NEWNHAM FELLOW PROFESSOR CLAIRE HUGHES SHARES THE FASCINATING RESULTS OF HER INTERNATIONAL STUDY ON THE EXPERIENCES OF PARENTS OF BABIES AND TODDLERS: MOTHERS AND FATHERS SHARE SOME OF THE SAME CHALLENGES AND THEIR WELLBEING DIRECTLY AFFECTS THEIR INFANTS

Becoming a parent is often a transformative experience, eagerly awaited and a source of pride and joy, but also of anxiety and doubt. Between 10 and 20% of new parents experience postnatal depression, while difficult births cause post-traumatic stress disorder in around 9% of new mothers. As the first 1000 days of life are now recognized as being of crucial development in human development, difficult experiences in the transition to parenthood carry intergenerational consequences.

While society’s expectations of new mothers and new fathers are still very different, fathers are now much more involved in early childcare. But so far, research in this field has focused very heavily on mothers. To address this gap, Claire recently conducted an international study of new fathers and mothers in Cambridge, New York and the Netherlands, the results of which she’ll share in this talk.

ABOUT THE CONTRIBUTOR

Professor Claire Hughes (NC 1986) is Professor of Developmental Psychology at Cambridge and a Fellow of Newnham. Her research is based in the Centre for Family Research. For the past fifteen years, she has conducted a series of studies (funded principally by the ESRC) following up a socially diverse sample of children to examine the origins and consequences of individual differences in theory of mind and executive function for children’s social relationships and adjustment to primary and secondary school. Her other studies include international collaborative investigations into theory of mind and executive function in children from different cultures as well as more applied work developing tools for teachers to identify children likely to benefit from extra support during the transition to school.