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Parental pregnancy wantedness and child social-emotional development

Haneefa T Saleem1, Pamela J Surkan

  • 1Social and Behavioral Interventions Program, Department of International Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 615 North Wolfe Street, Baltimore, MD, 21205-2103, USA, hsaleem@jhsph.edu.

Maternal and Child Health Journal
|June 25, 2013
PubMed

Insights

Unwanted pregnancies and parental disagreement on pregnancy desire negatively impact children's kindergarten social-emotional development, particularly affecting their concentration and attention skills.

Area of Science:

  • Developmental Psychology
  • Family Studies
  • Child Social-Emotional Development

Background:

  • Pregnancy wantedness is a significant factor influencing family dynamics and child well-being.
  • Understanding the impact of parental concordance on child development is crucial for early intervention strategies.
  • Previous research has highlighted the importance of parental attitudes towards pregnancy for child outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the association between maternal and paternal pregnancy wantedness and couple concordance with children's social-emotional development.
  • To identify specific aspects of social-emotional development, such as concentration and attention, affected by pregnancy wantedness.
  • To analyze data from a nationally representative US sample to ensure generalizability.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study Birth Cohort, a nationally representative US sample.
  • Assessed maternal and paternal pregnancy wantedness and couple concordance as key exposures.
  • Measured children's social-emotional development using teacher-reported behavior scales, focusing on concentration and attention.

Main Results:

  • Maternal report of an unwanted pregnancy was linked to lower social-emotional development scores in kindergarten children.
  • Resident father's report of a mistimed pregnancy also predicted poorer social-emotional development.
  • Parental discordance in pregnancy wantedness, especially when the mother wanted the pregnancy and the father did not, was associated with lower scores.

Conclusions:

  • Maternal perception of an unwanted pregnancy is a significant predictor of poorer social-emotional development in children.
  • Couple discordance regarding pregnancy wantedness negatively affects children's social-emotional skills, particularly attention and concentration.
  • These findings underscore the importance of parental alignment on pregnancy desires for fostering optimal child social-emotional development.

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