic body.