Mixed Expectations: Effects of Goal Ambivalence during Pregnancy on Maternal Well‐Being, Stress, and Coping

Abstract

Ambivalence towards the childbearing goal is a source of significant distress to pregnant women with planned pregnancies and its effects seem to extend into the postpartum period. These findings may have important clinical implications for maternal and child well-being. Future studies should examine whether goal ambivalence during pregnancy affects the maternal-child relationship in the long term.