Pregnancy in the context of dyadic coping: a meta-analysis of foreign publications

Abstract

In the present article the mediating role of dyadic coping is discussed in various aspects, which one way or another are related to the context of pregnancy and the subsequent birth of a child, through the meta-analysis of empirical foreign researches. These are such aspects as spouses adaptation, quality of life, adult romantic affection, parental confidence, parental stress and depression. The period of expecting a child is seen as a common stress factor for the partners. This corresponds to the concept of pregnancy and first postnatal year under the changing social and cultural context that was generally accepted by the foreign and Russian psychology. In addition, the article addresses many aspects of gender-based differences in the use of dyadic coping. It is noted that in close relationship ineffective dyadic coping can cause the risk of family problems and dysfunction of its members, in such a case the emphasis is placed not so much on the support provided but on its subjective perception. The article concludes that the dyadic coping internal mechanisms in the period of expecting a child would be useful to study on a Russian sample as one of the possible ways of therapeutic support of family under stress.