A Framework has been developed that provides nurses with a theoretical basis for using relaxation with guided imagery with primiparas (first-time mothers) to reduce anxiety and depression and to increase self-esteem, thereby promoting maternal role attainment and expected infant behavior during the postpartum period. Although relaxation with guided imagery (RGI) has been used clinically in many situations, no research studies were found that reported using RGI with new mothers. However, because RGI has been effective in altering the responses of adults and children in diverse settings, it is inferred that RGI could be effectively used in helping primiparas adapt to the pressures of parenthood. An RGI protocol for use with new mothers is presented.
References
1.
Achterberg, J. (1989). Mind and medicine: The role of imagery in healing. Journal of the American Society for Psychical Research, 83(2), 93-100.
2.
Achterberg, J., & Lawlis, G. F. (1984). Imagery and disease: A diagnostic tool for behavioral medicine. Champaign, IL: Institute for Personality and Ability Testing.
3.
Ainsworth, M.D.S. (1982). Early caregiving and later patterns of attachment. In M. H. Klaus & M. O. Robertson (Eds.), Birth, interaction and attachment (pp. 35-43). Skillman, NJ: Johnson and Johnson Baby Products.
4.
Barber, T. X., Chauncey, H. M., & Winer, R. A. (1964). The effect of hypnotic and non-hypnotic suggestion on parotid gland response to gustatory stimuli. Psychosomatic Medicine, 26(4), 374-380.
5.
Battle, J. (1979). Relationship between self-esteem and depression. Psychological Reports, 42, 745-746.
6.
Brazelton, T. B. (1982). Mother-infant reciprocity. In M. H. Klaus, T. Leger, & M. A. Trause (Eds.), Maternal attachment and mothering disorders (pp. 49-54). Skillman, NJ: Johnson and Johnson Baby Products.
7.
Broussard, E. R. (1976). Neonatal prediction and outcome at 10/11 years. Child Psychiatry and Human Development, 7, 85-93.
8.
Broussard, E. R. (1980). Assessment of the adaptive potential of the mother infant system: The neonatal perception inventories. Seminars in Perinatology, 3(1), 91-100.
9.
Broussard, E. R., & Hartner, M.S.S. (1970). Maternal perceptions of the neonate as related to development. Child Psychiatry and Human Development, 1(1), 16-25.
10.
Broussard, E. R., & Hartner, M.S.S. (1971). Further considerations regarding maternal perception of the first born. In J. Hellmuth (Ed.), Exceptional infant (Vol. 2, pp. 444-445). New York: Brunner/Mazel.
11.
Burr, W. R. (1973). Theory construction and the sociology of the family (pp. 124-142). New York: Wiley.
12.
Clark, C. C. (1988). Stress and coping. In R. P. Zahourek (Ed.), Relaxation and imagery: Tools for therapeutic communication and intervention (pp. 121-138). Philadelphia: W. B. Saunders.
13.
Coburn, J., & Manderino, M. A. (1986). Stress inoculation: An illustration of coping skills training. Rehabilitation Nursing, 11, 14-17.
14.
Condon, W. S., & Sander, L. W. (1974). Neonate movement is synchronized with adult speech: Interactional participation and language acquisition. Science, 183, 99-101.
15.
Craig, K. D. (1969). Physiological arousal as a function of imagined, vicarious and direct stress experiences. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 73, 513-520.
16.
Crnic, K. A., Greenberg, M. T., Robinson, N. M., & Ragozin, A. S. (1984). Maternal stress and social support: Effects on the mother-infant relationship from birth to eighteen months. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 54(2), 224-235.
17.
Donovan, M. I. (1980). Relaxation with guided imagery: A useful technique. Cancer Nursing, 3, 27-32.
18.
Donovan, M. I. (1981). Study of the impact of relaxation with guided imagery on stress among cancer nurses. Cancer Nursing, 4, 121-126.
19.
Epstein, S. (1976). Anxiety, arousal, and the self-concept. In I. G. Sarason & C. D. Spielberger (Eds.), Stress and anxiety: The series in clinical psychology (Vol. 3, pp. 185-224). Washington, DC: Hemisphere.
20.
Fabry, J. J. (1980). Depression. In R. H. Woody (Ed.), Encyclopedia of clinical assessment (Vol. 2, pp. 588-601). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
21.
Fehring, R. J. (1983). Effects of biofeedback-aided relaxation on the psychological stress symptoms of college students. Nursing Research, 32(6), 362-366.
22.
Frank, J. M. (1985). The effects of music therapy and guided visual imagery on chemotherapy induced nausea and vomiting. Oncology Nursing Forum, 12, 47-52.
23.
Gawain, S. (1978). Creative visualization. Mill Valley, CA: Whatever Publishing.
24.
Geden, E. A., Lower, M., Beattie, S., & Beck, N. (1989). Effects of music and imagery on physiologic and self-report of analogued labor pain. Nursing Research, 38(1), 37-41.
25.
Harris, G. M., & Johnson, S. B. (1983). Coping imagery and relaxation instructions in a covert modeling treatment for test anxiety. Behavior Therapy, 14(1), 144-157.
