Alavala Vishnupriya, De Genna Natacha M
College of Humanities and Sciences, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia, United States of America.
Departments of Psychiatry, Epidemiology, Clinical and Translational Science, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States of America.
PLoS One. 2025 Jul 2;20(7):e0319449. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0319449. eCollection 2025.
The goal of this study was to examine correlates of maternal-fetal attachment in a diverse sample of young pregnant mothers. Although studies have looked at social determinants of health and maternal-fetal attachment, none have examined correlates that may be more prevalent in younger populations including prenatal drug use or fear of childbirth. We analyzed data from a prospective cohort of 154 pregnant adolescents and young adults (75.5% Black/African American, 15.6% white, 7.5% biracial, 1.4% other) ranging from 14-21 years old. Participants were recruited early in pregnancy and completed online surveys during each trimester of pregnancy. Maternal fetal attachment was measured with the Maternal Antenatal Attachment Scale (MAAS) between 30-36 weeks gestation. A linear regression model was constructed to determine the independent contributions of demographic variables (age, race, sexual minority status), maternal mental health, substance use, and social support to maternal-fetal attachment. Third trimester social support, presence of a natural mentor, not having a younger partner, and lower fear of childbirth were associated with higher MAAS scores, and therefore greater maternal fetal attachment, accounting for 32% of the variance in MAAS scores. Maternal age, substance use, and psychological symptoms were not significantly related to maternal fetal attachment in this sample. Social support and patient education to lessen fear of childbirth should be the target of interventions to improve maternal-fetal attachment in adolescent and young adult women. Fostering and supporting mentorship may also be a promising avenue to improve maternal-fetal bonding in younger patients. More research is needed to better understand the impact of perceived health, body dissatisfaction, physical fitness, healthcare access, pre-existing OB/GYN conditions, fear of breastfeeding, history of emotional neglect, and future child rearing support to address gaps in knowledge within this field.
本研究的目的是在不同的年轻怀孕母亲样本中检验母婴依恋的相关因素。尽管已有研究探讨了健康的社会决定因素和母婴依恋，但尚无研究考察在年轻人群中可能更为普遍的相关因素，如孕期药物使用或分娩恐惧。我们分析了一个前瞻性队列中154名怀孕青少年和年轻成年人（75.5%为黑人/非裔美国人，15.6%为白人，7.5%为混血儿，1.4%为其他种族）的数据，年龄范围在14至21岁之间。参与者在怀孕早期被招募，并在孕期的每个阶段完成在线调查。在妊娠30至36周期间，使用母亲产前依恋量表（MAAS）测量母婴依恋情况。构建了一个线性回归模型，以确定人口统计学变量（年龄、种族、性少数群体身份）、母亲心理健康、物质使用和社会支持对母婴依恋的独立贡献。孕晚期的社会支持、有一位天然的导师、没有较年轻的伴侣以及较低的分娩恐惧与较高的MAAS分数相关，因此母婴依恋程度更高，这解释了MAAS分数中32%的变异。在这个样本中，母亲年龄、物质使用和心理症状与母婴依恋没有显著关系。社会支持和减轻分娩恐惧的患者教育应该是改善青少年和年轻成年女性母婴依恋干预措施的目标。培养和支持导师指导也可能是改善年轻患者母婴关系的一条有前景的途径。需要更多的研究来更好地理解感知健康、身体不满意、身体素质、医疗保健可及性、既往妇产科疾病、母乳喂养恐惧、情感忽视史以及未来育儿支持的影响，以填补该领域的知识空白。
