Premium
Pregnancy intendedness, maternal–fetal bonding, and postnatal maternal–infant bonding
Author(s) -
Shreffler Karina M.,
Spierling Tiffany N.,
Jespersen Jens E.,
Tiemeyer Stacy
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
infant mental health journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.693
H-Index - 75
eISSN - 1097-0355
pISSN - 0163-9641
DOI - 10.1002/imhj.21919
Subject(s) - pregnancy , unintended pregnancy , medicine , obstetrics , fetus , maternal health , demography , environmental health , population , family planning , health services , research methodology , genetics , biology , sociology
This study models associations between pregnancy intendedness and prenatal maternal–fetal bonding with postnatal maternal–infant bonding. Unintended pregnancies are associated with disruptions in maternal–infant bonding, which has long‐term adverse implications for maternal and child well‐being. Given the high proportion of births that are unintended in the United States, identifying protective factors is critical. Pregnant women (ages 16–38) were recruited from two prenatal clinics in a metropolitan city in the South Central United States at their first prenatal visit and followed throughout pregnancy and postbirth. Multiple regression analyses examined associations, mediation, and moderation. Results indicate that the more unintended/unwanted women reported their pregnancies to be, the lower they reported their maternal–infant bonding postbirth, and higher maternal–fetal bonding scores are associated with higher postnatal maternal–infant bonding. An interaction revealed that a higher level of prenatal bonding is protective for postnatal bonding among those with unintended/unwanted pregnancies. Because prenatal bonding can be enhanced through intervention, it is a promising target to reduce the risks associated with unintended pregnancy.