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Maternal and paternal postpartum early mood and bonding
Rita T Amiel Castro1, Claudia Pinard Anderman2, Thomas G O'Connor3
1Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
Journal of Reproductive and Infant Psychology
|January 2, 2023
Summary
Maternal "blues" and "highs" are linked to paternal postpartum mood and child bonding. Both parents' emotional states, especially "highs," significantly impact early bonding experiences.
Area of Science:
- Perinatal mental health
- Parental well-being
- Child development
Background:
- Maternal postpartum "blues" are well-researched, but paternal mood and parental mood interplay post-childbirth are less understood.
- The study explores the relationship between maternal "blues" and "highs" and paternal postpartum mood (termed "lows" and "highs").
- Focuses on the early postpartum period and its association with the quality of parent-child bonding.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between maternal postpartum "blues" and "highs" and paternal postpartum mood.
- To examine the relationship between parental mood states and the quality of infant bonding.
- To understand the interplay of maternal and paternal mood in the early postpartum period.
Main Methods:
- Study included 98 couples with newborns attending an obstetric hospital unit.
- Data collected via questionnaires on mood, bonding, and socio-demographics between postpartum days 3-5.
- Generalized estimating equations were used for data analysis.
Main Results:
- Mothers reported higher "blues" scores, while fathers reported higher "highs" and bonding scores.
- Maternal "blues" correlated with paternal "lows" (r=0.23, p<0.05).
- Maternal "highs" associated with paternal "highs" (r=0.22, p<0.05), and parental "highs" linked to better baby bonding (B=0.13, p=0.02).
Conclusions:
- Moderate associations exist between maternal and paternal mood states ("blues/lows" and "highs") in the early postpartum period.
- Mood, particularly "highs," and bonding show similar associations for both mothers and fathers.
- Increased attention to the emotional states of both parents is crucial for postpartum adjustment.
Keywords:
Maternal postpartum ‘blues’early baby-bondingmaternal postpartum ‘highs’paternal postpartum ‘highs’paternal postpartum ‘lows’More Related Videos
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