Empathy in pregnant women and new mothers: a systematic literature review.
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| Title: | Empathy in pregnant women and new mothers: a systematic literature review. |
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| Authors: | Boorman, Rhonda J., Creedy, Debra K., Fenwick, Jennifer, Muurlink, Olav |
| Source: | Journal of Reproductive & Infant Psychology. Feb2019, Vol. 37 Issue 1, p84-103. 20p. 1 Diagram, 2 Charts. |
| Subjects: | Affective disorders, Child abuse, Child development, CINAHL database, Empathy, Psychology information storage & retrieval systems, MEDLINE, Motherhood, Psychology of mothers, Online information services, Parenting, Pregnancy & psychology, Sleep deprivation, Psychological stress, Systematic reviews, Well-being |
| Abstract: | Objective: This systematic review explores changes in perinatal empathy and influence on maternal behaviours and child development. Background: The well-being and development of infants are commonly linked to their mothers' capacity for empathy. However, characteristic changes during pregnancy and childbirth including sleep deprivation, mood and cognitive difficulties may disrupt empathic processing. Methods: Original research papers (n = 7413) published in English language peer-reviewed academic journals were obtained by searching four electronic databases PsycINFO, PubMed, Scopus and CINAHL. Inclusion criteria were studies reporting empathy of women in the period from pregnancy to 12 months postpartum. Empathy was operationalised as a general tendency of empathic emotional responding and cognitive perspective taking. Thirteen studies were systematically assessed using the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme criteria. Results: Impaired empathy in mothers, due most notably to high personal distress, was associated with risk of neglect or maltreatment of children and was partially explained by mothers' aversive response to infant crying. Conclusion: Few studies present empathy as a central theme. There is a paucity of definitional parameters and theoretical linkages and over-reliance on brief self-report indices of empathy. Future studies need to be theory based, incorporate experimental approaches, and provide greater sampling diversity toadvance our understanding of empathy in perinatal women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
| Copyright of Journal of Reproductive & Infant Psychology is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.) | |
| Database: | Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection |
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| Abstract: | Objective: This systematic review explores changes in perinatal empathy and influence on maternal behaviours and child development. Background: The well-being and development of infants are commonly linked to their mothers' capacity for empathy. However, characteristic changes during pregnancy and childbirth including sleep deprivation, mood and cognitive difficulties may disrupt empathic processing. Methods: Original research papers (n = 7413) published in English language peer-reviewed academic journals were obtained by searching four electronic databases PsycINFO, PubMed, Scopus and CINAHL. Inclusion criteria were studies reporting empathy of women in the period from pregnancy to 12 months postpartum. Empathy was operationalised as a general tendency of empathic emotional responding and cognitive perspective taking. Thirteen studies were systematically assessed using the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme criteria. Results: Impaired empathy in mothers, due most notably to high personal distress, was associated with risk of neglect or maltreatment of children and was partially explained by mothers' aversive response to infant crying. Conclusion: Few studies present empathy as a central theme. There is a paucity of definitional parameters and theoretical linkages and over-reliance on brief self-report indices of empathy. Future studies need to be theory based, incorporate experimental approaches, and provide greater sampling diversity toadvance our understanding of empathy in perinatal women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
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| ISSN: | 02646838 |
| DOI: | 10.1080/02646838.2018.1525695 |
