Cent Eur J Nurs Midw 2020, 11(3):121-129 | DOI: 10.15452/cejnm.2020.11.0022

Mother-infant bonding in the postpartum period and its predictors

Lucia Mazúchová1, Simona Kelčíková1, Andrea Porubská2, Nora Malinovská3, Marián Grendár4
2 Department of Midwifery, Jessenius Faculty of Medicine in Martin, Comenius University in Bratislava, Slovakia$1 2Department of Midwifery, Department of Midwifery, Jessenius Faculty of Medicine in Martin, Comenius University in Bratislava, Slovakia (student)
3 Department of Foreign Languages, Jessenius Faculty of Medicine in Martin, Comenius University in Bratislava, Slovakia
4 Bioinformatics Unit, Biomedical Center Martin, Jessenius Faculty of Medicine in Martin, Comenius University in Bratislava, Slovakia

Aim: The aim of the study was to assess bonding between a mother and her child with an emphasis on its predictors as well as to identify the women who are at risk of mother-infant bonding disorders.

Design: A quantitative cross-sectional study.

Methods: To collect the relevant data, the Postpartum Bonding Questionnaire (PBQ) was used to assess the following four factors: quality of mother-infant bond (F1); rejection and pathological anger (F2); infant-focused anxiety (F3); incipient abuse of infant (F4). The research sample consisted of 200 women who were 0–6 weeks after childbirth. The received data were analysed using descriptive statistics, the Robust ANOVA and the Wilcoxon two-sample test.

Results: We identified 9.5% at-risk women in the F1; 1.5% at-risk women in the F2; 3.5% at-risk women in the F3; and 5% at-risk women in the F4. The following statistically significant predictors were shown in relation to the F1: child planning; the F3: parity; skin-to-skin contact support after birth.

Conclusion: Possible predictors and the mothers who are at risk in relation to a secure attachment connection were identified, which is important in terms of preventive interventions on the part of midwives.

Keywords: attachment, bonding, infant, midwives, mothers, postpartum period, skin-to-skin contact

Received: March 18, 2020; Revised: August 13, 2020; Accepted: August 28, 2020; Published: September 7, 2020  Show citation

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Mazúchová L, Kelčíková S, Porubská A, Malinovská N, Grendár M. Mother-infant bonding in the postpartum period and its predictors. Central European Journal of Nursing and Midwifery. 2020;11(3):121-129. doi: 10.15452/cejnm.2020.11.0022.
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