Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 13, 2026
05:04
A Common Marmoset Model of Mother-Infant Intervention for Breastfeeding Disorders in the Presence of Paternal Inhibition and Maternal Neglect
Published on: September 22, 2023
Parenting paradox: parenting after infant loss
Jane Warland1, Joann O'Leary, Helen McCutcheon
1University of South Australia, School of Nursing and Midwifery, City East, Adelaide 5000, South Australia. jane.warland@unisa.edu.au
Midwifery
|April 16, 2010
Summary
Bereaved parents adopt a paradoxical parenting style after infant loss, balancing closeness and distance with subsequent children. Early support is crucial for navigating these complex emotional challenges.
Area of Science:
- Perinatal Psychology
- Family Studies
- Grief and Bereavement Research
Background:
- Infant death profoundly impacts parental experiences.
- Subsequent parenting after loss presents unique challenges.
- Understanding bereaved parents' coping mechanisms is essential.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore the parenting experiences of bereaved parents.
- To gain insight into the years following an infant death.
- To understand the long-term effects on family dynamics.
Main Methods:
- Exploratory qualitative study utilizing semi-structured interviews.
- Data collected from 13 bereaved parents (10 mothers, 3 fathers).
- Thematic analysis of interview data regarding parenting subsequent children.
Main Results:
- Parents described a 'paradoxical' parenting style.
- This involved attempting to simultaneously be close and aloof.
- Parents struggled with unsustainable, opposing parenting approaches.
Conclusions:
- Infant loss has far-reaching consequences for subsequent parenting.
- Support and early intervention post-stillbirth/pregnancy are beneficial.
- Further research needed on intervention effectiveness and child well-being.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
01:17Bonanno's Theory of Grieving
Grieving is a complex psychological and emotional process that varies significantly among individuals. George Bonanno's research on bereavement identified four distinct patterns of grieving, offering a nuanced understanding of how people cope with significant loss, such as the death of a spouse, over extended periods. These patterns — resilience, recovery, chronic dysfunction, and delayed grief — highlight the diversity in emotional responses and adaptive mechanisms.
Resilience
The resilience...
Resilience
The resilience...
00:55Parental Care
Many animals exhibit parental care behavior, including feeding, grooming, and protecting young offspring. Parental care is universal in mammals and birds, which often have young that are born relatively helpless. Several species of insects and fish, as well as some amphibians, also care for their young.
01:27Parenting Styles
Diana Baumrind's four parenting styles — authoritarian, authoritative, neglectful, and permissive — each influence children's socio-emotional development differently.
Authoritarian Parenting
This style is strict and controlling, with little room for open dialogue. Authoritarian parents demand obedience and often enforce rules with minimal warmth. Children raised this way may lack social skills and initiative, usually comparing themselves to others unfavorably.
Authoritative Parenting
This...
Authoritarian Parenting
This style is strict and controlling, with little room for open dialogue. Authoritarian parents demand obedience and often enforce rules with minimal warmth. Children raised this way may lack social skills and initiative, usually comparing themselves to others unfavorably.
Authoritative Parenting
This...
01:28Relationship with Parents: Attachment
Parent-child interactions lay the foundation for how we understand relationships throughout life. These interactions are not uniform across families; instead, they are shaped by a range of environmental, emotional, and behavioral factors unique to each caregiver-child dynamic. Social psychologists study these early relationships to understand how patterns formed in infancy influence social functioning and interpersonal behavior in adulthood.Attachment Theory and Early Relational ModelsJohn...
01:28Ending Relationships
The dissolution of intimate relationships presents complex emotional and psychological challenges, particularly when emotional bonds are strong, the relationship is long-standing, and perceived alternatives are limited. This distress often intensifies in romantic breakups, where the initiator may experience greater turmoil than the rejected partner. Contributing factors include residual attachment, guilt over causing pain, and uncertainty about how to manage the situation. The stress is further...
01:20Coping Strategies: Emotion Focused
Emotion-focused coping refers to a set of strategies aimed at managing the emotional impact of stressors, rather than directly addressing their causes. This approach involves altering one's emotional response to stressful situations to reduce their psychological effects. For example, individuals might talk with a friend or engage in activities like journaling to express their feelings. Such actions can help achieve emotional clarity or release, providing the psychological stability needed to...