Violence Against Women, Mother-Infant Bond and Child Behaviour: An Exploratory Path Analysis at IVAPSA Cohort

Violence experienced by women has serious consequences for maternal and child health, generating short- and long-term damage.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the relation between violence experienced by women and the mother-child bond in the first 6 months after childbirth and on the child's mental health at preschool age, mediated by stress, postpartum depression (PPD), breastfeeding and infant sleep. Participants were recruited from three public hospitals in the city of Porto Alegre (Southern Brazil).

This study is part of a larger research project with the objective to assess the reflex of different intrauterine environments on the child's health. Five mother-child pair assessment interviews were carried out in order to identify the interrelation between violence and mother-child bond and the influence of this bond on preschool children's mental health, mediated by stress, PPD, breastfeeding and infant sleep, tested using a path analysis model.

From the 295 mother-child pairs analysed, 48.8% of the women experienced violence in their lives and 15.9% during their pregnancy. There was a statistically significant association among violence, stress, PPD, mother-child bond and externalization problems for preschoolers. Violence is correlated with the mother's stress, which is directly linked to the PPD, and thus, indirectly, to the mother-child bond.

This study found that the violence experienced by women before and during pregnancy interferes negatively both in the mother's health and in the mother-child bond, and the weakened mother-child bond can positively explain the externalization problems for preschoolers. Early prevention and identification of the occurrence of violence against women could avoid negative outcomes for the mother-child bond and behavioural problems for preschool-aged children, as well as in their future life.