Kontakt 2021, 23(2):126-132 | DOI: 10.32725/kont.2021.018

Mother-infant bonding and its associated factors during postpartum periodSocial Sciences in Health - Original article

Lucia Mazúchová1, *, Simona Kelčíková1, Erika Maskalová1, Nora Malinovská2, Marián Grendár3
1 Comenius University in Bratislava, Jessenius Faculty of Medicine in Martin, Department of Midwifery, Martin, Slovak Republic
2 Comenius University in Bratislava; Jessenius Faculty of Medicine in Martin, Department of Foreign Languages, Martin, Slovak Republic
3 Comenius University in Bratislava, Jessenius Faculty of Medicine in Martin, Bioinformatics Unit, Biomedical Center Martin, Martin, Slovak Republic

Aim: The aim of the study was to determine the relationship between the selected factors (age, education, parity, child planning, skin-to-skin contact (SSC) support, breastfeeding, partner support satisfaction, a child with an illness, risk of depression) and their influence on postpartum mother-infant bonding (MIB) in Slovak women.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was used. To collect the relevant data, the Postpartum Bonding Questionnaire (PBQ) and Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) were used. The questionnaires were supplemented by research variables essential for the evaluation of the links between these items and the MIB. The study sample consisted of 204 women (mean age 30.9 ± 4.8 years) who were 6 weeks after childbirth. The received data were analysed using descriptive statistics, the Wilcoxon two-sample test, the Kruskal-Wallis test, and the Regression modelling.

Results: A lower quality mother-infant relationship was demonstrated in mothers with higher education, with unsupported postpartum SSC, dissatisfied with partner support, as well as in mothers at risk of depression. According to the regression model, a statistically significant correlation was demonstrated between the PBQ score and the EPDS score (p < 0.0001).

Conclusions: Identification of MIB risk factors with an emphasis on screening for the mother's mental state is considered to be a key factor in designing early interventions to improve the quality of pregnancy, motherhood and childhood.

Keywords: Mother-infant bonding; Postnatal depression; Postpartum bonding; Postpartum period; Quality of mother-infant interaction
Grants and funding:

This study was supported by the project VEGA (research grant agency of the Ministry of Education, Science, Research and Sport of the Slovak Republic) under contract no. VEGA1/0211/19.

Received: January 4, 2021; Revised: March 19, 2021; Accepted: April 8, 2021; Prepublished online: April 15, 2021; Published: May 5, 2021  Show citation

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Mazúchová L, Kelčíková S, Maskalová E, Malinovská N, Grendár M. Mother-infant bonding and its associated factors during postpartum period. Kontakt. 2021;23(2):126-132. doi: 10.32725/kont.2021.018.
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