The Prenatal Lausanne Trilogue Play: A New Observational Assessment Tool of the Prenatal Co-Parenting Alliance

Abstract

The goal of this study is to present a new observational assessment tool, the prenatal Lausanne Trilogue Play situation (LTP). Expectant parents were asked to role play their first meeting with their baby using a doll, and the videotaped interaction was subsequently coded. Scores were correlated with measures of the couples' marital satisfaction as well as the postnatal family alliance 3 months after the baby's birth. Results showed that the prenatal co-parenting alliance was positively linked to both fathers' marital satisfaction as well as to the postnatal family alliance at 3 months. Thus, the prenatal LTP allows for assessment of the prenatal co-parenting alliance at the interactional level. It predicts the place the parents will afford their baby after birth and can contribute to methods of clinical assessment and prevention.

How early triadic family processes predict children's strengths and difficulties at age three

“…This finding agrees with comparable findings in previous studies conducted by our research group (von Klitzing et al, 1999b). Carneiro et al (2006) also found correlations between prenatal co-parenting (using a doll) and postpartal triadic family interaction. Fonagy, Steele, and Steele (1991) found that maternal attachment patterns classified during pregnancy predicted attachment quality of the child in 75% of cases.…”

“…In a first step we replicated associations found in earlier studies (Carneiro et al, 2006;von Klitzing et al, 1999b) and hypothesized that parental Triadic Capacity before the birth of the child is prospectively related to Trilogue Quality in the family. To rule out the possibility that the associations are due to third variables, such as parents' psychological distress, education level, and marital quality, we first looked at whether those factors (assessed before the birth of the child) were related to prenatal Triadic Capacity and/or Trilogue Quality.…”

“…Von Klitzing et al (1999b) showed that triadic relational capacities assessed prior to the birth of the child predicted the quality of triadic interaction when the child was 4 month old. Carneiro, Corboz-Warnery, and Fivaz-Depeursinge (2006) recently found comparable associations. But do triadic relational capacities assessed before the child is born also have predictive value for aspects of child behaviour?…”

Does the portal of entry determine our view? Interfaces between dyadic and three‐way assessment of a clinical family transitioning to parenthood

“…They already had been seen twice during pregnancy for a prenatal assessment, which included the Adult Attachment Interview (George, Kaplan, & Main, 1996) as well as the prenatal LTP (Carneiro, Corboz-Warnery, & Fivaz-Depeursinge, 2006). In keeping with consultations done at this site (see Fivaz-Depeursinge & Corboz-Warnery, 1999), very little information was initially elicited from the family, or from any referring clinician, prior to observing interactions.…”

Die Bedeutung des Vaters in der frühen Kindheit: Folgerungen für die Mutter-Kind-Behandlung

“…Das Konzept der Ko-Elternschaft (coparenting) definiert, wie sich Eltern oder Elternfiguren in ihrer Rolle als Eltern aufeinander beziehen (Feinberg 2003 (Carneiro et al 2006). Eine gesicherte Erkenntnis der Ko-ElternschaftForschung ist, dass in den ersten 100 Tagen nach der Geburt des Kindes spezifische Muster von Ko-Elternschaft beobachtbar sind, die eine bemerkenswerte zeitliche Stabilität bis ins Vorschulalter aufweisen.…”