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Effect of Gender-Role Orientation of Primiparous Mothers on Their Cognitive Appraisals, Coping Strategies, and Mood Postpartum

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Abstract

Cognitive appraisals of mothering as a challenge and threat, coping strategies, affect balance, and depression were studied in 91 married gender-typed, cross-gender typed, and androgynous primiparous middle-class Israeli mothers of infants aged 3–5 months. The results indicated that gender-typed and androgynous women had significantly higher challenge scores and lower threat scores than did cross-gender typed women. With regard to coping strategies, gender-typed and androgynous women used more support-seeking than did cross-gender typed women. Gender-typed women also used less problem-focused strategy and more emotion-focused strategy than did cross-gender typed women. Gender-typed and androgynous women manifested more positive affect balance and less depression than did the cross-gender typed women.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Bar-Ilan University, Ramat-Gan, Israel

    Lilly Dimitrovsky

  2. Bar-Ilan University, Ramat-Gan, Israel

    Rachel Levy-Shiff & Galit Perl

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  1. Lilly Dimitrovsky
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  2. Rachel Levy-Shiff
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  3. Galit Perl
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Dimitrovsky, L., Levy-Shiff, R. & Perl, G. Effect of Gender-Role Orientation of Primiparous Mothers on Their Cognitive Appraisals, Coping Strategies, and Mood Postpartum. Sex Roles 43, 593–604 (2000). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1007156022935

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