The Effect of Maternal Attitudes and Depression on Bonding During the Postpartum Period

Bonding refers to the development of an emotional relationship between a mother and her baby, which forms a strong and continuous bond that provides the baby with a sense of security and plays an important role in its mental well-being throughout life. The objective of this study was to assess the relationship between cognitive distortions, attitudes towards motherhood and postpartum depression, which have not been studied before, as well as to elucidate their impact on the mother-infant bonding process.

The sample of the study was created between November 2018- June 2019 using the non-discriminatory multiplicity snowball sampling technique through social media. Women with infants aged 0-1 year residing in Turkey were asked to participate in the online survey. A sociodemographic data form, the Edinburgh Postpartum Depression Scale, Attitudes Towards Motherhood Scale (AToM), Postpartum Bonding Questionnaire (PBQ), and Cognitive Distortions Scale (CDS) were applied to the sample via social media.

The study sample consisted of 387 women with infants aged 0-1 years, and the rate of impairment bonding was found to be 11.4%. CDS, ATOM and depression scores were significantly higher in the impaired attached group (p < 0.05). The findings indicated that an individual with a psychiatric diagnosis was 2.653 times more likely to exhibit impaired bonding (OR: 2.653, 95% CI: [1.08-6.517]; p = 0.033), and those with a higher AToM score were 1.044 times more likely to display impaired bonding (OR: 1.044, 95% CI: [1.013-1.075]; p = 0.004).

The cognitive structure of the mother is associated with impaired mother-baby bonding. Eliminating the mentioned cognitive elements with psychotherapy interventions will be protective in terms of impaired bonding related to psychopathologies and/or interpersonal relationship problems.