Advantages of postponed motherhood

Uvod: Vse več je žensk, ki na prvo mesto postavljajo kariero, na drugo mesto pa dom in družino. Trend naraščanja odloženega materinstva se v zadnjih desetletjih opaža predvsem v razvitih državah ter tudi v Sloveniji. Višja, kot je starost nosečnice, večja možnost je zapletov v nosečnosti, obporodnem in poporodnem obdobju. Namen: Namen diplomskega dela je raziskati, kakšen vpliv ima odloženo materinstvo na žensko in njenega otroka. S pomočjo teoretičnega pregleda se raziskuje, kakšne so psihosocialne značilnosti žensk, ki se odločajo za odloženo materinstvo in kako psihosocialne značilnosti vplivajo na otroka. Metode dela: V diplomskem delu je bila uporabljena opisna oziroma deskriptivna metoda dela. Zbiranje podatkov je potekalo s pregledom in kritičnim izborom strokovne in znanstvene literature v slovenskem in angleškem jeziku, na področju prednosti odloženega materinstva. Podatki so se zbirali s pomočjo slovenskih in tujih podatkovnih baz: CINAHL with full text, Google Učenjak, PubMed, Medline in Science Direct, do katerih se je dostopalo preko oddaljene povezave knjižnice Zdravstvene fakultete v Ljubljani. Uporabila se je predvsem literatura v starosti zadnjih 15 let. Narejena je bila kvalitativna analiza izbranih študij. Pridobljene študije so bile ocenjene tudi glede na metodološko kakovost. Rezultati: Edina potrjena psihosocialna značilnost starejših mam, ki bi lahko pomenila prednost, je višja izobrazba. Dobra izobrazba, dobro delovno mesto in posledično večji zaslužek lahko vodijo do občutka večje sreče, boljša je kognitivna funkcija mater zaradi več socialnih interakcij in bolj pogoste so dejavnosti z otrokom, kot na primer branje, igranje iger in pomoč pri domači nalogi, ki delujejo kognitivno spodbudno. Ženske, ki se pozneje odločajo za otroke, kasneje nastopijo menopavzo, kar jim zmanjša tveganje za srčni infarkt, možgansko kap in druge srčno-žilne bolezni, ki so vodilni vzrok smrti po svetu in tako lahko tudi živijo dlje. Materinstvo v poznejših letih vpliva tudi na psihosocialne značilnosti otrok, saj so otroci starejših mam bolj zdravi, imajo manj nenamernih poškodb, manj socialnih in čustvenih težav ter kasneje v življenju nižji delež zlorabe substanc in pri njih je zaznati nižjo stopnjo mladoletniškega kriminala. Razprava in zaključek: Skoraj neobstoječe so študije o psihosocialnih značilnostih žensk, ki se odločajo za poznejše materinstvo. Razen dejstva, da so visoko izobražene, ni dokazov o specifičnih karakteristikah teh žensk. Večina študij je raziskovala vpliv in ne etiologijo poznega materinstva. Rezultati študij nakazujejo, da so bolj izobražene mame bolj ozaveščene o zdravju in zdravih življenjskih navadah, ki jih posledično prenesejo na otroka. Otrok, ki bo celo predšolsko in šolsko obdobje preživel v urejenem, zdravem okolju, se bo verjetno posluževal zdravega načina življenja tudi v prihodnje. Kljub temu, da v fizičnem smislu odloženo materinstvo predstavlja slabost, lahko trdimo, da psihosocialne prednosti odloženega materinstva obstojijo.Introduction: An increasing number of women prioritise their careers over their homes and families. In recent decades, there has been an increasing trend of delayed motherhood, particularly in developed countries and also in Slovenia. The older the pregnant woman, the greater the risk of complications in pregnancy, obstetrics, and postpartum. Purpose: The purpose of the thesis is to investigate the impact of delayed motherhood on a woman and her child. The theoretical review investigates the psychosocial characteristics of women who choose to delay motherhood, and how psychosocial characteristic influence on child. Methods: In this thesis, the descriptive method of work was used. Data was gathered by reviewing and critically selecting professional and scientific literature in Slovenian and English on the benefits of deferred motherhood. The data was gathered using Slovenian and foreign databases, including CINAHL with full text, Google Scholar, Pub Med, Medline and Science Direct which were accessed via a remote link from the library of the Faculty of Health in Ljubljana. In particular, literature from the last 15 years has been used. A qualitative analysis of the selected studies was carried out. The studies obtained were also assessed for methodological quality. Results: Higher education is the only proven psychosocial characteristic of older mothers that may confer an advantage. A good education, a good job, and higher earnings can all lead to a greater sense of happiness. Mothers\u27 cognitive function improves as a result of more social interactions and more frequent cognitively stimulating activities with their children, such as reading, playing games, and assisting with homework. Women who delay having children enter menopause later, lowering their risk of heart attack, stroke, and other cardiovascular diseases, the leading cause of death worldwide, and thus living longer. Motherhood in later years also has an impact on children\u27s psychosocial characteristics, as children of older mothers are healthier, have fewer accidental injuries, have fewer social and emotional problems, and have a lower proportion of substance abuse and a lower rate of juvenile crimes later in life. Discussion and conclusion: There have been few studies on the psychosocial characteristics of women who choose later motherhood. Aside from the fact that they are highly educated, there is no evidence of these women\u27s specific characteristics. The majority of studies looked at the consequences of late motherhood rather than the aetiology. According to the findings of the studies, more educated mothers are more aware of health and healthy living habits, which are then passed on to their children. A child who spends their entire preschool and school period in an orderly, healthy environment is more likely to adopt a healthy lifestyle in the future. Despite the fact that delayed motherhood is physically disadvantageous, the psychosocial benefits of delayed motherhood can be argued