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Biomedical subjects

R T Mercer

Publications and source records attributed to R T Mercer.

48 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
PubMedDate not supplied

Transitions over the life cycle: a comparison of mothers and nonmothers.

Life histories of 50 mothers and 30 nonmothers, aged 60 to 95, were analyzed to identify differences between the two groups in developmental transitions over the life cycle. The overall developmental trajectories during adulthood did not differ significantly. Mothers, however, reported a greater number of transitions, and 30% reported they were adults before age 15 in contrast to 3% of nonmothers. Nonmothers experienced a more stable career trajectory. Mothers were from larger families. Never-married nonmothers were an only child, only daughter, or oldest daughter. The effect of historical and marital status on achievement of integrity during later years is suggested as somewhat more influential than motherhood status.

Aged↗
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Effect of stress on family functioning during pregnancy.

A theoretical model hypothesized to predict family functioning was tested in four groups of expectant parents, followed by exploratory model building. The groups studied during the 24th to 34th weeks of pregnancy included 153 high-risk hospitalized women, 75 of their partners, 218 low-risk women from the general obstetric clinic, and 147 of their partners. Both partners in the high-risk situation reported greater discrepancy in family functioning than partners in the low-risk situation. The hypothesized models proved to have low explanatory power, accounting for 13% to 15% of the variance. The final empirical models developed explained 33% of the variance in family functioning among high-risk women and 48% among their partners, 23% among low-risk women, and 32% among their partners. The empirical models differed from the hypothesized models in that variables postulated to have only indirect effects were shown to have direct effects on family function and inter-generational variables significantly expanded the theoretical model.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Theoretical models for studying the effect of antepartum stress on the family.

Three models are proposed to predict the effect of antepartum stress on the family. These models consider external and internal family environments and individual characteristics as they influence an individual family member's health status, dyadic relationships within the family, and the family's functioning as a unit. Research to date validates the complex interrelationships between antepartum stress, social support, self-esteem, sense of mastery, anxiety, depression, and their effect on health status, dyadic relationships, and family functioning. The theoretical models presented identify relationships between these important variables that can guide much-needed research on the effects of antepartum stress on the childbearing family.

Anxiety↗
PubMedDate not supplied

The process of maternal role attainment over the first year.

A study of the process of maternal role attainment in three age groups (15 to 19 years, 20 to 29 years, and 30 to 42 years) over the first year of motherhood found that the role attainment behaviors of feelings of love for the baby, gratification in the maternal role, observed maternal behavior, and self-reported ways of handling irritating child behaviors did not show a positive linear increase over the year. Behaviors peaked at 4 months postbirth, but declined at 8 months. Interview data suggested that the challenges of the infant's developmental behaviors at 8 and 12 months contributed to feelings of role incompetency. Although age groups functioned at different levels, their patterns of behaviors over the year did not vary, except for gratification in the role, indicating that the maternal role presented similar challenges for all women. There were no significant differences by maternal age in role strain or self-image as a mother over the year.

Adolescent↗
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Relationship of psychosocial and perinatal variables to perception of childbirth.

This study reported on a sample of 294 first-time mothers. Fifty-six women who delivered by cesarean birth perceived their childbirth experience more negatively than those who delivered vaginally. However, the type of delivery accounted for only 1% of the variance when entered with 24 other psychosocial and obstetrical variables for stepwise multiple regression analysis. Mate emotional support contributed 20% and early maternal-infant interaction contributed 9.8% of the variance, with total positive self-concept, fewer medical complications, informative support, instrumental support, and type of delivery accounting for the remainder of the total 39%.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Paternal-infant attachment of experienced and inexperienced fathers during infancy.

