Parents’ experiences of conceptualising and relating to their unborn child : a constructivist grounded theory

Antenatal thoughts and feelings about the fetus are thought to be somewhat predictive of the later parent-child relationship. The parental-fetal tie is, however, poorly understood. The field is plagued by disagreement in existing conceptualisations, conflicting results in efforts to identify predictors, correlates and consequences of the tie, and a dearth of research looking into the phenomenon from a paternal perspective. In response to these issues, the purpose of the current study was to construct a substantive theory of expectant parents’ fetal conceptual and relational experiences.Following the receipt of ethical approval, constructivist grounded theory was used to explore data generated through semi-structured individual interviews conducted with a purposive and theoretical sample of nine first-time expectant mothers and their male partners, in early, middle and late pregnancy. Data analysis, involving techniques of coding, constant comparison and memo-writing, resulted in the development of a theoretical model.The parental-fetal tie is characterised as an evolving phenomenon which takes a convoluted and individualised path to reach maturation. Coming to think of the fetus as a known other and as part of the intimate family unit are vital in achieving a sense of relatedness. An increasingly tangible fetus facilitates such an outlook. Nevertheless, the development of the tie is limited by restricted access to the unborn child, as well as by difficulties in perceiving fetal reciprocity.The results suggest that expectant mothers and fathers conceptualise and connect to the unborn child in comparable ways, despite physical disparities in the pregnancy experience. Given the nature of the tie, it is thought that assessing it through self-report instruments may not be feasible. Providing inclusive care to the parental dyad will encourage engagement with the fetus. Further longitudinal research spanning the transition to parenthood is needed to understand the postpartum sequelae of the processes observed antenatally

A narrative review of interventions addressing the parental-fetal relationship

Background Expectant parents develop varying degrees of emotional affiliation with the unborn child. Interventions supporting this relationship may be beneficial given its link to maternal health behaviour during pregnancy, as well as the parental–infant bond after birth. Aim To identify and describe the effects of programmes and strategies that have addressed the parental–fetal relationship. Method English-language primary studies, published between 2005–2015, were identified and their methodological quality was assessed. Databases used included CINAHL, Cochrane Library, MEDLINE, PsycINFO and Web of Science. Key search terms included maternal/paternal–fetal attachment, prenatal bond, parental–fetal relationship and intervention. RCTs, non-RCTs, observational and non-comparative studies, before and after studies and case studies were included. Findings Twenty-seven papers were included. Studies evaluated the effects of various strategies, including ultrasound and screening procedures, fetal awareness interventions, social and psychological support techniques, educational programmes and relaxation strategies. Results are inconsistent due to the diversity of interventions and significant variation in methodological quality. Conclusion There is insufficient evidence to support definitive conclusions regarding the efficacy of any included intervention. A number of limitations, such as non-probability sampling, lack of blinding, and insufficient follow-up weaken the evidence. The inclusion of fathers in only three studies reflects the overall neglect of men in research regarding the prenatal relationship. Further in-depth study of the nature of the maternal/paternal–fetal relationship may be needed in order to allow for the identification of interventions that are consistently beneficial and worthwhile

Personality profiles of cultures: aggregate personality traits

Personality profiles of cultures can be operationalized as the mean trait levels of culture members. College students from 51 cultures rated an individual from their country whom they knew well (N = 12, 156). Aggregate scores on Revised NEO Personality Inventory scales generalized across age and gender groups, approximated the individual-level Five-Factor Model, and correlated with aggregate self-report personality scores and other culture-level variables. Results were not attributable to national differences in economic development or to acquiescence. Geographical differences in scale variances and mean levels were replicated, with Europeans and Americans generally scoring higher in Extraversion than Asians and Africans. Findings support the rough scalar equivalence of NEO-PI-R factors and facets across cultures, and suggest that aggregate personality profiles provide insight into cultural differences

Are men universally more dismissing than women? Gender differences in romantic attachment across 62 cultural regions

