Partner Support during Pregnancy: How Important is It?

The importance of social support, especially during pregnancy, cannot be overstated – humans are social animals, and the social environment is a powerful predictor of health. As a previous blog post explored, vast amounts of research literature establish that a robust and wholesome social ecology predicts better health outcomes for both the mother and the infant. However, such research initially considered all kinds and forms of support under the broad domain of ‘social support’. Subsequent academic literature has identified that social support can have differing effects depending on its source – and one important source of support, as research finds, is that from the partner.

A mother’s relationship with the partner may be considered amongst the most central of relationships that she harbours, especially during her pregnancy. Hence, the social support received from the partner has a more crucial role to play than the support received from other loved ones. A study (Ross et al., 2017) compared whether maternal inflammation (immune response of the body) during pregnancy was associated with social support and relationship quality with their partner, closest friend and family. The study reported that the only significant association of maternal inflammation was with the partner relationship quality. Mothers who experience high levels of support from their partners during pregnancy experience lower levels of distress in the months following the birth of the infant, which is known to be a stressful time for new mothers (Stapleton et al., 2012). Data from close to 3000 women showed that lower degrees of partner support have also been associated with mid-pregnancy depression and anxiety, and high-risk behaviours such as smoking (Cheng et al., 2016).

It has also been documented that exchange of affection, discussion, and mutual inclusion with the marital partner enhances the experience of pregnancy and parenthood for the mother. It is also important to note that the effects of a successful and mutually empathetic relationship are also beneficial to the father, inducing a positive approach to fathering, and also positively impacting the postpartum adjustment of new fathers (Brown, 1986).

Beyond enhancing the subjective maternal experience of pregnancy, effective social support received from the partner also bears a heavy impact on the infant. Mothers who had greater support from their partners during their pregnancy reported that their infants were much more calm, relaxed when exposed to novelty, and had easy temperaments up to 6-8 weeks after birth (Stapleton et al., 2012). Further, partner support that was perceived as highly positive/helpful predicted adaptive immunity markers in infants at 3 months of age.

As the above discussion brought to light, the partner plays a critical role in the maternal experience of pregnancy, conferring numerous positive benefits to the mother and infant’s physical and mental health and wellbeing. However, this understanding raises many questions – can supplementary interventions be useful for single mothers to overcome the gap presented by the lack of a partner? Can mothers with troubled marital relations take steps to overcome the negative effects of the same? Do same-sex partners experience these benefits in a similar manner? While research is yet to explore these questions, advocacy must take foreground and spread the word about the critical importance of partner support during pregnancy, and actively seek out ways in which its absence can be overcome.

References:

1. Brown, M. A. (1986). Marital Support During Pregnancy. Journal of Obstetric, Gynecologic & Neonatal Nursing, 15(6), 475–483. doi:10.1111/j.1552-6909.1986.tb01427.x

2. Cheng, E. R., Rifas-Shiman, S. L., Perkins, M. E., Rich-Edwards, J. W., Gillman, M. W., Wright, R., & Taveras, E. M. (2016). The Influence of Antenatal Partner Support on Pregnancy Outcomes. Journal of Women’s Health, 25(7), 672–679. doi:10.1089/jwh.2015.5462

3. Ross, K. M., Miller, G., Qadir, S., Keenan-Devlin, L., Leigh, A. K. K., & Borders, A. (2017). Close relationship qualities and maternal peripheral inflammation during pregnancy. Psychoneuroendocrinology, 77, 252–260. doi:10.1016/j.psyneuen.2017.01.003

4. Ross, K. M., Thomas, J. C., Letourneau, N. L., Campbell, T. S., & Giesbrecht, G. F. (2019). Partner social support during pregnancy and the postpartum period and inflammation in 3-month-old infants. Biological Psychology. doi:10.1016/j.biopsycho.2019.03.005

5. Stapleton, L. R. T., Schetter, C. D., Westling, E., Rini, C., Glynn, L. M., Hobel, C. J., & Sandman, C. A. (2012). Perceived partner support in pregnancy predicts lower maternal and infant distress. Journal of Family Psychology, 26(3), 453–463. doi:10.1037/a0028332