Maternal personality change from pregnancy until 12 months postpartum: Associations with parenting.

Although many studies have shown that personality-as a relatively stable characteristic-is a predictor of parenting behavior, personality changes occur during adulthood. Therefore, we do not know whether previous findings based on personality assessed (long) after the birth of the child indicate that personality as assessed before the child is born predicts behaviors parents eventually display. Possibly, personality changes are additionally predictive for parenting behavior. With this three-wave longitudinal study, we aimed to examine whether mothers' personality change from pregnancy to postpartum predicts maternal parenting behavior above and beyond personality traits as assessed during pregnancy. A sample of 239 pregnant women participated in the study (Mage = 29.95 years, SD = 4.08, range 20-43; 53% primiparous; 95% of Dutch descent). Women reported their big five personality traits during pregnancy (T1), at six- (T2), and 12 months postpartum (T3). At the postpartum assessments, mothers also reported on their affectionate and hostile parenting behavior. Latent Difference Score models indicated that personality at T1 predicted hostile but not affectionate parenting behavior at T2. Changes in personality from T1 to T2 were associated with maternal hostile and affectionate parenting at T2, whereas changes from T2 to T3 were unrelated to parenting. Personality as assessed during pregnancy may thus be helpful in identifying mothers at risk of early hostile parenting behavior. Identifying predictors of personality change may inform preventive efforts aimed at reducing this risk, as personality changes from pregnancy to 6 months postpartum were more predictive of maternal parenting than initial levels. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Youth care in time of COVID-19: Experiences of professionals and adolescent clients with telehealth.

Measures aimed at preventing the COVID-19 virus from spreading restricted all aspects of public life, including possibilities for meeting in-person. Youth care professionals were forced to turn to telehealth tools, such as video calling and e-health methods, to be able to continue support and treatment of children, adolescents, caregivers, and families. This study consists of two qualitative interview studies on the experiences with and transition to telehealth during COVID-19: (1) interviews with youth care professionals (N = 20), and (2) interviews with adolescents who used mental health care support (N = 14). We specifically asked participants about five themes which were selected based on pre-COVID literature on telehealth: (1) tools (i.e., which programs are being used), (2) privacy, (3) methods (i.e., what was the same and what was different compared to in-person sessions), (4) relationship/therapeutic alliance, and (5) effectiveness (i.e., what was their impression of effectiveness of telehealth). The majority of professionals reported that they had very little to no experience with telehealth prior to the pandemic. Both professionals and adolescent clients mentioned benefits and limitations of telehealth. On several themes professionals and adolescent clients mentioned similar barriers in the transition to telehealth during COVID such as limitations of the available hard- and software (theme 1: tools); forced changes in the content and methods of the sessions (theme 3: methods); and difficulties with non-verbal communication (theme 4: alliance). However, whereas most professionals expressed the intention to keep using several aspects of telehealth after restrictions due to COVID are lifted, most adolescent clients expressed they see telehealth as a temporary solution and prefer meeting professionals in person. Their experiences and the barriers and enabling aspects they mentioned may provide important insights in the acceptability and usability of telehealth for youth care organizations, youth care professionals, researchers and higher educational training programs.

Differences in self-perception and social gender status in children with gender incongruence.

Background: Gender incongruent children report lower self-perception compared to the norm population. This study explored differences in self-perception between children living in their gender role assigned at birth and children living in their experienced gender role.Method: The self-perception questionnaire was administered to 312 children referred to the Center of Expertise on Gender Dysphoria 'Amsterdam UMC'. Social transition status was determined by parental interviews. 2 (social transition) by 2 (sex assigned at birth) ANCOVA's were conducted.Results: Children living in their assigned gender role reported comparable self-perception to children living in their experienced gender role. Birth assigned girls living in their assigned gender role reported poorer self-perception on 'athletic competence', compared to girls living in their experienced gender role. Birth assigned boys living in their assigned gender role reported poorer on 'scholastic competence' and 'behavioral conduct' compared to boys living in their experienced gender role.Conclusions: Social transition did not show to affect self-perception. Self-perception was poorer for birth assigned boys living in their experienced gender role. For birth assigned girls this was reversed. Future studies should give more insight in the role of social transitions in relation to child development and focus on other aspects related to self-perception.

