TY - JOUR
T1 - Prenatal expectations and other psycho-social factors as risk factors of postnatal bonding disturbance
AU - Rusanen, Erja
AU - Vierikko, Elina
AU - Kojo, Tiina
AU - Lahikainen, Anja Riitta
AU - Pölkki, Pirjo
AU - Paavonen, E. Juulia
N1 - Funding Information:
Funding for this project were provided by Arvo and Lea Ylppö Foundation, Doctors' Association in Tampere, Foundation for Pediatric Research, Gyllenberg Foundation, The Academy of Finland, The Competitive Research Financing of the Expert Responsibility area of Tampere University Hospital, Yrjö Jahnsson Foundation. We thank the donators. The subjects have given the signed consent to the participation in this study and they were informed of their right to terminate their participation whenever they wished.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2021 The Authors. Infant Mental Health Journal published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of Michigan Association for Infant Mental Health
PY - 2021
Y1 - 2021
N2 - The mother's bond to her baby starts to develop during pregnancy, and it is related to the baby's attachment. We study how the mother's prenatal expectations of her unborn baby, the mother's adult relationships, and postnatal psycho-social factors (stress, depression, and anxiety) are related to the risk of bonding disturbance. The study comprised 1398 mothers and their unborn babies assessed both during pregnancy and when the babies were 3 months old (47.7% girls). The mother's risk of bonding disturbance was investigated using Brockington's Postpartum Bonding Questionnaire. According to the results, 71 (5.1%) of all the mothers in the study had a risk of a bonding disturbance. In a final adjusted logistic regression model, the most important risk factors were the mother's inability to form positive expectations about relationships with the baby during the third trimester of pregnancy (AOR = 7.78, p ≤.001), maternal postnatal stress (AOR = 4.95, p ≤.001) and maternal postnatal depression (AOR = 3.46, p ≤.01). The results challenge healthcare professionals to screen pregnant mothers to identify at-risk groups for post-partum bonding disturbances. Intervention programs to prevent the development of bonding disturbances, and thus their possible serious consequences for children's development, should be considered.
AB - The mother's bond to her baby starts to develop during pregnancy, and it is related to the baby's attachment. We study how the mother's prenatal expectations of her unborn baby, the mother's adult relationships, and postnatal psycho-social factors (stress, depression, and anxiety) are related to the risk of bonding disturbance. The study comprised 1398 mothers and their unborn babies assessed both during pregnancy and when the babies were 3 months old (47.7% girls). The mother's risk of bonding disturbance was investigated using Brockington's Postpartum Bonding Questionnaire. According to the results, 71 (5.1%) of all the mothers in the study had a risk of a bonding disturbance. In a final adjusted logistic regression model, the most important risk factors were the mother's inability to form positive expectations about relationships with the baby during the third trimester of pregnancy (AOR = 7.78, p ≤.001), maternal postnatal stress (AOR = 4.95, p ≤.001) and maternal postnatal depression (AOR = 3.46, p ≤.01). The results challenge healthcare professionals to screen pregnant mothers to identify at-risk groups for post-partum bonding disturbances. Intervention programs to prevent the development of bonding disturbances, and thus their possible serious consequences for children's development, should be considered.
KW - postnatal bonding
KW - postnatal depression
KW - postnatal stress
KW - Postpartum Bonding Questionnaire (PBQ)
KW - prenatal expectations
U2 - 10.1002/imhj.21941
DO - 10.1002/imhj.21941
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85114617701
VL - 42
IS - 5
ER -
