Carolyn J Corkindale

Flinders University · School of Social and Policy Studies

Aim: This paper presents data on the amount of contact a large cohort of first-time Australian grandparents have with their grandchild, and the amount of child care they provide. It compares these with grandparents' expectations and desired levels. Method: Prospective grandparents were assessed on multiple measures before the birth of their gran...

Objective: Using data from the Australian First-Time Fathers Study, this article investigates the relationship between a father’s antenatal attachment to his foetus and his subsequent attachment to his infant at 6 and 12 months postnatally. Method: 204 first-time expectant fathers were assessed, and subsequently reassessed at 6 and 12 months postpa...

Little is known about what factors adolescent males consider important when making decisions concerning the resolution of an unplanned pregnancy with a teenage partner. Young men's influence on pregnancy outcome decisions can play an important part in the subsequent psychological adjustment of the female. The present report draws on data from a lar...

High levels of distress have previously been reported among expectant fathers, with the level of distress for new fathers falling after the birth and during the first year of their infants' lives. The aim of the present study was to report on the associations with the fathers' initial high levels of distress. The men completed a series of questionn...

This research examined adolescent males’ decision-making when confronted with a hypothetical unplanned pregnancy in a sexual partner. An innovative methodology, involving a computerized simulation game was utilized with 386 Australian males (mean age of 15 years). Data were gathered from responses made during the simulation, and questionnaires asse...

Objective In comparison to its female counterpart, the transition of men to parenthood has been relatively neglected in previous research. The present paper argues that men may have gender-specific risk factors for perinatal psychological distress and may manifest distress in ways different from women. The prime objective of this research was to do...

In comparison to its female counterpart, the transition of men to parenthood has been relatively neglected in previous research. The present paper argues that men may have gender-specific risk factors for perinatal psychological distress and may manifest distress in ways different from women. The prime objective of this research was to document cha...

Recent research suggests that many adolescents hold unrealistic and idealised beliefs about the likely consequences of pregnancy and parenthood. Such attitudes potentially play an important role in the aetiology of adolescent pregnancy. Disillusionment with reality may also contribute to postnatal depression, domestic violence and child abuse. This...

Teenage pregnancy is one of the most significant adolescent health issues in Australia. It has a potentially long-term deleterious impact both on the adolescent and, if the pregnancy is continued, on the offspring. In addition to the high emotional cost, the economic cost is considerable in terms of medical care, loss of educational opportunities,...

This paper reports on a small, randomised controlled trial involving a school-based intervention targeting adolescents' idealised beliefs about pregnancy and parenthood. An intervention group of adolescents were assessed two weeks before and two weeks after viewing and discussing a video of three adolescent mothers describing the consequences of th...

In most research involving maternal infant attachment, the attachment construct has been assessed by behavioural observation. The problems inherent in this approach, including its high cost and labour-intensive nature, are briefly reviewed. It is suggested that the behavioural approach could be usefully complemented by enquiry into the mother's sub...

Maternal-foetal attachment represents the earliest and most basic form of human intimacy, and has both theoretical and clinical significance. Utilizing a previously published self-report questionnaire to assess antenatal attachment, the present paper explores its correlates using 238 women in the third trimester of pregnancy. Extrapolating from stu...

The objective of this study was to ascertain the degree of agreement between four self-report depression scales, with particular emphasis on whether each scale would identify the same subgroup of women as being 'most depressed'. The questionnaires were administered to a sample of approximately 200 postnatal women at 4 weeks, 4 months and 8 months a...