The Psychological Impact of the COVID-19 Outbreak on Pregnancy and Mother-infant Prenatal Bonding
This study aimed to assess the impact of the COVID-19 stress and anxiety on prenatal attachment during the second trimester of gestation. Pregnancy is an important stage for mothers-to-be in creating representations of themselves as a “mother”, with the developing attachment relationship to the unbo...
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| Other Authors: | , , , , |
| Format: | article |
| Published: |
2022
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| Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/10725/15658 https://doi.org/10.1007/s10995-022-03464-9 http://libraries.lau.edu.lb/research/laur/terms-of-use/articles.php https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10995-022-03464-9 |
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| Summary: | This study aimed to assess the impact of the COVID-19 stress and anxiety on prenatal attachment during the second trimester of gestation. Pregnancy is an important stage for mothers-to-be in creating representations of themselves as a “mother”, with the developing attachment relationship to the unborn child considered as a milestone in the future parent’s developmental trajectory. The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic and the national health measures installed can hence have consequences on these representations and on prenatal attachment. Our sample consisted of 95 mothers that were recruited from a prenatal ultrasound screening center. Results suggested that the COVID-19 pandemic significantly affected prenatal attachment (PAI) with significant correlations between PAI total score and age, anxiety (DASS) and stress (IES-R). When entered in one model looking for predictors of PAI total score, age and COVID-19 stress were the only variables found to significantly predict prenatal attachment. We argue for a cultural component in explaining these results, hypothesizing that stress could trigger defensive strategies, leading to more investment in the attachment relationship, potentially playing the role of a protective factor. |
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