Pathways and Barriers to Parenthood

1. Front Matter

   Pages i-xvii

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2. Giving Birth to Meaning: Understanding Parenthood Through the Psychology of Meaning in Life

   • Jessica L. Morse, Michael F. Steger

   Pages 1-17

3. The Experience of Infertility: An Unexpected Barrier in the Transition to Parenthood

   • Brennan Peterson, Jean Marie S. Place

   Pages 19-37

4. In Pursuit of Parenthood: The Highs and Lows of Fertility Treatment

   • Vera Skvirsky, Orit Taubman – Ben-Ari

   Pages 39-57

5. Fertility Problems and Fertility Care in Sub-Saharan Africa: The Case of Kenya

   • Henny M. W. Bos, Floor B. van Rooij, Tammary Esho, Wanjiru Ndegwa, Aida Bilajbegovic, Benjamin Kioko et al.

   Pages 59-82

6. Fertility Treatment Through the Eyes of the Media: Words, Metaphors, and Images in Israeli Media Coverage of Fertility and Fertility Treatment

   • Shirley Ben Shlomo, Oneg Kabizon-Pery

   Pages 83-99

7. Health and Development of Children Born Following Assisted Reproductive Technology Treatments

   • Adel Farhi, Saralee Glasser, Liat Lerner-Geva

   Pages 101-111

8. Psychological and Ethical Issues in Third Party Assisted Conception and Surrogate Motherhood

   • Olga van den Akker

   Pages 113-125

9. Resilience to Prenatal Stress

   • Michael Ungar, Kristin Hadfield, Nicole Bush, Amélie Quesnel-Vallée, Igor Pekelny

   Pages 127-153

10. Parenting in Hetero-Gay Families: Motivations, Assumptions, Gender and Culture

    • Dorit Segal-Engelchin, Sarah Jen, Pauline I. Erera

    Pages 155-171

11. Reproductive Autonomy: Sex Selection as a Defining Case Study

    • Gil Siegal

    Pages 173-183

12. From Cradle to Grave: A Terror Management Theory Analysis of Parenthood

    • Sheldon Solomon

    Pages 185-198

13. The Impact of Birth on Women’s Health and Wellbeing

    • Susan Ayers, Alexandra Sawyer

    Pages 199-218

14. Resolution of Difficult Experiences and Future Parenting

    • Miri Scharf, Pnina Isenberg-Borenstein, Rachel Marcow Rosenberg

    Pages 219-234

15. Confronting Existential Concerns in the Transition to Parenthood: A Theoretical and Therapeutic Model

    • Noga Levin-Keini, Shirley Ben Shlomo

    Pages 235-249

16. Health Behavior, Health Promotion, and the Transition to Parenthood: Insights from Research in Health Psychology and Behavior Change

    • Martin S. Hagger, Kyra Hamilton

    Pages 251-269

17. Blossoming and Growing in the Transition to Parenthood

    • Orit Taubman – Ben-Ari

    Pages 271-290

18. Attachment and the Transition to Parenthood

    • W. Steven Rholes, Ramona L. Paetzold

    Pages 291-303

19. Attachment, Caregiving, and Parenting

    • Mario Mikulincer, Phillip R. Shaver

    Pages 305-319

20. Back Matter

    Pages 321-341

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This volume explores the transition to parenthood from a holistic developmental approach, relating to barriers such as fertility problems and traumatic childbirth, as well as pathways such as positive experiences of pregnancy and childbirth. It presents an extended process, beginning with infertility issues, continuing with subjects pertaining to decisions regarding parenthood, pregnancy and birth, and ending with the early stages of parenthood from a positive psychology perspective. The volume draws on theories of resilience, meaning, terror management, and attachment, and considers psychological, sociological, legal, policy, medical, and therapy issues. It relates to the developmental needs of individuals and couples, as well as to the role played by family, society, and the media, offering a comprehensive in-depth evaluation of the latest topics.

• Life Transitions
• Coping with Infertility
• Reproductive Psychology
• Parenthood and Positive Psychology
• Personal Growth
• Aspects of Fertility Preservation
• Fertility Treatment
• Media and Fertility
• Surrogate Motherhood and Psychological Adaption
• Resilience to Prenatal Stress
• Hetero-Gay Family
• Sex Selection of Future Children
• Parenthood and Mental Health Issues
• Analyzing Parenthood
• Health Promotion and the Transition to Parenthood

• Bar-Ilan University, Ramat Gan, Israel

  Orit Taubman – Ben-Ari

Orit Taubman – Ben-Ari is a psychologist and professor at the Louis and Gabi Weisfeld School of Social Work at Bar Ilan University in Israel. For over fifteen years she has been studying intergenerational relationships and personal growth following life transitions and stress-related events, such as the transition to parenthood and grandparenthood, and coping with infertility. Her scholarly publications were among the first to introduce the construct of personal growth to the discourse on life transitions. She is interested in exploring both the deleterious and positive or constructive predispositions and outcomes within families coping with various stress-related events. She has published extensively on these issues in international journals.

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