RESUMO
Objectives: Growing academic interest in mindful parenting (MP) requires a reliable and valid measure for use in research and clinical setting. Because MP concerns the way parents relate to, and nurture, their children, it is important to evaluate the associations between self-reported MP and observed parenting and parent-child interaction measures. Methods: Seventy-three mothers who experience difficulties with their young children aged 0-48 months admitted for a Mindful with your baby/toddler training (63% in a mental health care and 27% in a preventative context) were included. Mothers completed the Interpersonal Mindfulness in Parenting scale (IM-P) and video-observations of parent-child interactions were coded for maternal sensitivity, acceptance, mind-mindedness, and emotional communication (EC). Results: The IM-P total score was positively associated only with mothers' gaze to the child (EC). IM-P subscale Listening with Full Attention negatively predicted non-attuned mind-mindedness, Compassion with the Child positively predicted maternal sensitivity and positive facial expression (EC), and Emotional Awareness of Self positively predicted mothers' gaze to the child (EC) and dyadic synchrony of positive affect (EC). Conclusions: The current study provides support for the hypothesis that the IM-P total score is predictive of maternal actual attention for the child during a face-to-face interaction. When the IM-P is administered with the aim to gain understanding of different aspects of parenting behavior and the parent-child interaction, it is important not only to employ the IM-P total score but also to incorporate the individual IM-P subscales, as meaningful associations between IM-P subscales and observed parenting and parent-child interactions were found.
RESUMO
BACKGROUND: Approximately 25 % of pregnant women suffer from a high level of Fear of Childbirth (FoC), as assessed by the Wijma Delivery Expectancy Questionnaire (W-DEQ-A, score ≥66). FoC negatively affects pregnant women's mental health and adaptation to the perinatal period. Mindfulness-Based Childbirth and Parenting (MBCP) seems to be potentially effective in decreasing pregnancy-related anxiety and stress. We propose a theoretical model of Avoidance and Participation in Pregnancy, Birth and the Postpartum Period in order to explore FoC and to evaluate the underlying mechanisms of change of MBCP. METHODS/DESIGN: The 'I've Changed My Mind' study is a quasi-experimental controlled trial among 128 pregnant women (week 16-26) with a high level of FoC, and their partners. Women will be allocated to MBCP (intervention group) or to Fear of Childbirth Consultation (FoCC; comparison group). Primary outcomes are FoC, labour pain, and willingness to accept obstetrical interventions. Secondary outcomes are anxiety, depression, general stress, parental stress, quality of life, sleep quality, fatigue, satisfaction with childbirth, birth outcome, breastfeeding self-efficacy and cost-effectiveness. The total study duration for women is six months with four assessment waves: pre- and post-intervention, following the birth and closing the maternity leave period. DISCUSSION: Given the high prevalence and severe negative impact of FoC this study can be of major importance if statistically and clinically meaningful benefits are found. Among the strengths of this study are the clinical-based experimental design, the extensive cognitive-emotional and behavioural measurements in pregnant women and their partners during the entire perinatal period, and the representativeness of study sample as well as generalizability of the study's results. The complex and innovative measurements of FoC in this study are an important strength in clinical research on FoC not only in pregnant women but also in their partners. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Dutch Trial Register (NTR): NTR4302 , registration date the 3rd of December 2013.