Unmet support needs in donor sperm treatment: consequences for parents and their donor-children.

RESEARCH QUESTION: Are unmet needs for psychosocial counselling, peer support and friends/family support in parents directly and/or indirectly related to the mental health of parents and their donor-children? DESIGN: A cross-sectional sample of 214 parents participated in this quantitative study via an online questionnaire. The sample comprised mothers and fathers in a heterosexual relationship (n = 85), mothers in a lesbian relationship (n = 67) and single mothers (n = 62). Parents were recruited via three Dutch fertility clinics and four network organizations. Unmet support needs were measured with an adapted version of the Unmet Needs for Parenting Support questionnaire, changing the original items into items about donor conception. The items were derived from a qualitative study and checked by experts in donor conception. The parents' mental health was measured with the Adult Self Report and the donor-children's mental health with the Child Behaviour Checklist. A multigroup mediation analysis was conducted to explore relationships between parents' unmet support needs and their child's mental health, with the parents' mental health as a possible mediator. RESULTS: There were no direct relations between parents' unmet support needs and the mental health of donor-children. Unmet needs for psychosocial counselling, peer support and friends/family support for parents and children's mental health were indirectly related through the mental health of the parents: 0.074 (CI 95%  = 0.013-0.136; P = 0.017), 0.085 (CI 95% = 0.018-0.151; P = 0.036) and 0.063 (CI 95% = 0.019-0.106; P = 0.013), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: We recommend that fertility clinics, network organizations and authorities for infertility counsellors make their support available to parents for extended periods after their treatment. Further qualitative studies are necessary to assess how to relieve unmet support needs during donor sperm treatment.

Psychosocial counselling in donor sperm treatment: unmet needs and mental health among heterosexual, lesbian and single women.

RESEARCH QUESTION: What are the unmet needs after psychosocial counselling and mental health of women who opt for donor sperm treatment (DST), and are unmet counselling needs related to their mental health? DESIGN: This quantitative study included women in a heterosexual relationship (n = 19), women in a lesbian relationship (n = 25) and single women (n = 51) who opted for DST. Women were included if they had passed the DST intake procedure at a Dutch fertility clinic, were not pregnant and had no previous donor-child. Unmet needs were measured by a self-developed questionnaire based on specific topics identified in a previous qualitative study with added items from experts in the field of DST. The Adult Self Report was used to measure mental health. Relationships between unmet counselling needs and mental health were explored by multiple regression analyses. RESULTS: Fifty-two women (55%) reported unmet counselling needs. Women in heterosexual relationships mostly had unmet counselling needs on the topics of the decision to opt for DST (n = 11, 58%) and non-genetic parenthood (n = 11, 58%); women in lesbian relationships (n = 10, 40%) and single women (n = 14, 27%) mostly had unmet needs on the topic of choosing a sperm donor. In general, women had good mental health, but 13 (14%) met the criteria for clinical mental health problems. Women with more unmet counselling needs also had more mental health problems. CONCLUSIONS: Evidence-based guidelines for psychosocial counselling in DST should be developed. Only then can counselling be improved and be fit for purpose.

Oocyte or ovarian tissue banking: decision-making in women aged 35 years or older facing age-related fertility decline.

RESEARCH QUESTION: Women who face age-related fertility decline have the option to safeguard future reproductive potential by banking oocytes or ovarian tissue. What are the methods that women prefer and what factors are important in their decision-making? DESIGN: Qualitative interview study, participants were recruited through monthly information sessions at a university hospital on oocyte banking, postings on social media, websites and newsletters and snowball sampling. Women had to be aged 35 years or older, single, childless and with a possible future desire for motherhood. Key concepts of the Health Belief Model were used as framework for the analyses. RESULTS: In total, 15 women participated in this qualitative study. For oocyte banking, they mentioned chances of success, extra time and faith in the technique and healthcare professionals as benefits. Risks for themselves or future children and costs were considered to be barriers in decision making. For ovarian tissue banking, the chances of success, the possibility of natural conception, the time investment and effect on menopausal symptoms were seen as benefits, and lack of experience and lack of information were considered barriers for themselves or their future children. Overall, they considered the procedures involved in oocyte banking as relatively 'easy', whereas ovarian tissue banking was seen as a more invasive procedure. CONCLUSION: Most women preferred oocyte banking over ovarian tissue banking because of its relative convenience. Future quantitative research in a larger cohort is necessary to confirm the findings and provide more insight into the relative importance of the different factors influencing women's decision.

