Mother-Daughter and Husband-Wife Attachment as Predictors of Psychological Well-Being during Pregnancy

Abstract

This study explores the influence of mother-daughter and husband-wife attachment, and social support on the psychological well-being of women during pregnancy. The design represents passive observational approach. Self-completed instruments were used to measure mother-daughter, and husband-wife attachment, social support, and psychological well-being for a convenience sample of 115 middle-class women, who attended prenatal classes at an urban health department in Canada. Multiple correlational and regression techniques were used to analyze the relationships among study variables. Results supported the hypothesis that mother-daughter and husband-wife attachment relationships were significant predictors of psychological well-being of women during pregnancy. There was significant pairwise relationship between psychological well-being and social support; however, after adjusting for husband-wife and mother-daughter attachment, there was no longer any significant relationship between the two variables. Findings provide new insights into the role of unique attachment relationships in promoting psychological well-being for pregnant women.