26.
Holden-Lund, C. (1988). Effects of relaxation with guided imagery on surgical stress and wound healing. Research in Nursing and Health, 11 (4), 235-244.
27.
King, J. V. (1988). A holistic technique to lower anxiety: Relaxation with guided imagery. Journal of Holistic Nursing, 6(1), 16-20.
28.
Lamontagne, L. L., Mason, K. R., & Hepworth, J. T. (1985). Effects of relaxation on anxiety in children: Implications for coping with stress. Nursing Research, 34(5), 289-292.
29.
Lazarus, R. S., & Averill, J. R. (1972). Emotion and cognition: With special references to anxiety. In C. D. Spielberger (Ed.), Anxiety: Current trends in theory and research (Vol. 2, pp. 242-283). New York: Academic Press.
30.
Leifer, M. (1977). Psychological changes accompanying pregnancy and motherhood. Genetic Psychology Monographs, 95, 55-96.
31.
Luck, P. W., & Heiss, J. (1972). Social determinants of self-esteem in adult males. Sociology and Social Research, 57, 69-84.
32.
Majewski, J. L. (1986). Conflicts, satisfactions, and attitudes during transition to the maternal role. Nursing Research, 35(1), 10-14.
33.
Mandler, G. (1982). Stress and thought processes. In L. Goldberger & S. Breznitz (Eds.), Handbook of stress: Theoretical and clinical aspects (pp. 88-104). New York: Free Press.
34.
Marinelli, R. P. (1980). Anxiety. In R. H. Woody (Ed.), Encyclopedia of clinical assessment (Vol. 1, pp. 559-574). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
35.
May, J. R., & Johnson, H. J. (1973). Physiological activity to internally elicited arousal and inhibitory thoughts. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 82(2), 239-245.
36.
McGuigan, F. J. (1971). Covert linguistic behavior in deaf subjects during thinking. Journal of Comparative and Physiological Psychology, 75, 417-420.
37.
McLean, P. D. (1976). Depression as a specific response to stress. In I. G. Sarason & C. D. Spielberger (Eds.), Stress and anxiety: The series in clinical psychology (Vol. 3, pp. 297-323). Washington, DC: Hemisphere.
38.
Meichenbaum, D. (1978). Why does using imagery in psychotherapy lead to change? In J. L. Singer & K. S. Pope (Eds.), The power of human imagination. New York: Plenum.
39.
Mercer, R. T. (1985). The process of maternal role attainment over the first year. Nursing Research, 34(4), 198-204.
40.
Paivio, A., & Simpson, H. M. (1966). The effect of word abstractness and pleasantness on pupil size during an imagery task. Psychonomic Science, 5, 55-56.
41.
Pearlin, L. I., Lieberman, M. A., Menaghan, E. G., & Mullan, J. T. (1981). The stress process. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 22, 337-356.
42.
Roberts, F. B. (1983). Infant behavior and the transition to parenthood. Nursing Research, 32(4), 213-217.
43.
Rosenberg, M. (1965). Society and the adolescent self-image. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.
44.
Seligman, M.E.P. (1975). Helplessness: On depression, development, and death. San Francisco: Freeman.
45.
Shone, R. (1988). Creative visualization: How to use imagery and imagination for self-improvement. Rochester, VT: Destiny.
46.
Spielberger, C. D. (1975). Anxiety: State-trait-process. In C. D. Spielberger & I. G. Sarason (Eds.), Stress and anxiety: The series in clinical psychology (Vol. 1, pp. 115-143). Washington, DC: Hemisphere.
47.
Thornton, R., & Nardi, P. M. (1975). The dynamics of role acquisition. American Journal of Sociology, 80(4), 870-885.
48.
Ventura, J. N. (1982). Parent coping behaviors, parent functioning, and infant temperament characteristics. Nursing Research, 31(5), 269-273.
49.
Vissing, Y., & Burke, M. (1984). Visualization: Techniques for health care workers. Journal of Psychosocial Nursing and Mental Health Services, 20, 29-32.
50.
Walker, L. O. (1989). Stress process among mothers of infants: Preliminary model testing. Nursing Research, 38(1), 10-16.
51.
Walker, L. O., Crain, H., & Thompson, E. (1986). Mothering behavior and maternal role attainment during the postpartum period. Nursing Research, 35(6), 352-355.
52.
Weisman, A., & Worden, R. J. (1977). Coping and vulnerability in cancer patients: A research report. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University, Department of Psychiatry.
53.
Zahourek, R. P. (1988a). Imagery. In R. P. Zahourek (Ed.), Relaxation and imagery: Tools for therapeutic communication and intervention (pp. 3-27). Philadelphia: W. B. Saunders.
54.
Zahourek, R. P. (1988b). Overview: Relaxation and imagery: Tools for therapeutic communication and intervention. In R. P. Zahourek (Ed.), Relaxation and imagery: Tools for therapeutic communication and intervention (pp. 3-27). Philadelphia: W. B. Saunders.