The authors thank Susan Sprecher (USA), Del Paulhus (Canada), Glenn D. Wilson (England), Qazi Rahman (England), Alois Angleitner (Germany), Angelika Hofhansl (Austria), Tamio Imagawa (Japan), Minoru Wada (Japan), Junichi Taniguchi (Japan), and Yuji Kanemasa (Japan) for helping with data collection and contributing significantly to the samples used in this study.Gender differences in the dismissing form of adult romantic attachment were investigated as part of the International Sexuality Description Project—a survey study of 17,804 people from 62 cultural regions. Contrary to research findings previously reported in Western cultures, we found that men were not significantly more dismissing than women across all cultural regions. Gender differences in dismissing romantic attachment were evident in most cultures, but were typically only small to moderate in magnitude. Looking across cultures, the degree of gender differentiation in dismissing romantic attachment was predictably associated with sociocultural indicators. Generally, these associations supported evolutionary theories of romantic attachment, with smaller gender differences evident in cultures with high–stress and high–fertility reproductive environments. Social role theories of human sexuality received less support in that more progressive sex–role ideologies and national gender equity indexes were not cross–culturally linked as expected to smaller gender differences in dismissing romantic attachment.peer-reviewe

Patterns and universals of mate poaching across 53 nations : the effects of sex, culture, and personality on romantically attracting another person’s partner

As part of the International Sexuality Description Project, 16,954 participants from 53 nations were administered an anonymous survey about experiences with romantic attraction. Mate poaching--romantically attracting someone who is already in a relationship--was most common in Southern Europe, South America, Western Europe, and Eastern Europe and was relatively infrequent in Africa, South/Southeast Asia, and East Asia. Evolutionary and social-role hypotheses received empirical support. Men were more likely than women to report having made and succumbed to short-term poaching across all regions, but differences between men and women were often smaller in more gender-egalitarian regions. People who try to steal another's mate possess similar personality traits across all regions, as do those who frequently receive and succumb to the poaching attempts by others. The authors conclude that human mate-poaching experiences are universally linked to sex, culture, and the robust influence of personal dispositions.peer-reviewe

Narcissism and the strategic pursuit of short-term mating : universal links across 11 world regions of the International Sexuality Description Project-2.

Previous studies have documented links between sub-clinical narcissism and the active pursuit of short-term mating strategies (e.g., unrestricted sociosexuality, marital infidelity, mate poaching). Nearly all of these investigations have relied solely on samples from Western cultures. In the current study, responses from a cross-cultural survey of 30,470 people across 53 nations spanning 11 world regions (North America, Central/South America, Northern Europe, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Southern Europe, Middle East, Africa, Oceania, Southeast Asia, and East Asia) were used to evaluate whether narcissism (as measured by the Narcissistic Personality Inventory; NPI) was universally associated with short-term mating. Results revealed narcissism scores (including two broad factors and seven traditional facets as measured by the NPI) were functionally equivalent across cultures, reliably associating with key sexual outcomes (e.g., more active pursuit of short-term mating, intimate partner violence, and sexual aggression) and sex-related personality traits (e.g., higher extraversion and openness to experience). Whereas some features of personality (e.g., subjective well-being) were universally associated with socially adaptive facets of Narcissism (e.g., self-sufficiency), most indicators of short-term mating (e.g., unrestricted sociosexuality and marital infidelity) were universally associated with the socially maladaptive facets of narcissism (e.g., exploitativeness). Discussion addresses limitations of these cross-culturally universal findings and presents suggestions for future research into revealing the precise psychological features of narcissism that facilitate the strategic pursuit of short-term mating

Narcisismo y búsqueda estratégica del emparejamiento a corto plazo a través de las culturas: Enlaces omnipresentes a través de 11 regiones mundiales del Proyecto de la descripción de la sexualidad internacional 2