Seventy-nine experienced fathers (with one or more previous children) and 93 inexperienced (first-time) fathers were studied for differences in paternal-infant attachment at postpartal hospitalization and at 1, 4, and 8 months following birth. No significant differences were observed between the groups for reported attachment to their infants; scores varied little. Over the 8-month period, from 27% to 47% and from 9% to 22% of the variance in attachment was explained for experienced fathers and inexperienced fathers, respectively. Fetal attachment was a major predictor for attachment for experienced fathers at the first three test periods, explaining 19% of the variance at early postpartal hospitalization, 16% at 1 month, and 9% at 4 months. It was a major predictor for inexperienced fathers the first month only, explaining 13% of the variance at early postpartal hospitalization and 15% at 1 month. Depression was the second most important predictor. For experienced fathers, it explained 8% of attachment at early postpartum and 22% at 8 months; for inexperienced fathers, it explained 7% at 1 month and 9% at 4 months. Environmental factors such as social support and stress had no effects on fathers' attachment to their infants.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Predictors of role competence for experienced and inexperienced fathers.

Paternal competence was compared for 79 experienced fathers (one or more children) and 93 inexperienced (first-time) fathers at early postpartum, 1, 4, and 8 months following birth. No differences in paternal competence by previous experience in the father role were found at any test period, nor did the trajectories of change differ between the two groups. Paternal competence means at 4 and 8 months did not differ, but were significantly higher than 1-month means. During the 8-month period, 30% to 61% of the variance in experienced men's paternal competence was explained; the range for inexperienced men was 31% to 49%. Depression was a major predictor for experienced fathers at 1, 4, and 8 months; partner relationships were predictive at 1 and 4 months. Sense of mastery and family functioning were consistent predictors for inexperienced fathers, who also reported greater anxiety and depression than experienced fathers at 4 and 8 months after birth.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Maternal-infant attachment of experienced and inexperienced mothers during infancy.

Differences between maternal-infant attachment and variables affecting attachment were studied for 136 experienced mothers (one or more previous children) and 166 inexperienced (first-time) mothers during the postpartal hospitalization and at 1, 4, and 8 months. Experienced mothers did not differ from inexperienced mothers in maternal-infant attachment at any test period. Fetal attachment explained decreasing amounts of the variance in inexperienced mothers' attachment to their infants over the first 4 months, explaining 11% during postpartal hospitalization, 7% at 1 month, and 4% at 4 months. Fetal attachment entered the experienced mothers' regressions during the early postpartal period only, explaining 3% of the variance. Findings showed that explained variance in maternal-infant attachment for the four test periods ranged from 23% to 43% for experienced mothers and from 13% to 38% for inexperienced mothers.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Predictors of paternal role competence by risk status.

One hundred seventeen men whose partners had experienced a low-risk pregnancy (LRM) and 61 men whose partners had been hospitalized during pregnancy for an obstetrical risk (HRM) were studied to determine whether they differed in paternal role competence from the time of their partners' early postpartal hospitalization to 1, 4, and 8 months after birth. No differences were found between LRM and HRM in paternal role competence, and their trajectory of paternal competence did not differ. During the 1-month and 8-month postpartal period, paternal competence increased from 76.07 to 77.14 for HRM and from 77.21 to 78.29 for LRM. From 15% to 34% of the variance in paternal competence was explained among HRM, and from 41% to 44% was explained among LRM. Anxiety was the major predictor of paternal role competence for HRM, and sense of mastery and depression were major predictors for LRM.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Predictors of maternal role competence by risk status.

One hundred twenty-one high-risk women (HRW) and 182 low-risk women (LRW) were studied at postpartal hospitalization and at 1, 4, and 8 months after giving birth to determine whether they would differ in the achievement of perceived maternal competence and whether predictors of maternal competence would differ for the two groups over time. No significant differences were found in the maternal role competence of HRW and LRW or in the trajectory of change over time. Maternal role competence increased at 4 and 8 months over earlier levels. Selected variables explained from 33% to 52% of HRW's maternal competence and from 29% to 51% of LRW's maternal competence over the four test periods. Self-esteem and mastery were consistent predictors of maternal competence for both groups. Fetal attachment was a predictor of competence among HRW only.

Adolescent↗