Pre- and postnatal determinants of parenting stress in mothers of one-year-old twins

This study examined whether parenting stress in mothers of one-year-old twi ns can be predicted by their prenatal and postnatal personal well-being, ma rital support, social support and the presence of other children in the fam ily. Forty mothers of twins participated in a research study conducted pre- and postnatally in their homes. The first interview was at around 27 weeks of pregnancy; the second occurred one year following the twins' birth. At both times, the mothers completed the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-30) . At the secund interview, the Parenting Stress Index (PSI) was also admini stered. Regression analyses showed that parenting stress was significantly predicted by pre- and postnatal personal well-being and marital support. Ne ither social support nor the presence of other children in the family predi cted parenting stress in a significant way.