A recent study revealed that the words paramedical staff use to describe the fetus during prenatal ultrasound may impact later parenting.
For example, if an ultrasound’s poor quality is attributed to an “uncooperative” fetus, it may contribute to minimising parental involvement.
The research was recently published in Communications Psychology.
For the study, researchers focused on up to 320 pregnant ladies interviewed between 3rd and 9th months of pregnancy, as reported by the HealthDay.
The ladies were later asked to analyse their infant’s behaviour and emotional challenges at 18 months of age.
The results indicated that mothers who reviewed their unborn child more positively were less likely to report behavioural and emotional difficulties in the child at 18 months.
On the other hand, women who review their unborn child negatively were more likely to report trouble regulating their child’s emotions, such as poor sleep, and being emotionally detached.
An assistant professor of psychology at the University of Notre Dame in Indiana and lead author Kaylin Hill stated:
“Of course we want to help support parents,and this research suggests a first step may be to talk with health care providers, to highlight the importance of these seemingly small differences in word choice during salient moments with pregnant patients.”
Hill continued, “One of the highest risk periods for depression is the perinatal period, where individuals are experiencing changes across so many levels of functioning — physical, psychological and social.”
“If an ultrasound experience is impacting how an individual sees their child, that could potentially influence aspects of the caregiving relationship, which is really important for both parent and child outcomes over time,” she added.
The research suggests that negative terms such as “uncooperative” may promote negative perceptions and increased behavioural and emotional challenges.
