Mother-child bonding at 1 year; associations with symptoms of postnatal depression and bonding in the first few weeks

Abstract

Some mothers experience neutral or negative feelings toward their new infant. This study examined the association between symptoms of postnatal depression and mother-infant bonding and the persistence of these feelings over the first year. Bonding was assessed using the Mother-Infant Bonding Scale (MIBQ), at four times postnatal, "early weeks" (1-4 weeks), 9 weeks, 16 weeks and 1 year, in 50 depressed, Edinburgh Postnatal Depression scale (EPDS) ≥13 at 4 weeks post natal, and 29 non-depressed mothers. A significant association between the EPDS score at 4 weeks and bonding score at 1-4 weeks, 9 weeks, and at 1 year postnatal, χ(2)(1) = 9.85, p < 0.01, 5.44, p < 0.05 and 5.21, p < 0.05, respectively, was found, with a trend at 16 weeks. There was a strong association between bonding in the early weeks and all later time points χ(2)(1) = 17.26, p < 0.001, 7.89, p < 0.01 and 13.69, p < 0.001, respectively. Regression showed early bonding rather than early depression was the major predictor of bonding at 1 year. Women who are depressed postnatally can fail to bond well with their baby and this can persist for a year. Early identification and intervention for poor bonding is indicated.

Maternal Depression and Mother-to-Infant Bonding: The Association of Delivery Mode, General Health and Stress Markers

“…Promoting good mother-child attachment during pregnancy may influence the level of postpartum depression [4]. Several studies have demonstrated the association between maternal depression and MIBS [22] [23] [24]. Our present study supports that maternal depressive status affects mother-to-infant bonding in Japan.…”

Development of a Pre- and Postnatal Bonding Scale (PPBS)

“…It can be used as a screening instrument, because of its short duration and user-friendly setup. Such a reliable and validated scale for measuring pre-as well as postnatal bonding, makes it possible to investigate the predictive value of low prenatal bonding scores on postnatal bonding scores and, possibly, on infant attachment [23]. In clinical practice, it can be helpful in detecting mothers with higher risk for developing problems in bonding.…”

“…Maternal postnatal depression has a strong negative association with postnatal bonding [19,[20][21][22][23][24]. On the other hand, social and partner support were found to be positively correlated to postnatal bonding [19,21].…”

“…On the other hand, social and partner support were found to be positively correlated to postnatal bonding [19,21]. Postnatal bonding is known to be the best predictor of bonding later on in life [23].…”

Using positron emission tomography to investigate hormone-mediated neurochemical changes across the female lifespan: implications for depression

“…Post-partum depression (PPD) is defined as a major depressive episode starting within 4 weeks of delivery, and markedly affects 13% of women within the first 3 months of giving birth. With its high prevalence rate, PPD is ranked as the most common medical complication of child-bearing (Sit & Wisner, 2009); and with its extremely adverse effect on maternal-infant bonding and infant development (O'Higgins, Roberts, Glover, & Taylor, 2013;Poobalan et al, 2007;Weikum, Oberlander, Hensch, & Werker, 2012), it is a critical concern.…”