Parental Relationship with Twins from Pregnancy to 3 Months: The Relation Among Parenting Stress, Infant Temperament, and Well-Being

Abstract

Objective: The transition to parenthood, from pregnancy to postpartum period, is a critical process, particularly for couples expecting twins. There is very little literature regarding the links between anxiety, depression, dyadic adjustment, parental stress, and infant temperament spanning from pregnancy to postpartum. This study has two aims: first, to examine whether mothers’ and fathers’ anxiety, depression, and dyadic adjustment, assessed at the sixth month of pregnancy and 3 months postpartum, are associated with infants’ negative affectivity (NA) and parenting stress; second, to examine whether there is any difference between fathers’ and mothers’ levels of parenting stress and perception of the twins’ temperament, as well as to evaluate, separately for mothers and fathers, whether the levels of parenting stress and perception of child temperament differ for each twin.Method: The study participants were 58 parents (29 couples) and their healthy 58 twin babies (51.7% boys, 48.3% girls). Mothers’ ages ranged from 30 to 44 years, (MAge = 36.3 years, SD = 3.2 years), and fathers’ ages ranged from 32 to 52 years, (MAge = 38.2 years, SD = 4.4 years). The parents, during the pregnancy period and 3 months after delivery, filled out the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale, the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, and the Dyadic Adjustment Scale. Three months after delivery they also filled out the Parenting Stress Index—Short Form and the Infant Behavior Questionnaire Revised.Results: The analyses showed a significant correlation between parental anxiety/depression symptoms and infants’ NA and parenting stress (in both mothers and fathers). Moreover, compared to fathers, mothers reported higher scores on specific dimensions of the infants’ NA, [t(28) = -2.62 and p < 0.05; t(28) = 2.09 and p < 0.05], and parenting stress, [t(28) = 2.19 and p < 0.05; t(28) = 2.23 and p < 0.05], but only for Twin 2. Finally, the results showed that mothers’ perceptions of child temperament vary between two twins, [e.g., distress to limitations: t(28) = 2.08 and p < 0.05].Discussion: This study highlights the peculiarity of twin parenthood during the fourth trimester. In particular, the differences between twins’ mothers’ and fathers’ perceptions are relevant from a clinical perspective and for perinatal professionals. It would be interesting to study the long-term impact of mothers’ and fathers’ differing perceptions of their twins.

Loneliness, Resilience, Mental Health, and Quality of Life in Old Age: A Structural Equation Model

“…Second, the participation in the study was voluntary; consequently, the sample composition may not represent the characteristics of the general Italian population. Third, the did not considered the variables of being in a couple (Ha, 2016 ), having siblings (Cicirelli, 2013 ), or being in a twin relationship (Brustia et al, 2013 ; Prino et al, 2016 ).…”

Twins' and Singletons' Linguistic Environment: A Systematic Review

“…These findings are in line with the parental difficulties identified in families of twins in the first years of the toddlers' lives (Glazebrook et al, 2004; Olivennes et al, 2005; Sutcliffe and Derom, 2006; Lutz et al, 2012; Beer et al, 2013; Wenze et al, 2015; Anderson et al, 2017). Compared with singletons' parents, twins' parents experienced higher psychological symptoms and parenting stress (Glazebrook et al, 2004; Olivennes et al, 2005; Lutz et al, 2012; Beer et al, 2013; Wenze et al, 2015; Prino et al, 2016). Moreover, they needed greater resources and more involvement to rear twins (Prino et al, 2016).…”

The Multiple Determinants of Maternal Parenting Stress 12 Months After Birth: The Contribution of Antenatal Attachment Style, Adverse Childhood Experiences, and Infant Temperament

“…This result is in accordance with a transactional model of child development ( Sameroff, 2009 ), underscoring that child characteristics, and how they are perceived and interpreted by the parent, play an important role in how child and caregiving context mutually shape each other over time. While several previous studies have focused on temperamental characteristics such as negative emotionality and parenting stress (e.g., Mäntymaa et al, 2009 ; Siqveland et al, 2013 ; Prino et al, 2016 ), scant attention has been directed at dimensions such as adaptability, persistence and regularity, all important aspects of infant behavior and development ( Olafsen et al, 2018 ).…”

“…Much research has focused on the role of the child’s negative emotionality for parenting stress (e.g., Mäntymaa et al, 2009 ; Siqveland et al, 2013 ; Prino et al, 2016 ). One should also consider other aspects of temperament, such as how the infant adapts to changing situations, the degree of persistence in continuing activities, and the predictability of natural functions, including sleep and mealtime regularities.…”