NORWEGIAN FAMILIES: TRANSITION TO PARENTHOOD
Abstract
Our purpose in conducting this study was to explore relationships among family dynamics, parent-fetal attachment, and infant temperament in 230 mother-father pairs from the third trimester of pregnancy to when their infant was 7 to 9 months old. Mothers reported increased role conflict during this time, as well as more role conflict than their partners. First-time parents (n = 133) perceived more positive family dynamics than second-time parents (n = 97), as well as greater parent-fetal attachment. Maternal-fetal attachment was greater than paternal-fetal attachment. Health care providers can provide support for new parents as they negotiate new role relationships.
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Fathers' process of bonding may differ considerably from that of mothers, including lower levels of bonding, as may the vulnerability and resilience factors associated with bonding.
“At the same time, fathers ' process of bonding may differ considerably from that of mothers (i.e., lower levels of bonding; Lorensen et al., 2004; Ustunsoz et al., 2010), as may the vulnerability and resilience factors that are associated with bonding.”
From Mindfulness, Self-compassion, and Psychological Wellbeing as Correlates of Paternal Bonding in Pregnancy. (2025) · cites this paper as Lorensen et al., 2004
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Doss, B. D., Rhoades, G. K., Stanley, S. M., & Markman, H. J. (2009) · Journal of Personality and Social Psychology · doi:10.1037/a0013969 · Cited by 656 · see citing works
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Madge, C., & O’Connor, H. (2006) · Social & Cultural Geography · doi:10.1080/14649360600600528 · Cited by 296 · see citing works
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BackgroundA HISTORY OF THE THEORY OF PRENATAL ATTACHMENT.
Brandon, A. R., Pitts, S., Denton, W. H., Stringer, C. A., & Evans, H. (2009) · PubMed · Cited by 226 · see citing works
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Ustunsoz, A., Guvenc, G., Akyuz, A., & Oflaz, F. (2010) · Midwifery · doi:10.1016/j.midw.2009.12.006 · Cited by 140 · see citing works
“Furthermore, only a few studies have evaluated both MFA and PFA together (Mercer et al., 1988; Schodt, 1989; White et al., 1999; Wilson et al., 2000; Lorensen et al., 2004).”
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“Some studies presented mothers to have more and stronger feelings of attachment toward the fetus compared to their partners [16,17], or even yielded opposite findings [18].”
ResultQuality of the intimate and sexual relationship in first-time parents – A longitudinal study
Hansson, M., & Ahlborg, T. (2011) · Sexual & Reproductive Healthcare · doi:10.1016/j.srhc.2011.10.002 · Cited by 56 · see citing works
“se Women generally experience higher levels of stress and depression than men, this being due to pregnancy and parenthood being more emotionally and physically challenging for women [4–7].”
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BackgroundChrzan‐Dętkoś, M., & Łockiewicz, M. (2015) · European Journal of Developmental Psychology · doi:10.1080/17405629.2015.1036024 · Cited by 42 · see citing works
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Vänskä, M., Punamäki, R., Tolvanen, A. J., Lindblom, J., Flykt, M. S., Unkila‐Kallio, L., Tiitinen, A. E., Repokari, L., Sinkkonen, J., & Tulppala, M. (2011) · International Journal of Behavioral Development · doi:10.1177/0165025411417505 · Cited by 36 · see citing works
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“Active fatherhood is also explicitly valued in public debate and political reforms, such as by including fathers in generous parental leave following birth of a child [27].”
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Abasi, E., Tahmasebi, H., Zafari, M., & Reza, N. T. G. (2012) · Cited by 32 · see citing works
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“That is unfortunate, since fathers may substantially differ in their process of bonding with their infant compared to mothers (Lorensen et al., 2004; Ustunsoz et al., 2010).”
Maternal‐fetal attachment, parenting stress during infancy, and child outcomes at age 3 years
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“The negative effects of children on relationships have been found across a wide range of ethnicities, including both Caucasian and African-American couples within the United States (Crohan 1996) and continents such as Asia (Lu 2006) and Europe (Lorensen et al. 2004; Salmela-Aro et al. 2006).”
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“However, the most common side effects of these medications include digestive problems such as nausea, dyspepsia and vomiting, and in more severe cases, kidney problems, stomach ulcers, dizziness, headache and liver complications [11].”
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“…and Baby, Shanghai First Maternal and Infant Health-Care Hospital, Shanghai 200040, China There is some evidence that experienced mothers have a lower quality of antenatal attachment than inexperienced mothers (i.e., those in their first pregnancy) (Lorensen et al. 2004; Mercer and Ferketich 1994).”
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“Also, couples living out-of-wedlock present higher antenatal attachment levels than married couples [17].”
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“Beside the childbearing period and the transfer of the parents is a critical period [17], and only a limited number of studies have been conducted in this area, the present study aims to explore the effect of teaching attachment behaviors to paternal on their neonatal attachment in primiparous women was designed to be…”
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“Women are often at increased risk of experiencing role conflicts ( Lorensen, Wilson, & White, 2004 ) and mental health issues ( Thara & Patel, 2001 ) given their diverse positions as wives, mothers, caregivers, and workers.”
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“Quelques études ont montré que ceux qui sont parents pour la première fois montrent un plus fort attachement au bébé, pendant la grossesse, que les parents qui le sont pour la deuxième fois [34,35].”
