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Gioia MC, Cerasa A, Muggeo VMR, Tonin P, Cajiao J, Aloi A, Martino I, Tenuta F, Costabile A, Craig F. The relationship between maternal-fetus attachment and perceived parental bonds in pregnant women: Considering a possible mediating role of psychological distress. Front Psychol 2023; 13:1095030. [PMID: 36726507 PMCID: PMC9885764 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.1095030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2022] [Accepted: 12/19/2022] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Maternal-Fetal Attachment (MFA) delineates the emotional, cognitive, and behavioral aspects that mothers develop toward the unborn baby during pregnancy. The literature indicates that optimal attachment in pregnancy represents a protective factor for the mother-child attachment bond after birth and child development outcomes. To date, there are few studies that have investigated associated factors of MFA. This study sets out to explore the association between perceived parental bonds and maternal-fetal bonding in pregnant women, accounting for factors such as psychological distress, socio-demographic and obstetric characteristics. Methods In this cross-sectional study, 1,177 pregnant women answered the Parental Bonding Instrument, the Maternal-Fetal Attachment Scale, State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI-Y), and Beck-Depression Inventory (BDI-II). Results We found out that perceived maternal and paternal care had significant direct effects on maternal-infant bonding during the pregnancy period when controlling for some confounders, including gestational age and mother age among others. Such maternal and paternal perceived care effects were not mediated by levels of psychological distress, which in turn resulted to be a "borderline" significant predictor of prenatal attachment. Interestingly, the gestational age and the mother age emerged to have a significant and synergic nonlinear effect, suggesting the influence on the MFAS of the gestational age depends on the values of the mother age, and likewise, the effect of mother age on MFAS depends on the gestational week. Conclusion This study expands our knowledge of the intergenerational transmission of attachment pointing out the effects of a woman's perceived bond in relation to her parental figures during the development of the prenatal attachment process. Findings also suggests that parenting support interventions may have benefits that are realized across generations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria C. Gioia
- iGreco Ospedali Riuniti, Cosenza, Italy,Associazione di Volontariato Mammachemamme, Cosenza, Italy
| | - Antonio Cerasa
- Institute for Biomedical Research and Innovation (IRIB), National Research Council of Italy (CNR), Messina, Italy,Pharmacotechnology Documentation and Transfer Unit, Preclinical and Translational Pharmacology, Department of Pharmacy, Health Science and Nutrition, University of Calabria, Rende, Italy,S’Anna Institute, Crotone, Italy,*Correspondence: Antonio Cerasa,
| | - Vito M. R. Muggeo
- Department of Economics, Business and Statistics, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy
| | | | - Juanita Cajiao
- Faculty of Medicine Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Alessia Aloi
- Associazione di Volontariato Mammachemamme, Cosenza, Italy
| | - Iolanda Martino
- Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, Institutes of Neurology, Magna Græcia University of Catanzaro, Catanzaro, Italy
| | - Flaviana Tenuta
- Department of Cultures, Education and Society, University of Calabria, Cosenza, Italy
| | - Angela Costabile
- Department of Cultures, Education and Society, University of Calabria, Cosenza, Italy
| | - Francesco Craig
- Department of Cultures, Education and Society, University of Calabria, Cosenza, Italy,Scientific Institute, IRCCS E. Medea—Unit for Severe Disabilities in Developmental Age and Young Adults, Brindisi, Italy
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Kerr S, Penner F, Ilagan G, Choi-Kain L, Sharp C. Maternal interpersonal problems and attachment security in adolescent offspring. Borderline Personal Disord Emot Dysregul 2022; 9:18. [PMID: 35773724 PMCID: PMC9248194 DOI: 10.1186/s40479-022-00188-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2022] [Accepted: 06/01/2022] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Research on parent-level factors linked to adolescent attachment security would inform interventions to prevent or reduce youth psychopathology and other negative outcomes. The current study examined one relevant parent-level variable: maternal interpersonal problems. Interpersonal problems, a key characteristic of personality pathology, are well described by the interpersonal circumplex (IPC) and have been shown to be associated with maladaptive adult attachment in close/romantic relationships; however, studies have not examined relationships with offspring attachment. Therefore, the first aim of the current study was to examine the relationship between maternal interpersonal problems and adolescent attachment insecurity. Based on previous evidence that parents' recalled bonding with caregivers is associated with the quality of bonding and attachment with offspring, the second aim was to examine whether mothers' recalled bonding with their own mothers partially explained this relationship. METHODS Participants included 351 psychiatric inpatient adolescents (Mage = 15.26, 64.1% female) and their biological mothers. Logistic regressions tested whether maternal interpersonal problems were associated with Child Attachment Interview classifications (secure vs. insecure; secure vs. preoccupied vs. dismissing; not disorganized vs. disorganized). A mediation model (N = 210) tested whether the relationship between maternal interpersonal problems and adolescent attachment was mediated by the mother's recalled maternal bonding. RESULTS Maternal interpersonal problems were associated with insecure (vs. secure), dismissing (vs. secure), and preoccupied (vs. secure) attachment. There was no significant relationship between maternal interpersonal problems and disorganized attachment. Mediation analyses showed that maternal interpersonal problems were indirectly related to adolescent attachment security via the mother's recalled maternal care, though only a small amount of variance (7%) in adolescent offspring attachment was accounted for by the model. CONCLUSIONS Results provide the first evidence that maternal interpersonal problems are associated with higher likelihood of insecure attachment in adolescents. Therefore, researchers could consider drawing upon the IPC literature to further examine mechanisms of intergenerational risk and to tailor interventions aimed to improve parent-child relations and attachment. Additionally, findings highlight the mediating role of the mothers' recalled experiences with caregivers in the transmission of risk, suggesting attachment-based or mentalization-based interventions may be helpful for mothers with interpersonal problems and personality pathology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sophie Kerr
- Department of Psychology, University of Houston, 3695 Cullen Blvd, Room, Houston, TX, 126, USA
| | - Francesca Penner
- Department of Psychology, University of Houston, 3695 Cullen Blvd, Room, Houston, TX, 126, USA.,Child Study Center, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
| | | | - Lois Choi-Kain
- Gunderson Personality Disorders Institute, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA, USA.,Harvard Medical School, Department of Psychiatry, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Carla Sharp
- Department of Psychology, University of Houston, 3695 Cullen Blvd, Room, Houston, TX, 126, USA.
