Social-psychological adaptation to motherhood in women with alexithymia

Relevance. In contemporary psychology, the phenomenon of motherhood is predominantly examined in the context of the formation of parent-child relationship structure, while the significant role of self-perception and self-realization of the future mother is marginalized. Considering the transformation of social relations towards the balanced involvement of both father and mother in child rearing, it is pertinent to study women’s perception of their professional and personal prospects and their subjective evaluation of «personal effectiveness» in motherhood planning. In this regard, alexithymic traits act as moderators, regulating interactions within the marital couple and in relationships with the social environment. Emotional and cognitive avoidance of parenthoodrelated information, as well as lack of interest in psychological understanding from the spouse, as significant factors of alexithymic traits, significantly influence readiness for motherhood.

Intention. To assess the specifics of socio-psychological adaptation to motherhood in women with alexithymic radical. The research objectives included diagnosing psychological readiness for motherhood and identifying the structure of adaptive mechanisms changes in the situation of motherhood among women with an alexithymic radical.

 Methods. The study was conducted on the basis of Prof. V.F. Snegirev Maternity Hospital No. 6 (St. Petersburg). The study sample consisted of 226 women aged 18 to 41 years (26.1 ± 5.3), who were in the second and third trimester of pregnancy at the time of the survey. Each expectant mother was interviewed. According to the results of the application of the Toronto alexithymia scale, a main group of 41 women with an increased level of alexithymia expression was singled out. Women with a normal value on the alexithymia scale were considered as a control group. The object of the study is psychological characteristics of pregnant women. The set of psychodiagnostic techniques included: the technique «Pregnant Women’s Relationship Test» (I.V. Dobryakov), the technique of studying the value system (M. Rokich), the technique of determining the level of personality anxiety and reactive anxiety (C.D. Spielberger in the adaptation of Y.L. Khanin), the technique «Understanding, emotional attraction, authority» (A.N. Volkova, V.I. Slepkova).

Results and discussion. The combination of professional and family roles during pregnancy is characterized by substantive specificity and is assessed as a critical period. When studying the implicit structure of representations about motherhood among pregnant women with alexithymia, pronounced illusions of readiness for childbirth and childcare are noted, with an orientation towards returning to career self-realization in the short and medium term. For them, the leading importance is attached to the values of individualism: «active productive life» and «freedom» combined with a decrease in the stability of motives in accepting the parental role. Future mothers from the control group are more oriented towards self-realization in the family and accepting parental attitudes.

Conclusion. The structure of the value-sense sphere of an expectant mother with an alexithymic radical is determined by a high orientation to professional achievements in the short and medium term. •ese beliefs can be regarded as predictors of maladaptive reactions to the process of pregnancy and childbirth and determine the need to implement an individual-personal approach in the management of pregnancy in women with alexithymia. 

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