Vinculação, vivência psicológica da gravidez e sintomas depressivos

: comparação entre casais grávidos com filhos e sem filhos

Abstract

The present study aims to examine how each couple (with and without children) perceive the psychological experience of pregnancy at different developmental times and, verify the presence of depressive symptoms, in those different moments, in the presence or absence of two psychotherapeutic modalities. The present work is based on the assumption advocated by Colman & Colman (1994) that pregnancy is a developmental period that carries risks and challenges to the life of women and men. In this context, special attention will be given to the influence of internal working models developed through attachment (Treboux, Crowell & Watters, 2004) and, the function they assume each time that the subject is faced with developmental challenges that require adjustment, as is the case for pregnancy. The study was performed on four couples aged between 24 and 39 years, two of them have children while the other two do not. Regarding the methodology, the study was divided in three different moments: in the first (G0) Baseline Assessment was carried out, during the second phase (G1) couples randomly selected were submitted to the psychotherapeutic modalities and, in the third time (G2) a reassessment of the same variables was made. Based on the results obtained, it was possible to conclude that couples who go through pregnancy for the first time express increased recognition of difficulties in the period after childbirth, pregnancy is recognized by participants as a growth and change enhancing event and a greater involvement and presence of male participants in the pregnancy process is observed. One limitation of this study is related to the number of participants, not allowing more general conclusions, both at individual and dyadic level. One suggestion for future research concerns the influence that the number of children has during a specific genesis of psychopathology, namely depression.

Date of Award	2012
Original language	Portuguese
Awarding Institution	Universidade Católica Portuguesa
Supervisor	Vânia Sousa Lima (Supervisor)