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Şatır, D. G., & Kavlak, O. (2021) · Journal of Human Sciences · doi:10.14687/jhs.v18i1.6047 · Cited by 8 · see citing works
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“Some studies found that mothers have higher attachment to the fetus compared with their partners [29, 30], whereas other studies have shown higher prenatal attachment in the fathers [31, 32]; a study of Wilson found similar levels of fetal attachment in mothers and fathers [33].”
ResultRoy, R. N., Walker, A., Al-Jayyousi, G. F., & Dayne, N. (2016) · Psychology · doi:10.4236/psych.2016.713145 · Cited by 5 · see citing works
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Conica, M., Nixon, E., & Quigley, J. (2023) · Journal of Child and Family Studies · doi:10.1007/s10826-023-02601-4 · Cited by 4 · see citing works
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Astaraki, L., Jamshidimanesh, M., Moghadam, Z. B., & Haghani, H. (2014) · Majallah-i dānishgāh-i ̒ulūm-i pizishkī-i Māzandarān/Journal of Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences · Cited by 3 · see citing works
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Rodrigues, J., & Botelho, M. A. ́. (2018) · Pensar Enfermagem - Revista Científica | Journal of Nursing · doi:10.56732/pensarenf.v22i1.141 · Cited by 2 · see citing works
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Camarneiro, A. P. F., & Justo, J. M. R. D. M. (2011) · LA Referencia (Red Federada de Repositorios Institucionales de Publicaciones Científicas) · Cited by 2 · see citing works
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“At the same time, fathers ’ process of bonding may differ considerably from that of mothers (i.e., lower levels of bonding; Lorensen et al., 2004; Ustunsoz et al., 2010), as may the vulnerability and resilience factors that are associated with bonding.”
Sexuality satisfaction 3 years after childbirth is better than men think
Schütze, S., Lorenz, M., Krepsz, J., et al. (2022) · Sexologies · doi:10.1016/j.sexol.2022.05.008 · Cited by 1 · see citing works
Exploring the psychometric qualities of prenatal attachment inventory in France
Letot, J., Devouche, É., Audic, M., Paul, A., & Wendland, J. (2024) · L Encéphale · doi:10.1016/j.encep.2023.11.014 · Cited by 1 · see citing works
Kossakowska, K. (2023) · Archives of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy · doi:10.12740/app/156925 · Cited by 1 · see citing works
“through the actions of the baby’s mother; this may be the reason why mothers tend to demonstrate greater attachment to the fetus than the fathers [13, 14].”
BackgroundFuture transitions – The meaning of seniors’ thoughts of their future living
Tuvesson, H. (2006) · KTH Publication Database DiVA (KTH Royal Institute of Technology) · Cited by 1 · see citing works
Envolvimento paterno e couvade
Ferreira, L. S. (2009) · Portuguese National Funding Agency for Science, Research and Technology (RCAAP Project by FCT)
COUVADE SYMPTOMATOLOGY AND PATERNAL INVOLVEMENT EXPERIENCED DURING PREGNANCY
Ferreira, L. S. (2010) · Psicologia Saúde & Doenças · doi:10.15309/10psd110206
Tahmasebi, H., Nukpezah, R. N., Fournier, A., Marznaki, Z. H., Parviniannasab, A. M., & Keshavarzi, F. (2025) · Iranian Journal of Nursing and Midwifery Research · doi:10.4103/ijnmr.ijnmr_286_23 · Cited by 1 · see citing works
“The Parents Fetal Attachment Questionnaire contains 24 items [24].”
The protective effect of pregnancy on risk for suicide attempt in a Swedish national cohort
Stephenson, M. E., Lannoy, S., Ohlsson, H., Sundquist, J., Crump, C., Sundquist, K., & Edwards, A. C. (2026) · Scientific Reports · doi:10.1038/s41598-026-49192-w
“Both mothers and fathers experience some degree of prenatal attachment, with inconsistent findings regarding parental differences in the level of attachment 27–29 .”
Karlsson, G. (2026) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2026.1777617
“…of a prenatal interaction between the infant and the biological mother is also supported by empirical, quantita-tive-statistical, studies, some of which have been based on John Bowlby’s attachment theory (e.g., Brandon et al., 2009; Lorensen et al., 2004; Rubin, 1975; Wilson et al., 2000).”
- Authors
- Lorensen, M., Wilson, M., & White, M.
- Affiliations
- University of Oslo (NO)
- University of Nebraska Medical Center (US)
- University of Florida (US)
- Venue
- Health Care for Women International
- Publisher
- Informa UK Limited
- Published
- 2004-04-01
- Volume
- 25
- Issue
- 4
- Pages
- 334-348
- ISSN
- 0739-9332 (ISSN-L)
- 1096-4665
- OpenAlex
- W2096781277
- Cited by
- 53
- References
- 0
- Citations by year
- 2026: 2 · 2025: 2 · 2024: 2 · 2023: 3 · 2022: 2 · 2021: 1 · 2019: 1 · 2018: 3 · 2017: 4 · 2016: 5 · 2015: 3 · 2014: 3 · 2013: 3 · 2012: 1
- FWCI
- 3.60
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Health Care For Women International (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Demography › Family Dynamics and Relationships
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Maternal Mental Health During Pregnancy and Postpartum
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Attachment and Relationship Dynamics
- Keywords
- transition to parenthood, family dynamics, infant temperament, role conflict, new parents, maternal-fetal attachment
- MeSH terms
- Adult, Conflict, Psychological, Family Relations, Female, Fetus, Humans, Infant, Newborn, Male, Norway, Object Attachment, Parent-Child Relations, Parity, Pregnancy, Role, Temperament, Parenting, Infant Behavior
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