Affiliation before and after child delivery as a function of repression-sensitization

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Social Psychology
• Maternal Health

Background:

• Pregnancy and childbirth are significant life events impacting women's social needs and anxiety levels.
• Individual differences in coping mechanisms, such as repression-sensitization, may influence these changes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate how maternal anxiety and affiliation preferences change around childbirth.
• To examine the role of the Repression-Sensitization Scale in understanding these changes.

Main Methods:

• 177 women surveyed on anxiety and affiliation preferences before and after delivery.
• Repression-Sensitization Scale administered post-delivery.
• Analysis of changes in anxiety and social preference based on repression-sensitization levels.

Main Results:

• Sensitizers reported higher pre-delivery anxiety than repressors; this difference diminished post-delivery.
• Pre-delivery, repressors preferred solitude, while sensitizers preferred company.
• Post-delivery, both groups showed a significant preference for social interaction.
• No significant correlation found between anxiety levels and the desire for affiliation.

Conclusions:

• Childbirth shifts social preferences towards affiliation for both repressors and sensitizers.
• Anxiety levels and coping styles (repression-sensitization) influence pre-partum social behavior.
• Post-partum social needs appear to equalize across different coping styles.