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From pregnancy to motherhood: The structure of representative and narrative change
Author(s) -
Vizziello Graziella Fava,
Antonioli Maria Elisa,
Cocci Valentina,
Invernizzi Roberta
Publication year - 1993
Publication title -
infant mental health journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.693
H-Index - 75
eISSN - 1097-0355
pISSN - 0163-9641
DOI - 10.1002/1097-0355(199321)14:1<1::aid-imhj2280140102>3.0.co;2-s
Subject(s) - narrative , pregnancy , thematic analysis , postpartum period , developmental psychology , psychology , medicine , obstetrics , qualitative research , sociology , art , social science , genetics , literature , biology
The aim of this work was to identify ways of objectifying the course of mothers' represen tations of their babies and themselves as mothers during pregnancy and the postpartum period. A sample of 51 women attending a Family Guidance Clinic for psychoprophylaxis courses was studied using semistruc tured interviews that were administered in the 7th month of pregnancy and on the 5th day and in the 4th month postpartum. This paper describes a method for classifiying themes identified in the mothers' representations of the baby and of the self‐as‐mother as wish‐organized, defense‐organized, fear‐organized, or disorganized. This classification derives from the presumed clinical function of the narrative themes in the mothers' representational world. Themes about the baby and about the self‐as‐mother were primarily fear‐organized at the 7th month of pregnancy. On the 5th day postpartum, there was no prevailing thematic organization. At 4 months postpartum, representations of the baby were primarily fear‐organized and almost never disorganized. We speculate that themes about the baby and the self‐as‐mother that are disorganized may have negative prognostic significance.