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Related Concept Videos

Attachment01:20

Attachment

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Attachment is vital for infant development, as warm social interactions support growth and well-being. In a classic 1958 study by Harry Harlow, the significance of warmth and comfort in forming attachments was examined. Harlow separated newborn monkeys from their mothers and provided two artificial "mothers": one made of cold wire and the other covered in soft cloth. Despite the wire mother offering food, the infant monkeys preferred the comfort of the cloth mother, demonstrating that...
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Attachment is a long-standing connection or bond with others. While Attachment Theory was conceived in developmental psychology to describe infant-caregiver bonding, it's been extended into adulthood to include romantic relationships. 
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Relationship with Parents: Attachment01:28

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Parent-child interactions lay the foundation for how we understand relationships throughout life. These interactions are not uniform across families; instead, they are shaped by a range of environmental, emotional, and behavioral factors unique to each caregiver-child dynamic. Social psychologists study these early relationships to understand how patterns formed in infancy influence social functioning and interpersonal behavior in adulthood.Attachment Theory and Early Relational ModelsJohn...
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Longitudinal Studies01:26

Longitudinal Studies

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Longitudinal studies are also widely used in other medical and social science fields. For instance, in cardiovascular research, they can monitor patients' health over decades to identify risk factors for heart disease, such as high cholesterol or smoking, and evaluate the long-term effectiveness of preventive measures. Similarly, in mental health studies, researchers might follow individuals from adolescence into adulthood to understand the development and progression of conditions like...
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Longitudinal Research02:20

Longitudinal Research

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Sometimes we want to see how people change over time, as in studies of human development and lifespan. When we test the same group of individuals repeatedly over an extended period of time, we are conducting longitudinal research. Longitudinal research is a research design in which data-gathering is administered repeatedly over an extended period of time. For example, we may survey a group of individuals about their dietary habits at age 20, retest them a decade later at age 30, and then again...
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Parental Care00:55

Parental Care

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Many animals exhibit parental care behavior, including feeding, grooming, and protecting young offspring. Parental care is universal in mammals and birds, which often have young that are born relatively helpless. Several species of insects and fish, as well as some amphibians, also care for their young.
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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jan 9, 2026

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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Maternal postnatal bonding and its risk factors: a longitudinal study.

E A Rusanen1,2, E M Vierikko3, A R Lahikainen4

  • 1Faculty of Educational Sciences, University of Helsinki, P. O. Box 9, 00014, Helsinki, Finland. erja.rusanen@helsinki.fi.

Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Mental Health
|December 6, 2025
PubMed
Summary

Maternal bonding improves postpartum, but psychiatric symptoms and social issues can hinder it. Early identification of bonding difficulties and maternal mental health is key for infant development.

Keywords:
Adult relationshipsAdverse life eventsAnxietyDepressionFamily atmospherePostnatal bondingPrenatal expectations regarding unborn babyStress

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Area of Science:

  • Psychology
  • Maternal Health
  • Child Development

Background:

  • Mother-infant bonding is vital for child development.
  • Maternal psychosocial well-being and support influence bonding.
  • Longitudinal data on bonding development is limited.

Purpose of the Study:

  • Investigate postnatal maternal bonding development.
  • Identify pre- and postnatal psychosocial risk factors for bonding.
  • Examine bonding at eight months postpartum.

Main Methods:

  • Longitudinal study of 1298 mothers.
  • Assessed psychiatric symptoms and social risk factors.
  • Analyzed bonding changes and associated factors.

Main Results:

  • Maternal bonding improved from 3 to 8 months postpartum.
  • Psychiatric symptoms and social problems correlated with weaker bonding.
  • Early bonding issues, low expectations, depression, stress, and anxiety were significant risk factors.

Conclusions:

  • Healthcare professionals should screen for bonding difficulties prenatally and perinatally.
  • Maternal psychiatric symptoms are crucial considerations for support.
  • Early intervention can promote healthy mother-infant bonding.