Social support and motivation for parenthood as resources against prenatal parental distress

During the pregnancy period, future parents differ substantially in their psychological adjustment, with some parents being more at risk for stress and depression than others. Grounded in self-determination theory, the present study aimed to investigate the role of motivation to have a child and the social support perceived by both partners in predicting partners’ psychological distress. We examined whether satisfaction of the psychological needs for autonomy, competence, and relatedness played an intervening role in associations of motivation and social support with future parents’ distress. Two hundred and forty-six Italian couples of heterosexual expecting parents participated. Using the Actor Partner Interdependence Model (APIM), results showed that perceived support and autonomous motivation to have a child in both partners relate positively to their own psychological need satisfaction. In turn, the satisfaction of needs relates negatively to depressive symptoms and stress, thereby mediating in both partners the effects of perceived support and quality of motivation to have a child. The implications of the findings for future research and clinical interventions are discussed.