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Kalfon Hakhmigari M, Peled Y, Krissi H, Levy S, Molmen-Lichter M, Handelzalts JE. Anxious Attachment Mediates the Associations Between Early Recollections of Mother's Own Parental Bonding and Mother-Infant Bonding: A 2-Month Path Analysis Model. Front Psychiatry 2021; 12:682161. [PMID: 34366916 PMCID: PMC8336863 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2021.682161] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2021] [Accepted: 06/01/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Parental bonding (recollection of own parents' parenting), adult attachment, and mother-infant bonding are all closely related yet distinct concepts of the parent-child relationship, sometimes used interchangeably in the literature. This study aimed to examine the associations between these concepts in a longitudinal path analysis design. A total of 262 postpartum women who gave birth at the maternity ward of a large tertiary health center in Israel completed a demographic questionnaire, the Experiences in Close Relationships Scale (ECR), the Parental Bonding Instrument (PBI) at 1-4 days postpartum, and the Postpartum Bonding Questionnaire (PBQ) at 2 months postpartum. Parental care factor (PBI) was found to be associated with mother-infant bonding (PBQ), directly and indirectly through insecure anxious attachment (ECR). Denial of autonomy factor (PBI) was found to be associated with mother-infant bonding (PBQ) only through insecure anxious attachment (ECR). Encouragement of behavioral freedom factor (PBI) was found to be associated with mother-infant bonding (PBQ) in a simple correlation but not in the complete model. The results highlight the intergenerational aspects of parenting and suggest that early childhood interventions with parents may have a long-term impact on child-rearing though generations, and by that on children's development.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Yoav Peled
- The Helen Schneider Hospital for Women, Rabin Medical Center, Petah Tikva, Israel
- Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Haim Krissi
- The Helen Schneider Hospital for Women, Rabin Medical Center, Petah Tikva, Israel
- Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Sigal Levy
- Statistics Education Unit, The Academic College of Tel Aviv-Yafo, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Maayan Molmen-Lichter
- School of Behavioral Sciences, The Academic College of Tel Aviv-Yafo, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Jonathan E. Handelzalts
- School of Behavioral Sciences, The Academic College of Tel Aviv-Yafo, Tel Aviv, Israel
- Psychiatry Department, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, United States
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Maternal-fetal attachment and perceived parental bonds of pregnant women. Early Hum Dev 2021; 154:105310. [PMID: 33508560 PMCID: PMC7910275 DOI: 10.1016/j.earlhumdev.2021.105310] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2020] [Revised: 12/22/2020] [Accepted: 01/11/2021] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The parental bond is characterized by the perception of care and protection received by parental figures throughout human development. During the gestational period, the intensity in which the woman manifests behaviors and feelings for the fetus was denominated maternal-fetal attachment (MFA). In this perspective, the literature indicates that there is association between MFA and the pregnant woman's perception about the bond established with her parents. AIMS This study aimed to evaluate the association between MFA and perceived parental bonds of pregnant women in the city of Pelotas/RS (Brazil). STUDY DESIGN This is a cohort study with 839 women during their gestational period. All women answered to the Parental Bonding Instrument to investigate the perceived parental bonds, and the MFA was assessed through the Maternal-Fetal Attachment Scale. RESULTS The main results showed that perceived paternal overprotection was associated with a higher MFA after adjustment (B 2.00 CI95% 0.30; 3.70). Additionally, the pregnant women who were in the first trimester of pregnancy (p < 0.001), who did not live with a partner (p = 0.018), and who did not feel supported by the baby's father during pregnancy (p = 0.014) presented lower scores of MFA. CONCLUSION This study showed the importance of the paternal role in the women's life, considering the perception of the bond with their father during their development, an adequate support by the father of the baby, and the presence of a partner during pregnancy. As a result, the paternal role may influence the feelings and behaviors of greater affection, care, and concern regarding the fetus.
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