engleski

Hope of Mothers during Pregnancy and in the Postpartum Period

The determinants of parenting includes psychological resources of parents, characteristics of the child, and contextual sources of stress. Parenting develops already within expectations and beliefs of pregnant women, so maternal wellbeing and mental health during pregnancy has its impact on both maternal and child outcomes. Hope, both agency and pathways, is considered to exert a positive impact on mothers’ adaptation and development, on their perception and thought processes regarding their ability to achieve desired goals. Despite researches linking positive affect with health outcomes, hope has received little attention in the context of pregnancy. This study gives insights from the Croatian Islands’ Birth Cohort Study (CRIBS) conducted on Adriatic island populations and neighboring mainland area of the Split-Dalmatian County. The aims were to investigate differences in self-reported hope of women in pregnancy and in the postpartum period, considering sex of the child and mother's place of living. The study included 282 mothers, 137 living on the islands and 145 on the mainland (138 mothers of boys, 144 of girls). The level of mothers’ agency and pathway hope increases in postpartum period compared to the one reported in pregnancy, but changes are statistically significantly only on the islands in mothers of boys (p<0.05). Also, agency is significantly higher on islands (p<0.01) and pathway on the mainland in mothers of girls (p<0.01). Significant differences obtained with respect to the sex of the child and the place of residence of the mother will be discussed, also as possible influences on parenting.

pregnancy, postpartum period, hope, cohort study, parenting

nije evidentirano