Psychosocial adjustment of couples to first-time parenthood at advanced maternal age: an exploratory longitudinal study

Abstract

Objective: This study aimed to describe the psychosocial adjustment of primiparous women of advanced age and their partners (AMA group) compared to their younger counterparts (comparison group) from the third trimester of pregnancy to six months postpartum and to explore the psychosocial adjustment of the AMA group, depending on infertility history. Background: First-time parenthood at advanced maternal age (AMA) is a growing reproductive trend; however, few longitudinal studies have explored the psychosocial adjustment of couples from pregnancy to the first postpartum months, considering the distinct trajectories that precede this reproductive behaviour. Methods: Fifty-eight couples in the AMA group (≥35 years at the time of delivery) and 41 couples in the comparison group (20–34 years) were consecutively recruited in a Portuguese urban referral hospital. Both partners responded to the Brief Symptom Inventory-18, the EUROHIS-QoL-8 and the Dyadic Adjustment Scale – Revised during the third trimester of pregnancy (T1), at one month (T2) and six months postpartum (T3). Couples also completed visual analogue scales to assess parenting difficulty, competence and gratification at T2 and T3. Results: The psychosocial adjustment of the AMA group and the comparison group over time was more similar than different. Within the AMA group, perceived parenting difficulty decreased over time for previously infertile couples but remained stable for previously fertile couples. Conclusion: Healthcare providers should avoid stereotypical views and normalise the psychosocial adjustment over the transition to first-time parenthood at AMA. Antenatal psychoeducational interventions should promote realistic expectations about the demands of early parenting, especially among previously infertile couples.

Keywords:

• advanced maternal age
• psychosocial adjustment
• first-time parenthood
• couples
• infertility

Acknowledgements

This study is part of the ‘Transition to parenthood at advanced maternal age: Individual, marital and parental adaptation’ research project, integrated in the Relationships, Development & Health Research Group of the R&D Cognitive-Behavioral Center for Research and Intervention of the University of Coimbra (PEst-OE/PSI/UI0730/2014).

Additional information

Funding

Funding. Maryse Guedes is supported by a scholarship from the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (SFRH/BD/68912/2010).