The influence of pregnant couples’ attachment representation for parents of origin on their psychological symptoms

Abstract

This study investigated the significant difference in the influences of pregnant couples’ attachment representation for parents of origin on their psychological symptoms according to groups. One hundred and eighty two pregnant couples answered the questionnaire. Data were analyzed by means of frequency, percentages, t-test. Pearson’s correlation using SPSS ver. 21.0 and multiple group structural equation modeling using AMOS ver. 20.0. The findings are as follows. First, there were significant differences in attachment representations according to parents of origin and psychological symptoms between pregnant women and spouses. Second, there were negative influences of attachment representations to parents of origin on psychological symptoms for both the pregnant women group and their spouses group, respectively. Last, the negative effects of attachment representation for parents of origin on their psychological symptoms according to groups were significantly different; consequently, the impact on the spouses group was stronger than the pregnant women group. The results imply that policies to help pregnant couples reduce psychological symptoms should be provided. In addition, the unexpected result on the weaker impact of pregnant women’s attachment representation for parents of origin on their psychological symptoms suggests it is better to consider other factors simultaneously (such as a romantic attachment to spouses) that might provide a moderating role. The study results are meaningful because it is the first to apply a statistically advanced method to analyze pregnant women and spouses in relation to parents of origin on their psychological symptoms. Keywords: attachment representation, psychological symptoms, multiple group analysis, moderating effect