Sexual activity based fears during pregnancy, sexual function and dyadic adjustment in couples who are expecting their first child.

Purpose: Sexual activity based fears during pregnancy are common, but very few studies have examined their association with relationship variables. Secondary analysis of associations between these fears during pregnancy and both partners' sexual function and dyadic adjustment were conducted.Materials and Methods: A sample of 67 French-Canadian first-time parenting couples living in Ontario completed online questionnaires on sexual activity based fears, sexual function, and dyadic adjustment as experienced during pregnancy.Results: While one-third of participants reported no fears, other couples experienced one to six fears, the two most common fears among partners being inducing labor and causing a miscarriage. Dyadic path analyses supported indirect associations between sexual activity based fears and lower dyadic adjustment via poorer sexual function. During pregnancy, these fears in women and men are associated with poorer dyadic adjustment in both partners through the women's poorer sexual function.Conclusion: These findings suggest including prenatal sexual activity based fears in perinatal sexuality counseling, education, and interventions.

How to Deal With Sexual Changes During and After Pregnancy: Results of a Brief Psycho-Educational Workshop With Future and New Parenting Couples.

After documenting parenting couples' needs regarding perinatal sexuality, this study developed and evaluated a brief psycho-educational workshop on perinatal sexuality. Participants (16 future and 17 new parents) completed five steps: (1) online questionnaire (T1) assessing needs toward the workshop and sexoperinatal knowledge, attitudes, and perceptions; (2) 2-hour online workshop on perinatal sexuality; (3) post-workshop satisfaction questionnaire; (4) 1-month (T2) and (5) 2-month (T3) post-workshop questionnaires with the same measures as in T1. One month after the workshop, knowledge, attitudes, and perceptions toward perinatal sexuality increased significantly. Sexoperinatal interventions from health-care workers are still uncommon, although there is a need for information and support. This brief online workshop is promising for better education and empowerment of parenting couples regarding perinatal sexuality.

Testing an Online Training Session on Couples' Perinatal Sexual Changes Among Health Care Professionals and Paraprofessionals.

INTRODUCTION: During and after pregnancy, couples have to adapt to sexual changes. Although many couples have questions and preoccupations regarding those changes, they are rarely addressed by professionals and paraprofessionals in perinatal health care, mainly because of lack of knowledge and training. An online training session that addressed couples' perinatal sexual changes tailored for health care perinatal professionals (nurses and midwives) and paraprofessionals (doulas) was developed, implemented, and evaluated. METHODS: Participants completed 4 steps: (1) a baseline online questionnaire assessing training needs and measures on knowledge, attitudes, and perceived counseling skills regarding couples' perinatal sexual changes; (2) a 2-hour online training session on the topic with theoretical and practical content; (3) an online post-training satisfaction questionnaire; and (4) a one-month follow-up assessment using the same measures as at baseline. RESULTS: Of the 74 participants (20 nurses, 20 midwives, 34 doulas) who completed the study, 37.8% had previous training in sexuality and 18.9% in perinatal sexuality. Results showed pre- to post-training significant increases in knowledge and attitudes toward couples' perinatal sexual changes, characterized by more positivity, flexibility, openness, and sense of competence regarding the topic. There were also significant pre- to post-training increases in perceived utility, comfort, intention, and sense of self-efficacy related to counseling skills regarding couples' perinatal sexual changes. After training, more participants discussed couples' sexual changes with couples during and after pregnancy. After training, significantly fewer participants reported lack of knowledge, lack of training, and lack of discomfort as barriers to discussions on couples' perinatal sexual changes, whereas more reported lack of time as a barrier. Global satisfaction with the training was high. DISCUSSION: This training can help foster more discussions on the topic from perinatal professionals and paraprofessionals to better meet couples' needs for information and support.

Couple Adaptation to the Birth of a Child: The Roles of Attachment and Perfectionism.

This study aims to examine two explanatory factors of relationship satisfaction and parental alliance among both parents of a new child, namely romantic attachment and perfectionism. A sample of 80 couples completed individual online questionnaires. Path analyses based on the Actor-Partner Interdependence Model were carried out to explore the actor and partner effects of each explanatory variable (attachment, perfectionism) on both partners' postnatal relationship satisfaction and parental alliance. Results revealed that attachment avoidance is negatively related to each partner's own relationship satisfaction and parental alliance, whereas attachment anxiety is related to their own lower parental alliance. Maladaptive perfectionism is negatively related to each partner's own relationship satisfaction, whereas adaptive perfectionism is positively related to each partner's own relationship satisfaction. These results extend the understanding of the factors contributing to parental and couple adaptation in the postnatal period. They highlight the role of attachment and perfectionism for improving postnatal professionals' interventions.

Trauma périnéal à l'accouchement, intimité, ajustement dyadique et fonction sexuelle de nouveaux couples parentaux.

OBJECTIVE: This study focuses on perineal trauma during childbirth and its relationship to postnatal marital and sexual issues as expressed by the sexual function and perceived intimacy of new parent couples in Ontario. METHODS: As part of a retrospective study on perinatal intimate and sexual experiences, 67 Canadian French-speaking couples from Ontario (heterosexual couples with their first child between 6 and 12 months of age) were recruited. They filled out online questionnaires that included questions about the severity of the perineal trauma and validated questionnaires that evaluated perceived sexual intimacy, dyadic adjustment, and sexual function. RESULTS: Mediation analyses based on the actor-partner interdependence model were conducted and revealed that the severity of perineal trauma is linked to the perception of decreased intimacy and to weaker sexual function for the woman. Furthermore, the perception of decreased intimacy and the weak sexual function of the man and the woman are related to a weaker dyadic adjustment for the partners. CONCLUSION: The study emphasizes the importance of supporting women who have experienced perineal trauma due to childbirth, as well as their partners.

[Franco-Ontarian parenting couples living in the Ottawa region and their perceptions regarding the usefulness of prenatal classes]. / Les rencontres prénatales : sont-elles utiles ? La perception des couples parentaux franco-ontariens de la région d'Ottawa.

In the last few years, there has been an important decrease in parents' interest and participation in prenatal classes in Canada and elsewhere in the world. Partial results were obtained on parenting couples' participation in and satisfaction with prenatal classes, from a larger study involving 103 francophone couples living in Ottawa, using'a mixed methods descriptive and longitudinal research design. This article aims to present the reasons why parents do not participate in prenatal classes and their suggestions to improve them. Several parents indicated that subjects such as pain management, birthing with a midwife, labor support from a doula, breastfeeding, and postnatal sexuality should be added to the classes. Also, they would like to have more flexible hours, more interaction during the classes, more emphasis given to expectant fathers, more access to a variety of resources and content and teaching methods that are more dynamically delivered. These research findings will provide recommendations for the delivery of prenatal education, for nurses' training in this domain, and for future research.