Mother–infant bonding impairment across the first 6 months postpartum: the primacy of psychopathology in women with childhood abuse and neglect histories

Abstract

Purpose Our goal was to examine the trajectory of bonding impairment across the first 6 months postpartum in the contexts of maternal risk, including maternal history of childhood abuse and neglect and postpartum psychopathology, and to test the association between self-reported bonding impairment and observed positive parenting behaviors. Method In a sample of women with childhood abuse and neglect (CA) histories (CA+, n=97) and a healthy control comparison group (CA-, n=53), participants completed questionnaires related to bonding with their infant at 6 weeks, 4 months, and 6 months postpartum and postpartum psychopathology at 6 months postpartum. In addition, during a 6 months postpartum home visit, mothers and infants participated in a dyadic play interaction subsequently coded for positive parenting behaviors by blinded coders. Results We found that all women independent of risk status increased in bonding to their infant over the first 6 months postpartum; however, women with postpartum psychopathology (depression and PTSD) showed consistently greater bonding impairment scores at all times points. Moreover, we found that at the 6 months assessment bonding impairment and observed parenting behaviors were significantly associated. Conclusion These results highlight the adverse effects of maternal postpartum depression and PTSD on mother-infant bonding in early postpartum in women with child abuse and neglect histories. These findings also shed light on the critical need for early detection and effective treatment of postpartum mental illness in order to prevent problematic parenting and the development of disturbed mother-infant relationships. Results support the use of the Parenting Bonding Questionnaire (PBQ) as a tool to assess parenting quality by its demonstrated association with observed parenting behaviors.

A prospective study of the parent–baby bond in men and women 15 months after birth

“…Also, similarly to the current study, Muzik et al (2013) found a general increase in the mother-infant bonding quality over the first six months postpartum irrespective of risk status (e.g. mental health problem), but longitudinal research of the trajectory of both parents' bonding with their baby past this early period remains sparse.…”

“…Paternal depression has also been shown to have negative effects on the parenting behaviours of fathers (for a meta-analysis, see Wilson & Durbin, 2010). Some evidence suggests bonding difficulties may also arise in parents suffering from childbirth-related PTSD (Muzik et al, 2013;Nicholls & Ayers, 2007;Parfitt & Ayers, 2009). However, longitudinal research of parent-baby bonding that incorporates the father as well as the mother, including a range of mental health variables remains sparse.…”

Struggling with one’s own parenting after an upbringing with substance abusing parents

“…Emotional abuse has the most negative effect on a child’s development (Allen, 2011; Glaser, 2011; Iwaniec, Larkin, & Higgins, 2006), and is that form of abuse most likely to influence one’s own parenting in a variety of negative ways (Banyard, Williams, & Siegel, 2003; Muzik et al, 2013; Steele et al, 2016). …”

The prevalence of posttraumatic stress disorder in pregnancy and after birth: A systematic review and meta-analysis

“…This could be due to various methodological differences, such as the use of different PTSD measures and heterogeneity of studied populations and geographical locations. Furthermore, the mean prevalence of perinatal PTSD in high-risk samples might be influenced by the particularly high prevalence rates reported in a few studies (Ammerman et al, 2012;Horsch et al, 2015;Muzik et al, 2013). Finally, this review might be affected by publication bias, which may arise from language restriction and the relative lack of publications from non-western countries.…”