Psychosocial Adaptation to Pregnancy ─ Seven Dimensions of Maternal Role Development

presented in the Introduction (Chapter 1). The focus of Chapter 1 is twofold: (1) to present the research foundations for the psychophysiological correlates of prenatal psychosocial adaptation and the seven prenatal personality dimensions with progress in labor and birth outcomes, and particularly (2) to present the theory underlying the seven dimensions of prenatal psychosocial adaptation, which are further analyzed in the following seven chapters. Chapters 2–8 present a content analysis of the interview responses to the seven significant prenatal personality dimensions that are predictive of pregnancy adap- tion, progress in labor, birth outcomes, and postpartum maternal psychosocial adaptation, and they include: (1) Acceptance of Pregnancy, (2) Identification with a Motherhood Role, (3) Relationship with Mother, (4) Relationship with Husband, (5) Preparation for Labor, (6) (Prenatal) Fear of Pain, Helplessness, and Loss of Control in Labor, and (7) (Prenatal) Fear of Loss of Self-Esteem in Labor. There is no other comparable comprehensive, in-depth, prenatal personality research or empirical and content analysis of pregnancy-specific dimensions of maternal psychosocial adaptation to pregnancy.

Regina Lederman, MNEd, MA, PhD, is a behavioral scientist, as well as a nurse and a practicing marital and family therapist, who also has 30 years of research experience in the field of maternal psychosocial development. She has published extensively, both original research and reviews, on intervention approaches to decrease maternal anxiety and promote adaptation to pregnancy. Dr. Lederman is a Professor in the School of Nursing and in the Department of Preventive Medicine and Community Health at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston. She has an extensive writing background of scientific journal articles, books and questionnaires pertaining to pregnancy, childbirth, and early adaptation to motherhood. She has been editor of International Journal for Psychosomatic Obstetrics and Gynaecology, and most recently served as a consultant on a pregnancy and postpartum adaptation assessment project conducted with four branches of the military. An earlier edition of the proposed book, published by Prentice-Hall in 1985, received the American Journal of Nursing Book of the Year Award. She is a member of the Society of Behavioral Medicine, the Nurses Association of the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology, the American Nurses Association, the Society for Research in Child Development, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and the American Society for Psychosomatic Obstetrics and Gynecology.