Relationships among prenatal maternal attachment, presence of postnatal depressive symptoms, and maternal role attainment.
OBJECTIVE
To examine the relationships among a woman's attachment to her fetus, the presence of postpartum depressive symptoms, and subsequent perceptions of maternal role attainment three months after birth


METHODS
A longitudinal, panel design


METHODS
Hospital-sponsored childbirth education classes


METHODS
Primiparous women (N = 136) at 24-40 weeks of pregnancy and 9-14 weeks after the birth


METHODS
Perceived Competence Scale, Myself as Mother Scale, and My Baby Scale


RESULTS
Prenatal maternal attachments was positively related to maternal role attainment to maternal role attainment.


CONCLUSIONS
These findings enhance maternal identity theory and provide a means to evaluate the transition to motherhood.
Fowles
E R
ER
Illinois Wesleyan University, Bloomington, USA. erfowles@titan.iwu.edu
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D019052:Depression, Postpartum; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008425:Maternal Behavior; D009034:Mother-Child Relations; D009769:Object Attachment; D011247:Pregnancy; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D013997:Time Factors