Martin P. Johnson

The legitimacy of grieving: The partner's experience at miscarriage

Until quite recently the psychological and emotional effects of miscarriage on women were little understood. Research has now established that such effects are potentially very significant (Neugebauer and Kline, 1992; Leppert and Pahlka, 1984; Lasker and Toedter, 1991), but the role and response of the male partner has received very little attention (Cummings, 1984). When acknowledged at all, the response of the male partner has generally been perceived to be largely as a provider of emotional support to his partner during and after her miscarriage. In this study, based on personal interviews with 20 partners of women in the north of England who experienced a recent miscarriage, a complex set of thoughts, feelings and considerable confusion about appropriate behaviour is revealed, to the extent that such males might feel it necessary to deny their own feelings of grief in a double-bind situation.

The impact of miscarriage on women's pregnancy-specific anxiety and feelings of prenatal maternal-fetal attachment during the course of a subsequent pregnancy : An exploratory follow-up study

This study assesses the implications a miscarriage history has on womens pregnancy-specific anxiety and feelings of prenatal maternal–fetal attachment during the 1st and 3rd trimesters of a subsequent pregnancy. Thirty-five pregnant women (N = 10 with a history of miscarriage) volunteered participation completing the Pregnancy Outcome Questionnaire (POQ) 1, the Maternal Antenatal Attachment Scale (MAAS) 2 and a demographic/reproductive history questionnaire during the first trimester of pregnancy. Of these, 24 participants completed the measures again during the third trimester of pregnancy. Women with a miscarriage history reported significantly higher pregnancy-specific anxiety at trimester 1 than women with no miscarriage history; even when the effects of parity were controlled. All expectant mothers, irrespective of miscarriage history, scored similarly at trimester 1 on the MAAS scales. By the 3rd trimester, pregnancy-specific anxiety had significantly decreased for women with a miscarriage history whose mean scores on the POQ were now similar to women with no history of miscarriage. Maternal–fetal attachment had significantly risen by the 3rd trimester for all women. These findings suggest that having a miscarriage history may not have a long-lasting adverse effect on womans psychological adaptation during the course of a subsequent pregnancy.

Implications of coping repertoire as predictors of men's stress, anxiety and depression following pregnancy, childbirth and miscarriage: a longitudinal study

The long-term implication of how men cope during a partners pregnancy, at childbirth or following miscarriage has not received attention. This study aims to examine if mens coping response during pregnancy, at childbirth, or miscarriage predict psychological outcomes at the time of childbirth/miscarriage or 1 year later, and to establish whether there are any changes in mens coping repertoire. Utilizing a longitudinal design, 384 volunteer expectant fathers, participated by completing measures of stress, anxiety, depression and coping during their partners pregnancy, following childbirth or miscarriage, and 1 year later. Findings indicated, at the time of childbirth/miscarriage, increases on all psychological outcomes compared to during the pregnancy, which then decreased at 1-year. During pregnancy, men relied more on approach-orientated coping, changing at pregnancy outcome to avoidant-orientated strategies. Regression revealed the best predictor of psychological outcome, in the long-term, was coping response at pregnancy outcome. However each psychological outcome had its own predictive path, varying depending on pregnancy outcome; supporting the concept that coping responses are situationally specific, changing depending on the event examined. How men cope with each aspect of their reproductive experiences may have implications for the provision of support they offer their partner, and the support they themselves need.

An Exploration of Men's Experience and Role at Childbirth

Over the last three decades, in the UK, there has been a marked increase in the number of men accompanying their partners in hospital labour wards at the birth of their child. This study discusses the findings of a survey of a cohort of 53 such men following the delivery of their child and explores the experience of a sub-sample of 20 of these men through face-to-face interviews. The response of these males is examined in relation to a number of appropriate “roles” at attendance, i.e., “teammate,” “witness,” and “coach.” Overall, the majority of men reported a positive and emotionally uplifting experience, but a number of negative aspects were also identified. Several men were unable to clearly identify a defined role or functional purpose in their attendance. Further there is considerable confusion as to who is responsible for the decision for their attendance. The study highlights there are some negative aspects to men attending their childs birth, but these are related to under-preparedness and obligatory role adoption that possibility may conflict with mens own reasons for attending the birth.

The implications of unfulfilled expectations and perceived pressure to attend the birth on men's stress levels following birth attendance: a longitudinal study

Mens stress and their experiences of reproduction have yet to be fully explored. This study aims to examine the subjective stress experienced by men during their partners pregnancy, at the time of the birth and six weeks postpartum by means of a longitudinal study of 53 mens reproductive experience. Further, it aims to examine the role birth attendance, unfulfilled expectations and perceived pressure to attend the birth have on levels of stress. Men were measured on the Impact of Event Scale three times during the pregnancy, at the time of the birth and six weeks postpartum. Findings indicate that compared to non-psychiatric norms, overall levels of stress were elevated during the pregnancy, at birth and postpartum. The highest levels of stress were found at the time of the birth in the men who were in birth attendance. Stress levels were particularly high amongst men who felt they did not fulfil their role expectation, or they perceived pressure to be present at the birth. Confirming findings from phenomenological studies, there appears to be some confusion as to the nature and purpose of mens presence at childbirth. Expectant fathers may not anticipate the psychological and emotional realities of childbirth/becoming a father and there remains a possibility that raised stress following childbirth may impact on father/child bonding.

