Resistance to fear of child birth and stability of mother-child bond. Issue 2 (25th January 2020)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Klabbers, Gert A.; Wijma, Klaas; van Bakel, Hedwig J.A.; Paarlberg, K. Marieke; Vingerhoets, Ad J.J.M.
• Is Part Of: Early child development and care. Volume 190:Issue 2(2020)
• Page Start: 175
• Page End: 184
• Publication Date: 2020-01-25
• Subjects: Pregnant women -- mother-child bonding -- fear of childbirth -- correlations; Child development -- Periodicals; Children -- Services for -- Periodicals; 155.405
• DOI: 10.1080/03004430.2018.1461093
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0300-4430

Abstract

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.