"Insight at a Cost": Postpartum Depressed Mothers' Experiences with the Circle of Security-Parenting Program.

The Circle of Security-Parenting (COSP™) program is an American psychoeducational intervention designed to improve parental sensitive responsiveness and foster secure attachment. This qualitative study explores the experiences of mothers of infants who participated in COSP™. Fourteen Danish mothers...

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Published in:Journal of Child & Family Studies Vol. 34; no. 9; pp. 2471 - 2487
Main Authors: Holmegaard, Karoline, Smith-Nielsen, Johanne, Stuart, Anne C., Frees, Amanda, Lassen, Nina M., Væver, Mette S.
Format: Article
Published: Springer Nature Sep2025
Subjects:
Online Access:View this record in EBSCOhost
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        atl: "Insight at a Cost": Postpartum Depressed Mothers' Experiences with the Circle of Security-Parenting Program.
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        au:
          Holmegaard, Karoline
          Smith-Nielsen, Johanne
          Stuart, Anne C.
          Frees, Amanda
          Lassen, Nina M.
          Væver, Mette S.
        affil: https://ror.org/035b05819 Centre of Excellence in Early Intervention and Family Studies, Department of Psychology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
      su:
        Denmark
        Qualitative research
        Evaluation of human services programs
        Interviewing
        Spouses
        Parenting
        Confidence
        Randomized controlled trials
        Mother-infant relationship
        Sound recordings
        Psychology of mothers
        Parental sensitivity
        Statistical sampling
        Postpartum depression
        Psychoeducation
        Descriptive statistics
        Thematic analysis
        Data analysis software
        Case studies
      sug:
        subj:
          Qualitative research
          Evaluation of human services programs
          Interviewing
          Spouses
          Parenting
          Confidence
          Randomized controlled trials
          Mother-infant relationship
          Sound recordings
          Psychology of mothers
          Parental sensitivity
          Denmark
          Marketing Research and Public Opinion Polling
          Integrated Record Production/Distribution
          Sound recording merchant wholesalers
          Record Production
          Statistical sampling
          Postpartum depression
          Psychoeducation
          Descriptive statistics
          Thematic analysis
          Data analysis software
          Case studies
      keyword:
        Child-mother attachment
        Circle of Security
        Early intervention and prevention
        Maternal postpartum depression
        Medical and Health Sciences Public Health and Health Services
        Parenthood
        Child-mother attachment
        Circle of Security
        Early intervention and prevention
        Maternal postpartum depression
        Medical and Health Sciences Public Health and Health Services
        Parenthood
      ab: The Circle of Security-Parenting (COSP™) program is an American psychoeducational intervention designed to improve parental sensitive responsiveness and foster secure attachment. This qualitative study explores the experiences of mothers of infants who participated in COSP™. Fourteen Danish mothers fulfilling diagnostic criteria for Postpartum Depression (PPD) were interviewed. Through reflexive thematic analysis, five main themes were developed: (1) Identifying negative lenses and connections to own childhood experiences led to the experience of relationship changes, (2) Experience of enhanced understanding of and ability to meet child's needs, (3) Reflections in the group: a journey of insight and emotional strain, (4) Strengthening family bonds through collaborative parenting, and (5) Misalignment between program content and participants' lived realities - developmental, emotional and cultural barriers. The results suggest that COSP™ was overall found to facilitate greater awareness of meeting the infant's needs and for more mothers, an increased confidence in their parenting role. However, the results also indicate that COSP™ may not be the optimal choice of intervention for mothers diagnosed with PPD and their infants, as program adaptations may be needed for this population. Adaptations could include increased focus on the here-and-now relationship with the child, less emphasis on the parent's own upbringing, strategies for how to cope with the depressive symptoms during interactions with the infant, culturally relevant materials, and more post-program support. Highlights: Mothers experienced increased awareness of their infants' needs and enhanced parenting confidence. Group reflections fostered insight but also emotional strain for participants. Identifying connections to mothers' own childhood experiences led to experiences of relationship changes. Emotional and cultural barriers affected program alignment with participants' realities. Adaptations may be needed to better support postpartum depressed mothers.
      pubtype: Academic Journal
      doctype: Article
      src: R
    language: English
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