Reasons for substance use among people with psychotic disorders: method triangulation approach

Substance use disorders (SUD) are common among people with psychotic disorders and are associated with many negative consequences. Understanding the reasons for substance use in this population may allow for the development of more effective prevention and intervention strategies. We examined reasons for tobacco, alcohol, or cannabis use among people with psychotic disorders. Sixty-four participants with a diagnosed psychotic disorder completed a self-report reasons for use questionnaire. A subset of eight participants completed semi-structured qualitative interviews. Both the qualitative and quantitative data indicated that reasons for use of tobacco, alcohol, and cannabis differed considerably. Tobacco was primarily used for coping motives, alcohol for social motives, and cannabis for pleasure enhancement motives. Prevention and intervention strategies targeting coexisting psychotic disorders and SUD may improve in effectiveness if they address the perceived beneficial effects of tobacco use, the strong social pressures influencing alcohol use and if they encourage cannabis users to seek alternative pleasurable activities.

Attitudes and perceptions towards substances among people with mental disorders: a systematic review

Thornton LK, Baker AL, Johnson MP, Lewin TJ. Attitudes and perceptions towards substances among people with mental disorders: A systematic review.

Perceptions of anti-smoking public health campaigns among people with psychotic disorders

Background. Among marginalised populations, such as people with psychotic disorders, smoking prevalence rates remain much higher than in the general population. Anti-smoking campaigns conducted in Australia have been found to be associated with change in smoking behaviour and attitudes in the general population. However, no previous research has examined the effectiveness of these campaigns among people with mental disorders, like psychotic disorders. Aims. This study aimed to gain an understanding of how people with psychotic disorders perceive anti-smoking campaigns by examining knowledge of tobacco, exposure, acceptability and attitudes regarding anti-smoking campaigns. Method. A mixed method design was employed in which both quantitative and qualitative data were elicited. Eighty-nine participants with a diagnosed psychotic disorder completed a self-report assessment battery; eight of whom also completed semi-structured telephone interviews which were then analysed via interpretative phenomenological ...

Recruiting for addiction research via Facebook

INTRODUCTION AND AIMS This study aimed to examine the feasibility of recruiting participants to addiction research via Facebook. DESIGN AND METHODS Participants were recruited via an advertisement on Facebook, a local research register and university psychology courses. Participants completed a self-report survey regarding substance use, history of mental health issues and current psychological distress. RESULTS The 524 participants recruited via Facebook cost

A Case for Theoretical Integration: Combining Constructs From the Theory of Planned Behavior and the Extended Parallel Process Model to Predict Exercise Intentions

1.86 per participant; and 418 participants were recruited via more traditional methods. There were significantly fewer women in the Facebook sample compared with the non-Facebook sample (χ(2)  = 196.61, P < 0.001), but no differences on age. Significantly more Facebook participants reported current use of tobacco (women: Facebook = 57%, non-Facebook = 21%, χ(2)  = 39.71, P < 0.001; men: Facebook = 62%, non-Facebook = 21%, χ(2)  = 32.429, P < 0.001) and cannabis (women: Facebook = 26%, non-Facebook = 7%, χ(2)  = 14.364, P < 0.001; men: Facebook = 46%, non-Facebook = 24%, χ(2)  = 6.765, P < 0.01). They also reported significantly more harmful use of tobacco [women: F degrees of freedom (d.f.) = 6.07, P < 0.05; men: F(d.f.) = 9.03, P < 0.01] and cannabis [women: F(d.f.) = 11.00, P < 0.01; men: F(d.f.) = 6.40, P < 0.05]. The Facebook sample contained a higher percentage of high-severity cannabis users (women: Facebook = 24%, non-Facebook = 4%, χ(2)  = 18.12, P < 0.001; men: Facebook = 43%, non-Facebook = 16%, χ(2)  = 10.00, P < 0.01) and reported significantly more severe depressive symptoms [women: F(d.f.) = 26.38, P < 0.001; men: F(d.f.) = 7.44, P < 0.05]. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS Through Facebook, we were able to capture a greater proportion of people with high-severity substance use and mental health issues and were able to capture a greater and more severe range of substance use behaviours. This suggests social networking sites are efficient, cost-effective ways to recruit large numbers of participants, with relevant behaviours and conditions, to addiction research. [Thornton LK, Harris K, Baker AL, Johnson M, Kay-Lambkin FJ. Recruiting for addiction research via Facebook. Drug Alcohol Rev 2016;35:494-502].