During the pregnancy period, future parents differ substantially in their psychological adjustment, with some parents being more at risk for stress and depression than others. Grounded in self-determination theory, the present study aimed to investigate the role of motivation to have a child and the social support perceived by both partners in predicting partners’ psychological distress. We examined whether satisfaction of the psychological needs for autonomy, competence, and relatedness played an intervening role in associations of motivation and social support with future parents’ distress. Two hundred and forty-six Italian couples of heterosexual expecting parents participated. Using the Actor Partner Interdependence Model (APIM), results showed that perceived support and autonomous motivation to have a child in both partners relate positively to their own psychological need satisfaction. In turn, the satisfaction of needs relates negatively to depressive symptoms and stress, thereby mediating in both partners the effects of perceived support and quality of motivation to have a child. The implications of the findings for future research and clinical interventions are discussed.

中文翻译：

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社会支持和为人父母的动机作为应对产前父母痛苦的资源

在怀孕期间，未来的父母在心理适应方面存在很大差异，有些父母比其他父母更容易出现压力和抑郁症。本研究以自我决定理论为基础，旨在调查生育动机和伴侣双方感知到的社会支持在预测伴侣心理困扰中的作用。我们检查了对自主性、能力和相关性的心理需求的满足是否在动机和社会支持与未来父母痛苦的关联中发挥了干预作用。246 对异性恋准父母的意大利夫妇参加了比赛。使用参与者合作伙伴相互依赖模型 (APIM)，结果表明，双方对孩子的感知支持和自主动机与他们自己的心理需求满意度呈正相关。反过来，需求的满足与抑郁症状和压力呈负相关，从而在双方中调节感知支持的影响和生孩子的动机质量。讨论了研究结果对未来研究和临床干预的影响。