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Resistance to fear of child birth and stability of mother-child bond
Klabbers,G.A. Wijma,K. van Bakel,H.J.A. Paarlberg,K.M. Vingerhoets,A.J.J.M.
Klabbers,G.A.
Wijma,K.
van Bakel,H.J.A.
Paarlberg,K.M.
Vingerhoets,A.J.J.M.
Abstract
In order to examine (1) the stability of the mother-child-bond and (2) associations between mother-child-bonding and aspects of maternal-well-being, pregnant women (N = 170) completed measures on well-being and mother-child-bonding at two antepartum and two postpartum time points. We found relatively weak associations between mother-child-bonding at 20 weeks of gestation and mother-child-bonding at 6 months postpartum. Fear of childbirth was weakly, but statistically significantly associated with mother-child-bonding at 6 weeks (but not at 6 months) postpartum. Correlations between antepartum general well-being and social support, on the one hand, and mother-child-bonding, on the other, failed to reach statistical significance. Women with a partner had a better mother-child-bonding at 36 weeks of gestation and 6 months postpartum, than women without a partner, and older women had better mother-child-bonding at 20 weeks of gestation, than younger women. Our findings thus suggest that mother-child-bonding is not a very stable phenomenon, but it is quite robust against potential negative influences of poor maternal mental health.
Description
Funding This work was supported by Dutch Working Group of Psychosomatic Obstetrics and Gynaecology [grant number 2]; Dutch Association of Haptotherapists [grant number 1].
Date
2020
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Research Projects
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Keywords
ANTENATAL ATTACHMENT, ANXIETY, DEPRESSION, INFANT, PREGNANCY, PRENATAL ATTACHMENT, Pregnant women, QUESTIONNAIRE, RISK, STRESS, correlations, fear of childbirth, mother-child bonding
Citation
Klabbers, G A, Wijma, K, van Bakel, H J A, Paarlberg, K M & Vingerhoets, A J J M 2020, 'Resistance to fear of child birth and stability of mother-child bond', Early Child Development and Care, vol. 190, no. 2, pp. 175-184. https://doi.org/10.1080/03004430.2018.1461093