FAMILYPSYCH
Perinatal health and early childhood.
Through this line of research, the aim is to advance knowledge in the following areas:
- Perinatal mental health (parents and infants during the first year).
- Study of family risk and protective factors in children’s development (parent–child attachment in both the prenatal and postnatal stages).
- Adverse relational experiences in childhood, parental stress, parenting competencies and parental mentalisation.
Current Projects.
Child in mind
Parental reflective functioning in parents of children aged 1 to 5 years.
Baby in mind
Study of family risk and protective factors during the prenatal stage and their impact on child development.
Other projects.
Transformations in family profiles within the Haurreskolak Network. Analysis of the impact of public policies supporting parenting in the Basque Country 2018–2025
Leire Iriarte Elejalde and Leire Gordo Cenizo
This project analyses the evolution of the sociodemographic and parenting profiles of families using the Haurreskolak network in the Basque Country, in relation to changes in public policies supporting parenting, work–life balance and fertility between 2018 and 2025.
In recent years, the Basque Country has developed a range of regulatory, economic and organisational measures aimed at supporting families, shared responsibility and child-rearing. These include financial allowances per child, childcare and work–life balance subsidies, the progressive expansion of free early childhood care services, support for the hiring of carers, the equalisation of parental leave entitlements, and the strengthening of the regulatory framework for child and family support.
These changes make it relevant to analyse how they influence the profile of families with young children, their work–life balance strategies, the use of parental leave, co-parenting dynamics, the subjective experience of parenting, and the relational and emotional context of early childhood care.
The project is conceived as an extension and update of a previous study conducted in 2018 by the Deusto FamilyPsych team in collaboration with Haurreskolak, focusing on family and psychological variables in families with children aged 0 to 2 years. In this new phase, it incorporates an analysis of the impact of recent public policies on families’ everyday experiences.
The relevance of this study is based on two main reasons: the Haurreskolak network provides a privileged setting for accessing a large and diverse sample of families with young children, and the analysis of their experiences makes it possible to assess, in an applied manner, the real scope of public policies aimed at supporting work–life balance and parenting in the Basque Country.
Relationship between reflective functioning, paternal and maternal competencies, and psychosocial adjustment in infants aged 0 to 3 years
Leire Gordo, Ana Martínez-Pampliega and Leire Iriarte
Link to the project “Keeping your baby in mind” (Haurreskolak Consortium): https://tubebeenmente.wixsite.com/deusto
Link to the “Thinking about your baby” project (general population: private and public nurseries, infants not attending nursery, etc.): https://pensandoentubebe.wixsite.com/deusto
The main objective of this project is to analyse the relationship between parental reflective functioning, parents’ self-perception of their parenting competencies, and the psychosocial adjustment of infants aged 0 to 3 years.
Parental mentalisation is a key factor in determining and explaining the transmission of secure attachment from parents to their children. Research examining the relationship between parental reflective functioning and children’s socioemotional adaptation and/or adjustment has focused almost exclusively on mothers’ reflective capacity, placing fathers in a secondary position. There is currently a growing recognition of the need to analyse the role and relevance of fathers in children’s care and socioemotional development.
Maternal prenatal affective bonding in women undergoing assisted reproductive techniques
Lucía Navarro, Ioseba Iraurgi and Ana Martínez-Pampliega
Evaluation of an attachment-based intervention programme with families and children at high risk of neglect
Leire Iriarte, Leire Gordo, Susana Corral and Ana Martínez-Pampliega
Resources.
Growing together
The guide Growing Together provides guidance for mothers, fathers and caregivers aimed at promoting children’s holistic, healthy and emotionally secure development. It is structured in three parts that address the main stages of early childhood, from birth to five years of age, and covers topics such as attachment, communication, routines, stimulation and learning. The approach of the guide is based on the principles of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child and on the importance of providing a safe and emotionally nurturing family environment.
Baby, welcome to the world (0–3 years)
This book helps parents reflect on the situations they will face during the first three years of their child’s life. The author places particular emphasis on the emotions of both adults and babies, as well as the importance of bonding. It is therefore not a traditional parenting guide with feeding, sleep or behavioural guidelines. Instead, it addresses, from a relational perspective, the baby’s needs, the changes experienced by mothers and fathers, and family dynamics. All of this is presented in accessible and approachable language.
Manual of Parent-Focused Psychotherapy
This book, aimed at mental health professionals, provides a theoretical and clinical framework for issues related to parenting from the very beginning of a baby’s life. It addresses challenges such as perinatal depression and prematurity, balancing theoretical and technical aspects. The effectiveness of this intervention is currently being evaluated both in Geneva, where the authors of the manual carry it out, and in several locations in our country where it is being implemented, such as Barcelona, Bilbao and Valladolid.