Effects of PMTO in Foster Families with Children with Behavior Problems: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

The present randomized controlled trial examined the effectiveness of Parent Management Training Oregon for foster parents with foster children (aged 4-12) with severe externalizing behavior problems in long-term foster care arrangements. Foster children's behavior problems are challenging for foster parents and increase the risk of placement breakdown. There is little evidence for the effectiveness of established interventions to improve child and parent functioning in foster families. The goal of Parent Management Training Oregon, a relatively long and intensive (6-9 months, with weekly sessions) parent management training, is to reduce children's problem behavior through improvement of parenting practices. We specifically investigated whether Parent Management Training Oregon is effective to reduce foster parenting stress. A significant effect of Parent Management Training Oregon, compared to Care as Usual was expected on reduced parenting stress improved parenting practices, and on reduced child behavior problems. Multi-informant (foster mothers, foster fathers, and teachers) data were used from 86 foster families (46 Parent Management Training Oregon, 40 Care as Usual) using a pre-posttest design. Multilevel analyses based on the intention to treat principle (retention rate 73 %) showed that Parent Management Training Oregon, compared to Care as Usual, reduced general levels of parenting stress as well as child related stress and parent-related stress (small to medium effect sizes). The clinical significance of this effect was, however, limited. Compared to a decrease in the Care as Usual group, Parent Management Training Oregon helped foster mothers to maintain parental warmth (small effect size). There were no other effects of Parent Management Training Oregon on self-reported parenting behaviors. Child behavior problems were reduced in both conditions, indicating no additive effects of Parent Management Training Oregon to Care as Usual on child functioning. The potential implication of reduced foster parenting stress for placement stability is discussed.

The experiences of involuntarily childless Turkish immigrants in the Netherlands.

The consequences of involuntary childlessness are influenced by culture in several ways. In this study we explored the experiences and responses of infertile Turkish immigrants in the Netherlands. Twenty in-depth interviews were conducted with involuntarily childless Turkish immigrants in the Netherlands (11 couples and 9 women). Interviews were transcribed verbatim and were analyzed using interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA). The respondents' experiences were clustered around six superordinate themes: effects on self; effects on the relationship with the partner; effects on the relationship with others; disclosure; coping; and the future. Most transcripts revealed that involuntary childlessness has a profound negative influence on multiple aspects of the lives of the respondents. Strong pronatalist ideology, misconceptions about infertility and treatment, and migration-related aspects such as language difficulties, appear to play a role in the negative experiences of Turkish immigrants. Respondents reported several ways of coping (to some extent) with these negative experiences.

Emotional distress and infertility: Turkish migrant couples compared to Dutch couples and couples in Western Turkey.

The present study investigates cultural differences in the effects of infertility on emotional distress. The study compares emotional distress among infertile people in three samples: Turkish migrants (n = 58), Turkish people living in Western Turkey (n = 46), and Dutch people (n = 199). Participants answered structured questionnaires on self-image, blame-guilt, sexual problems, depression, anxiety, and anger-hostility. Separate analyses were conducted for men and women. In general, the levels of emotional distress were higher for infertile Turkish migrant women and infertile Turkish women than they were for infertile Dutch women. Turkish migrant women reported more self-image problems and fewer feelings of blame-guilt than did Turkish women. Among men, Turkish migrant men showed the highest overall levels of emotional distress, and Dutch men showed the lowest. Our results indicate that the experience of infertility among Turkish migrants is more similar to those of Turkish people than it is to that of Dutch people, especially among women. The importance of having children in the different cultures may offer a possible explanation for these findings.