Objectives This study's aim was to describe the emotional status of parents to be before and after the first-trimester combined prenatal screening test.Methods One hundred three couples participated, of which 52 had undergone an in vitro fertilization/intracytoplasmic sperm injection treatment [assisted reproductive technology (ART)] and 51 had conceived spontaneously. Participants completed the state scale of the State-trait Anxiety Inventory, the Edinburgh Depression Scale, and the Maternal and Paternal Antenatal Attachment Questionnaire before the first-trimester combined prenatal screening test at around 12 weeks of gestational age (T1) and just after receiving the results at approximately 14 weeks of gestational age (T2). ResultsWe observed a significant decrease in anxiety and depression symptoms and a significant increase in attachment from T1 to T2. Results showed no differences between groups at either time point, which suggests that ART parents are more similar to than different from parents conceiving spontaneously. Furthermore, given the importance of anxiety during pregnancy, a subsample of women with clinical anxiety was identified. They had significantly higher rates of clinical depression and lower attachment.Conclusions These results indicate that, regardless of whether conception was through ART or spontaneous, clinical anxiety in women over the prenatal testing period is associated with more vulnerability during pregnancy (i.e. clinical depression and less attachment to fetus).

Thirty-three families, each with a premature infant born less than 33 gestational weeks, were observed in a longitudinal exploratory study. Infants were recruited in a neonatal intensive care unit, and follow-up visits took place at 4 months and 12 months of corrected age. The severity of the perinatal problems was evaluated using the Perinatal Risk Inventory (PERI; A.P. Scheiner & M.E. Sexton, 1991). At 4 months, mother-infant play interaction was observed and coded according to the CARE-index (P.M. Crittenden, 2003); at 12 months, the Strange Situation Procedure (SSP; M.D.S. Ainsworth, M.C. Blehar, E. Waters, & S. Wall, 1978) was administered. Results indicate a strong correlation between the severity of perinatal problems and the quality of attachment at 12 months. Based on the PERI, infants with high medical risks more frequently tended to be insecurely attached. There also was a significant correlation between insecure attachment and dyadic play interaction at 4 months (i.e., maternal controlling behavior and infant compulsive compliance). Moreover, specific dyadic interactive patterns could be identified as protective or as risk factors regarding the quality of attachment. Considering that attachment may have long-term influence on child development, these results underline the need for particular attention to risk factors regarding attachment among premature infants.

Observing parent–child dyadic interactions has helped researchers understand how maternal and paternal parenting contributes to child development, whereas the study of mother–father–child triads has documented the role of family-level relations. Dyadic and triadic interactions have rarely been observed, however, within the same families in a single study. This study aimed to investigate how the quality of parenting, in terms of parental sensitivity, influenced or was influenced by the quality of family alliance (FA), with repeated measures at 3 (T1), 9 (T2), and 18 months postpartum (T3). Results showed that sensitivity was greater in cooperative FAs and improved over time, with no difference between mothers and fathers. Moreover, both parents’ sensitivity was a key determinant for reaching a cooperative FA at T1, but its importance decreased later in the postpartum period. These findings stress the need to study parent–child relations in different contexts.

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Objectif : Cette étude préliminaire vise à caractériser la Pensée Constructive chez des adolescents délinquants par rapport aux adolescents de la population générale.Méthode : 66 délinquants (12-18 ans) sont comparés à 540 adolescents tout-venants sur les différentes facettes de l’auto-questionnaire « Constructive Thinking Inventory ».Résultats et conclusion : Les adolescents délinquants présentent une Pensée Constructive moins efficace : certains styles cognitifs de coping les rendent moins aptes a prendre des décisions adaptés lorsqu’ils se trouvent face à des situations stressantes, favorisant les conduites d’échec. Des interventions pourraient être focalisées sur l’amélioration de la gestion du stress.Objective: This pilot study aims at assessing Constructive Thinking in a sample of adolescent offenders and in a normative sample of adolescents.Method: 66 adolescent offenders (12-18 years) were compared to 540 control adolescents on the different subscales of the “Constructive Thinking Inventory”.Results and Conclusion: Adolescent offenders show a less efficient Constructive Thinking: they show cognitive styles that may hamper their ability to take appropriate decisions when facing stressful situations, increasing self-defeating behaviors. Interventions may focus on improving adequate coping with stress