The mother — father — fetus triad and prenatal triad relationships in anticipation of a child: Pro et contra

Introduction. This article presents an overview of domestic and foreign studies emphasizing the relationship between several theoretical constructs. At the core is the construct of ‘prenatal triad relationships’, which we used to reveal the concept of ‘anticipated image of a child’ and the mechanisms of prenatal attachment and ideas about parenting. Materials and Methods. We analyzed 87 sources published in the RSCI, Google Scholar, Scopus, PubMed, MedLine, Web of Science, Crossref, Science Direct and Tailor & Francis databases whose keywords reflected the functioning of the mother — father — fetus triad and the specifics of prenatal triad relationships. Of these, 40 publications are directly cited in this article. Results. Our review consistently focuses on the mother — father — fetus triad and the triad relationships of its participants. We also discuss the asymmetry, asynchrony and unevenness of the triad participants’ contribution. In particular, the woman forms a dyad with the fetus earlier than her partner, while the man is included in it from the second half of pregnancy, experiencing a greater number of barriers on the way to establishing the father — fetus connection. The future child is represented by the partners’ subjective expectations and ideas. Prenatal triadic relationships are triggered by cognitive schemes of the anticipated image of the child and idealized ideas about parenthood, tied to cultural, social and subjective-personal determination. The development of prenatal triad relationships is explained by attachment theory: future parents experience prenatal attachment to the fetus and transfer it to postnatal relationships. Conclusions. Triad relationships at the stage of transition to parenthood are integrated into the mother — father — fetus system based on cognitive anticipation and prenatal attachment mechanisms. Prenatal triad relationships may predict partners’ postnatal behavior. Empirical study of triadic relationships serves to enrich our understanding of prenatal mental health and well-being.