New parent life adjustment

The arrival of a first baby requires major lifestyle adjustments - that's something any parent will attest to. Exactly what people find most difficult, however, depends on a number of factors, as does how well they cope. Dr. Elaine Scharfe, of Trent's psychology department, began in 1998 to interview and follow the pregnancy, birth and first year for first-time parents of a variety of ages and backgrounds (90 mothers and 65 fathers), and her research will continue until the spring of 2002. In the meantime, however, she and the students helping her with the interview process have discovered a common theme: women suffering from postpartum depression were encountering difficulties getting help in the community.

Last fall, Scharfe was presented with the opportunity to act on this observation when a group of local health care providers approached her to collaborate on a grant application to the Ontario Women's Health Council. This collaboration includes Trent University, the Peterborough County-City Health Unit, the Women's Health Care Centre, the Peterborough Family Resource Centre and the Peterborough Regional Health Centre. If approved, the grant will enable Scharfe, her researchers and the team of community organizations to set up a demonstration project offering women a number of options for treatment of postpartum depression, from peer support to one-on-one therapy.

Scharfe describes this off-shoot of her initial project as "a real community collaboration," and she says she sees the effort as a way to help local families - and the community - become healthier.

At the same time, Trent students are benefiting from the experience, as well, assisting on a number of different levels. From data entry of the questionnaires to conducting the personal interviews, they're getting first-hand research experience, preparing them for graduate school and/or their own careers. The chance to get involved with professors' research as an undergraduate, Scharfe says, is "a wonderful opportunity to apply the knowledge they learn in lectures.'' This experience, similar to co-op placements, prepares them for the job market - an advantage, she adds, is one of the benefits students will find at a small university.

Scharfe and her team will continue to follow their volunteer parent recruits until their children's first birthdays, examining each parent's personality profile and monitoring any changes. When the study is completed and published, she says she hopes to be able to look back and feel that she's "done something to help families." And, thanks to the unique opportunity they've had for first-hand, "real world" research, her student assistants get an early glimpse of how theory can be put into practice - and of just one way the benefits of their own education can extend into the community and beyond.