Previous studies have documented links between sub-clinical narcissism and the active pursuit of short-term mating strategies (e.g., unrestricted sociosexuality, marital infidelity, mate poaching). Nearly all of these investigations have relied solely on samples from Western cultures. In the current study, responses from a cross-cultural survey of 30,470 people across 53 nations spanning 11 world regions (North America, Central/South America, Northern Europe, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Southern Europe, Middle East, Africa, Oceania, Southeast Asia, and East Asia) were used to evaluate whether narcissism (as measured by the Narcissistic Personality Inventory; NPI) was universally associated with short-term mating. Results revealed narcissism scores (including two broad factors and seven traditional facets as measured by the NPI) were functionally equivalent across cultures, reliably associating with key sexual outcomes (e.g., more active pursuit of short-term mating, intimate partner violence, and sexual aggression) and sex-related personality traits (e.g., higher extraversion and openness to experience). Whereas some features of personality (e.g., subjective well-being) were universally associated with socially adaptive facets of Narcissism (e.g., self-sufficiency), most indicators of short-term mating (e.g., unrestricted sociosexuality and marital infidelity) were universally associated with the socially maladaptive facets of narcissism (e.g., exploitativeness). Discussion addresses limitations of these cross-culturally universal findings and presents suggestions for future research into revealing the precise psychological features of narcissism that facilitate the strategic pursuit of short-term mating.Estudios previos, en primer lugar a través de las muestras de culturas occidentales, han documentado asociaciones sistemáticas del narcisismo subclínico con múltiples indicadores de estrategias del emparejamiento a corto plazo (p. ej. sociosexualidad ilimitada, infidelidad, caza de pareja). En este estudio se han usado respuestas de la encuesta transcultural de 30.470 personas de 53 naciones de 11 regiones mundiales (América del Norte, América del Sur/América Central, Europa del Norte, Europa del Oeste, Europa del Este, Europa del Sur, Oriente Próximo, África, Asia del Sur/Sudoeste de Asia, Asia del Este y Oceanía) para evaluar si el narcisismo (medido por el Inventario de Personalidad Narcisista; NPI) se asocia panuniversalmente con los indicadores del emparejamiento a corto plazo, tanto en la dirección, como en la intensidad. Los resultados sugieren que el narcisismo (incluidos muchos aspectos suyos medidos por el NPI) tiene las mismas asociaciones básicas con los rasgos de personalidad relacionados con el sexo (p. ej. extraversión alta) y con los resultados sexuales claves (p. ej. búsqueda más activa de las estrategias del emparejamiento a corto plazo) a través de las 11 mayores regiones mundiales del PDSI 2. La discusión se enfoca en las implicaciones y limitaciones del estudio actual

Three PLS-based methods for variable ranking and interaction detection

Abstract: Variable ranking can be important for the analysis of high-dimensional data. Identifying a subset of relevant variables can be useful both for subsequent model construction and for further investigation of the variables. Many methods for variable ranking and selection exist, but most do not consider interactions between the explanatory variables. In this thesis, three methods for variable ranking and two-way interaction detection in high-dimensions are proposed. The first method, called Pseudoloadings Ranking (PR), is based on a kernel Partial Least Squares (PLS) model, while the other two are based on the regular PLS algorithm. Interaction Ranking (IR) is an extension of well known filter methods for PLS. Random Interaction Ranking (RIR) ranks the variables by repeatedly selecting and evaluating subsets of variables. The ability of the methods to identify relevant variables was determined by simulation studies, and compared to an existing method. The PR method was unsuccessful in finding important interactions, while he IR and RIR methods had good performances and outperformed the existing method. The use of IR is however limited by memory requirements. The use of IR and RIR was illustrated by applying them to a gene expression dataset from Populus tremula. Some methods for evaluating the findings were proposed. Sammendrag: Variabelrangering kan være en viktige del av analyse av høydimensjonale data. Identifisering av en liten mengde relevante variable kan være nyttig både for modellbygging og videre utforskning av variablene. Det finnes mange metoder for variabelrangering og -seleksjon, men de fleste tar ikke hensyn til samspill mellom variablene. I denne oppgaven presenteres tre metoder for variabelrangering i situasjoner der det er samspill mellom variablene . Den første metoden, kalt Pseudoloadings Ranking (PR), er basert på en kernel Partial Least Squares (PLS) modell, mens de to andre er basert på den vanlige PLS algoritmen. Interaction Ranking (IR) er en utvidelse av kjente filtreringsmetoder for PLS. Random Interaction Ranking (RIR) rangerer variablene ved å velge ut og evaluere tilfeldige variabeldelmengder mange ganger. Metodenes evne til å identifisere de relevante variablene ble studert ved simulerings studier. PR metoden lykkes ikke i å finne viktige samspill, mens IR og RIR hadde gode resultater, også sammenlignet med en eksisterende metode. Bruk av IR metoden kan likevel være begrenset av minnebruk. IR og RIR ble også anvendt på genekspresjonsdata fra Populus tremula. Noen metoder for evaluering av resultatene ble foreslått.M-BIA