Date of Submission

2025

Degree Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

Department

Psychology

Department Chair

Stephanie Felgoise, PhD, ABPP

First Advisor

Alexa Bonacquisti, PhD, PMH-C

Second Advisor

Stephanie Felgoise, PhD, ABPP

Third Advisor

Rachel Brookland, PsyD

Abstract

Childbirth dissatisfaction, defined as a woman’s negative evaluation of the labor and delivery experience, is common and can have significant consequences for women and their infants, particularly in terms of maternal functioning. Given that childbirth satisfaction is related to maternal functioning in the postpartum period, a better understanding of modifiable factors that could be targeted to bolster maternal functioning is warranted. Psychological flexibility, a construct from Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, has gained increasing empirical support as a modifiable factor for psychological distress and could serve as a potential construct to further examine the relationship between childbirth satisfaction and maternal functioning. However, little research has examined how psychological flexibility may influence the relationship between childbirth satisfaction and maternal functioning. The current study examined the relationships among childbirth satisfaction, maternal functioning, and psychological flexibility in primiparous postpartum mothers. Using a cross-sectional survey design, 116 primiparous postpartum mothers completed an online survey that included self-report measures of childbirth satisfaction, maternal functioning, and psychological inflexibility. Findings revealed that childbirth satisfaction and maternal functioning were negatively correlated with psychological inflexibility, and childbirth satisfaction and maternal functioning were positively correlated. Moreover, childbirth satisfaction and psychological flexibility predicted maternal functioning. Findings from this study can be used to inform screening, assessment, and development of programs and interventions that may benefit mothers, infants, and families.

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