Risk and Resilience in Pregnancy and Birth

Abstract

Pregnancy, birth, and becoming a parent involves substantial changes at biological, psychological, social, and broader cultural levels. As such, it is a continuing process of adaptation to change and new demands. This chapter provides an overview of risk and resilience in pregnancy, birth, and the transition to parenthood and the impact of these experiences on both women and their infants. The first part of the chapter provides an overview of experiences of pregnancy and birth and risks that arise, in particular trauma that may be experienced during birth. The second part looks at resilience in pregnancy and birth, what we know, and what we still need to know in this area. The third part looks at theories of resilience relevant to the perinatal period and how it is important to look at resilience at different levels (e.g. epi/genetic, personal attributes, relationships, support systems, culture, and environment). The authors conclude with key considerations for future research and theory in this area.

Experiencing Pregnancy during the COVID-19 Lockdown in Poland: A Cross-Sectional Study of the Mediating Effect of Resiliency on Prenatal Depression Symptoms

“…Pregnancy is a period of transformation for a woman, one that is characterized by a change of attitudes that requires her to take the role of a mother, especially when she is waiting for the birth of her first child. It is an extremely important stage in life for a woman and it is a period of anxiety [ 1 ] that is associated with an increased risk of depression [ 2 ]. Due to their situation, pregnant women constitute a special risk group that are burdened by greater concerns about their health and the health of the expected child.…”

Development of a resilience-enhancing intervention during and after pregnancy: a systematic process informed by the behaviour change wheel framework

“…Based on previous research and the framework of perinatal resilience [ 9 ], we can state that resilience is a multifactorial concept [ 8 ]. Our newly developed intervention is thus complex, and consists of several interacting components.…”

“…Characteristics of resilience and resilience-promoting mechanisms may counteract the negative impact of stress and have been linked to lower levels of anxiety and depressive feelings in the general population [ 6 , 7 ]. Within the perinatal context, resilience is described as a multi-factorial construct influenced by individual, socio-cultural, and environmental factors [ 8 ]. A concept analysis and Delphi Survey of Van Haeken et al (2020) [ 9 ] defined perinatal resilience for the first 1,000 days as: Perinatal resilience is a circular process toward a greater wellbeing in the form of personal growth, family balance, adaptation, or acceptance, when faced with stressors, challenges, or adversity during the perinatal period.…”

“Nobody Listened”. Mothers’ Experiences and Needs Regarding Professional Support Prior to Their Admission to an Infant Mental Health Day Clinic

“…The extent to which parents are capable of finding this balance is captured in the literature as resilience. Resilience in pregnancy and after birth is multi-factorial and influenced by individual, socio-cultural, and environmental factors [28]. Van Haeken et al (2020) conducted a concept analysis and Delphi survey of perinatal resilience which found it can be understood as a circular process towards greater wellbeing in the form of personal growth, family balance, adaptation, or acceptance when faced with stressors, challenges, or adversity during the perinatal period.…”