[Prospective study of maternal behavior in the neonatal period: a pilot study]

This study intends to test empirically some pre- and perinatal conditions of loving motherly behavior and motherly anxiety during the first month after birth. In the framework of a prospective study a sample of 40 women, pregnant for the first time, was tested by a questionnaire in the last trimester of pregnancy. They were visited in their homes about 19 days after having given birth. There loving behavior during nursing was observed. Their anxiety was credited by a structured interview. When considering the single postulated predictors separately a significant prediction of the observed loving behavior was only possible by the frequency of their attempts to establish a contact with the unborn. This predictor was able to explain one third of the variance. If all the relevant predictors were considered, two fifth of the loving behavior could be explained. It was clearly confirmed that the experience of a direct sensual and physical contact was most important for the continuity of a loving relationship with the child while the cognitive engagement was far less important. Personality characteristics like emotional lability and anxiety proved to be significant correlates of early maternal anxiety, thus confirming once again the relevance of stable personality characteristics for motherly behavior.