Roma Jusienė

Smoking during pregnancy in association with maternal emotional well-being

OBJECTIVE The aim of the study was to investigate psychosocial predictors of smoking during pregnancy. MATERIALS AND METHODS It was a cross-sectional analysis of a prospective birth-cohort study. The participants were 514 mothers of full-term infants. Women completed questionnaires during hospital stay after delivery. Questionnaire included items on sociodemographic characteristics, planning and emotional acceptance of pregnancy, reproductive history, health-related behavior, emotional well-being, and relationships with a partner. RESULTS Smoking during pregnancy was reported by 14.8% of the participants. Prenatal smoking was associated with secondary or lower education, maternal age less than 20 years, childbirth outside of marriage, history of elective abortion, unplanned pregnancy, lack of positive emotional acceptance of pregnancy by mother and father, emotional distress and alcohol consumption during pregnancy. Smoking during pregnancy remained significantly associated with prenatal alcohol consumption, previous elective abortion, and lack of positive emotional acceptance of pregnancy by mother even after adjustment for maternal age, education, and family structure. CONCLUSIONS Results support an idea of complexity of the relationships among smoking, alcohol use, and emotional well-being. Lack of positive emotional acceptance of pregnancy by mother and history of elective abortions can be considered as possible associates of smoking during pregnancy and suggest that strengthening of positive attitudes toward motherhood could add to lower smoking rates among pregnant women.

GIMIMO EILIŠKUMAS BEI IKIMOKYKLINIO AMŽIAUS VAIKŲ ELGESIO IR EMOCIJŲ SUNKUMAI

Birth order (or the sequence of the siblings according with their birth within one family) is a phenomenon discussed and researched starting with as long ago as writings of Sigmund Freud and Alfred Adler. Yet it is still not possible to argue beyond the reasonable doubt whether the birth order has any direct or indirect influence on individual personality development and later personal and social achievements in life. Multiple attempts in the area have been made with differing results; the methods of the analysis have been criticized, so even today no sound and reliable arguments can be presented for the conclusion on this issue. What we have achieved is definitely an understanding that the phenomenon is very complex in nature, there are many factors that need to be considered together, and their influence on each other is still something to be untangled. Thus, birth order continues to remain a focus of the ongoing research. The purpose of this study is to increase the knowledge of the various consequences that changes within a family (as identified by the birth order of children in the family) may have on personal development and to identify whether the emotional and behavioral problems of Lithuanian preschool children are related to their birth order. We analyzed data of 338 Lithuanian four-year-old children (174 girls and 164 boys). Mothers and caregiver-teachers have rated the children’s behavioral and emotional problems with CBCL/1½-5 and C-TRF (Achenbach & Rescorla, 2000). Children were grouped according with their birth order (reported by mothers) into three groups: first-borns (N – 51), the only children (N – 134), and the youngest children (N – 140). The group of middle-born children (N – 13) was too small for further analysis. The results showed that firstborn children were rated as having more emotional and behavioral problems by their mothers than the youngest children. Kindergarten teachers’ reports on children’s emotional and behavioral problems did not differ in various birth order groups. We conclude that it is possible that, according to Alfred Adler, “dethroned” children (who were the only child and became the first born after a younger sibling was born) display more emotional and behavioral problems only towards their parents or in the home environment, and that birth order as an easily observable factor could be part of the complex intrafamily continuum of social influences and relationships.

RELATION BETWEEN MOTHER ““ INFANT INTERACTIONS AND MOTHERS“˜ PERSONALITY TRAITS

Background. A lot of studies emphasize the importance of early mother – infant relationships for further infant development, successful psychological and social functioning (Degnan, Henderson, Fox, Rubin, 2008). There are described many factors which explain quality of this relationship. However, there are not enough studies, that investigate relations between mothers‘ personality traits, which are most stable construct describing personality, and mother – infant interactions. Aim of this study is to identify relations between variuos aspects of mother – infant interactions during play situation and mothers‘ personality traits. Materials and methods . Participants were 26 mothers and their one and a half year old infants. Mothers‘ personality traits were evaluated by NEO Five Factor Inventory (Costa, McCrae, 1999). Videotaped observation of mother – infant free play and structured joint task was used for exploration of mother – infant interactions. Four major dimensions of mother – infant interactions were analysed: (1) mother‘s attention – directing strategies (Tomasello, 1992); (2) mother‘s cooperation (Ainsworth, 1969); (3) maternal feedback (Lewis, 1993); (4) mothers‘ emotional tone. Results. Several associations between mothers‘ personality and dimensions of mother – infant interactions were found: mothers‘ neuroticism was positively related to attention following strategy during free play and positive feedback during structured task. Mothers‘ extraversion was positively related to infant‘s attention switching strategy during free play. Higher extraversion was also related to less joyful and more irritable emotional tone during structured task. Mothers‘ conscientiousness was negatively linked to mothers‘ verbal cooperation and positive feedback during structured task. Mothers‘ openness to experience was negatively related to mothers‘ verbal interference during structured task and positively related to mothers‘ joyful emotional tone during free play. The findings of this study allow to confirm assumptions that mothers‘ individual personality traits are related to mother – infant interactions.