Background: The mother-infant attachment begins to form during pregnancy and is important for the future development of the child. Pregnancy complications can affect this relationship. The purpose of the study was to identify predictors of maternal-fetal attachment in physiological and high-risk pregnancies.
Participants and procedure: The study group included women in pregnancies with congenital disorders (n = 65) or with other pregnancy complications (n = 65). A third group included women in healthy pregnancies (n = 65). Data were collected by: the Maternal-Fetal Attachment Scale, the Questionnaire of Attachment Styles, the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, the Social Support Scale, a standardized interview, the Dependency on Intimate Partner Scale, and the Pregnancy Experiences Scale.
Results: No significant differences in maternal-fetal attachment (MFA) were found between the groups. No predictors of MFA were observed for the women with a pregnancy with a congenital disorder. In the group of pregnancies with other complications, the only predictor of attachment intensity was pregnancy experience: a more negative attitude toward pregnancy was associated with lower MFA. In physiological pregnancies, MFA was found to be determined by pregnancy experience, gestational age, maternal age and dependency on one's intimate partner. MFA increased as pregnancy progressed. Younger mothers in physiological pregnancies, who have more positive pregnancy experiences and are less dependent on a partner, achieve higher levels of MFA.
Conclusions: The presence of high-risk pregnancy, or its absence, does not differentiate the intensity of the emotional bond between mother and fetus. However, women with healthy pregnancies demonstrate different predictors of MFA than those with high-risk pregnancies.
Keywords: high-risk pregnancy; pregnancy experience; prenatal attachment.
Copyright © Institute of Psychology, University of Gdansk.