Maternal adjustment and maternal attitudes during pregnancy and early motherhood in women of 35 and over

Abstract

The research described here forms part of a longitudinal study, the Leicester Motherhood Project, in which the aim is to investigate the experience of pregnancy, birth and motherhood in women of 35 or more, compared with that of women in their twenties, in a sample where parity and occupational and educational status were controlled. The resulting sample was of women in non-manual occupations of whom 56% were educated beyond 18. At mid- and late pregnancy, and again when their babies were 1 year old, women were asked to complete the Maternal Adjustment and Maternal Attitudes scale (Kumar et al., 1984). At late pregnancy women over 35 (n= 48) reported fewer somatic symptoms and more positive perceptions of their bodies than women in their twenties (n= 45) at the same stage of pregnancy. One year after birth older women felt slightly less positive about their marital relationships and had less positive attitudes to sex than did younger women. Overall scores indicated high levels of adjustment to motherhood, regardless of age or parity.