Maternal–Infant Bonding and Its Relationships with Maternal Depressive Symptoms, Stress and Anxiety in the Early Postpartum Period in a Polish Sample

• Main Authors: Karolina Lutkiewicz, Łucja Bieleninik, Mariusz Cieślak, Mariola Bidzan
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2020-07-01
• Series: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
• Subjects: maternal bond; stress; anxiety; postpartum depression
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/17/15/5427

A large body of literature indicates that there is a relationship between maternal psychological well-being and the early maternal–infant bond. However, this relationship is not fully understood, due to the different theoretical frameworks of maternal–infant bonding and different data collections points. Thus, the aim of this study was to examine the relationship between the maternal bond and the maternal psychological state including anxiety, stress, and maternal depressive symptoms. In this cohort study, 150 women who gave birth after 37 weeks of pregnancy completed the following self-reports 1–3 days post-delivery: Socio-demographic questionnaire, Postpartum Bonding Questionnaire (PBQ), Edinburgh Postpartum Depression Scale (EPDS), Postpartum Depression Screening Scale (PDSS), Generalized Anxiety Disorder Assessment (GAD-7), and Parental Stress Scale (PSS). The obtained results showed that the maternal level of stress, anxiety and postnatal depressive symptoms are significantly correlated with the maternal–infant bond in Polish mothers. In addition, regression analysis shows that postpartum depressive symptoms and maternal stress are significantly associated with the maternal–infant bonding process in the early postpartum period. This finding emphasizes the importance of identifying maternal mental state difficulties in the early postpartum period in order to provide interventions to help build healthy maternal–infant bonding.