Abstract
The importance of prenatal attachment, probably as the initial attachment of a pregnant woman to the fetus and which turn into the maternal-baby attachment after birth, for the well-being of the newborn and mother is well known. The aim of the present study was to explore the possible socio-demographic and clinical factors (personality features, styles used in coping with stress, depression, and situational anxiety levels, and marital adjustment) affecting maternal-fetal attachment. Eighty women on their third trimesters of pregnancy were included in the study. After examination by a psychiatrist, a detailed socio-demographic form and scales including Prenatal Attachment Inventory, Basic Personality Traits Scale, Coping with Stress Attitudes Inventory, State-Trait Anxiety Inventory-1, Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), and Marital Adjustment Scale were applied. Educational level, marital adjustment, social support, and turning to religion as a coping mechanism with stress were found to be positively correlated with prenatal attachment scores. The duration of marriage and number of giving births and the avoidance/disengagement subscale of Coping with Stress Scale and BDI scores were negatively correlated with prenatal attachment scores. A BDI score of ≥17 (this score suggests moderate and/or severe symptoms of depression) was found to be an independent and a negative variable on prenatal attachment. We suggest that the detection of symptoms of depression and other factors that may affect prenatal attachment, may help shed light to the interventions to be performed to improve the quality of maternal-fetal attachment by society and governments.
Highlights
Mother–baby bound is the first relationship of a baby with a human as being his/her mother; it is one of the most important relationship in life with respect to theoretical, clinical, and social aspects [1]
Educational level, marital adjustment, social support, and turning to religion as a coping mechanism with stress were found to be positively correlated with prenatal attachment scores
The duration of marriage and number of giving births and the avoidance/disengagement subscale of Coping with Stress Scale and Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) scores were negatively correlated with prenatal attachment scores
Summary
Mother–baby bound is the first relationship of a baby with a human as being his/her mother; it is one of the most important relationship in life with respect to theoretical, clinical, and social aspects [1]. In a meta-analysis including 14 studies on the factors affecting mother–baby bonding, the authors have evaluated the biological and environmental factors, such as social support, anxiety, self-esteem, and depression, the pregnancy-related factors, such as gestational age, planned/unplanned pregnancy, pregnancy number, high risk pregnancy, and gestational follow-up visits, and the sociodemographic data, such as age, race, married/unmarried pregnant women, income level, and educational status. The authors have found that social support is the most effective biological factor, anxiety, self-esteem, and depression are effective [5]. Of the pregnancy-related factors, gestational age of the mother was the most effective factor. Regular gestational follow-up visits, and establishment of the pregnancy by ultrasound had moderate positive effects, and planned pregnancies had a weak positive effect on mother–baby bonding. Age, race, marital status, income level, and educational status had
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