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Updated: Oct 20, 2025

Using a Murine Model of Psychosocial Stress in Pregnancy as a Translationally Relevant Paradigm for Psychiatric Disorders in Mothers and Infants
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Using a Murine Model of Psychosocial Stress in Pregnancy as a Translationally Relevant Paradigm for Psychiatric Disorders in Mothers and Infants

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Prenatal expectations and other psycho-social factors as risk factors of postnatal bonding disturbance

Erja Rusanen1,2, Elina Vierikko3, Tiina Kojo4

  • 1Open University, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.

Infant Mental Health Journal
|September 10, 2021
PubMed

The mother's bond to her baby starts to develop during pregnancy, and it is related to the baby's attachment. We study how the mother's prenatal expectations of her unborn baby, the mother's adult relationships, and postnatal psycho-social factors (stress, depression, and anxiety) are related to the risk of bonding disturbance. The study comprised 1398 mothers and their unborn babies assessed both during pregnancy and when the babies were 3 months old (47.7% girls). The mother's risk of bonding disturbance was investigated using Brockington's Postpartum Bonding Questionnaire. According to the results, 71 (5.1%) of all the mothers in the study had a risk of a bonding disturbance. In a final adjusted logistic regression model, the most important risk factors were the mother's inability to form positive expectations about relationships with the baby during the third trimester of pregnancy (AOR = 7.78, p ≤ .001), maternal postnatal stress (AOR = 4.95, p ≤ .001) and maternal postnatal depression (AOR = 3.46, p ≤ .01). The results challenge healthcare professionals to screen pregnant mothers to identify at-risk groups for post-partum bonding disturbances. Intervention programs to prevent the development of bonding disturbances, and thus their possible serious consequences for children's development, should be considered.

Keywords:
Cuestionario de Unión Afectiva Posterior al Parto (PBQ)Lien postnatalPostpartum Bonding Questionnaire (PBQ)Questionnaire du Lien Postpartum (PBQ)depresión postnataldépression postnataleestrés postnatalexpectations prénatalesexpectativas prenatalespostnatal bondingpostnatal depressionpostnatal stresspostnatale Bindungpostnatale Depressionpostnataler Stressprenatal expectationspränatale Erwartungenstress postnatalunión afectiva postnatalالترابط بعد الولادة، استبيان الترابط بعد الولادة (PBQ)، توقعات ما قبل الولادة، الإجهاد بعد الولادة، اكتئاب ما بعد الولادة产前期望产后压力产后抑郁产后连结产后连结问卷 (PBQ)出生前の期待出生後のボンディング産後うつ病産後のストレス産後のボンディングに関する質問票 (PBQ)

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