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Unfolding of maternal-infant bonding amidst the COVID-19 pandemic: Social support as a risk and protective factor
N Shiffman1,2, H Gluska3,4, Shiri Margalit4
1Psychiatry and Mental Health Division, Rambam Medical Center, Haifa, Israel.
Background:
Social, familial, and physiological stressors may put maternal-infant bonding at risk. Therefore, it is plausible that the stressful conditions brought on by COVID-19 could influence maternal-infant bonding. This study aimed to elucidate the contribution of COVID-19-related experience to variance in maternal-infant bonding, beyond that of established risk factors and as moderated by social support.
Methods:
This longitudinal, multicenter study examined the relationship of demographic and obstetric variables, social support, postpartum depression, as well as COVID-19-related fear, exposure, and subjective difficulty with mother-infant bonding six months following birth. Participants (N = 246) were women who delivered during the pandemics' strict lockdown period and were recruited 10 weeks after a liveborn delivery and followed up six months later.
Results:
Relationship between fear of COVID-19 and maternal-infant bonding was moderated by social support: Amongst mothers with high levels of social support, fear of COVID-19 negatively predicted bonding.
Discussion:
Results indicate that social support, while overall a protective factor for mother-infant bonding, may lose its buffering effect when fear of COVID-19 is high. This relationship was maintained even when early bonding experiences such as forced separation and the risk incurred by postpartum depression were accounted for. Implications for providers are discussed.
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