Side preference in women and men when holding their newborn child: psychological background
- 1 January 1984
- journal article
- Published by Wiley in Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica
- Vol. 69 (1) , 13-23
- https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1600-0447.1984.tb04512.x
Abstract
In a prospective study 81 randomly selected parents awaiting their first baby were interviewed early during pregnancy and again during the week after delivery. About 80% of the women and their partners were found to hold their child to the left, and 20% to the right, irrespective of handedness. There was no relation between side preference in child holding in the couples. Common to both sexes is the trend that left‐holders are more attached to and identified with the parent of their own sex whereas right‐holders are more attached to and identified with the parent of the opposite sex. Right‐holders have also more often had mental symptoms prior to pregnancy and were concerned about the pregnancy, delivery and health of the child at birth.Keywords
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