A.J.B.M. Maas

Determinants of maternal fetal attachment in women from a community-based sample

Background Maternal fetal attachment (MFA) has been found to be an important predictor for the developing relationship between mother and child. During the last decades, research on determinants of MFA has yielded inconclusive and even contradictory results. Until now, a process model in which multiple determinants of MFA are studied concurrently has been lacking. The present study evaluates a process model (based on Belsky’s model of parenting) in which the specific contributions of parental, contextual, and expected child characteristics to MFA were examined. Methods Participants, 351 pregnant women from a community-based sample, completed questionnaires concerning their personality, attachment security, partner support, perceived stress, expected child temperament, and MFA at 26 weeks gestational age. Based on Belsky’s model, a set of competing structural equation models were formulated and evaluated with path analysis. Results MFA was found to be multiply determined by parental, contextual, and expected child characteristics. These factors explained 19% of the variance in MFA. Pregnant women who were more extrovert, conscientious and agreeable reported having higher levels of MFA. In contrast, those women who perceived more stress and expected having an infant with a dull temperament reported lower levels of MFA. Conclusion This study demonstrated that the theoretical framework of Belsky’s model is applicable for explaining variations in the quality of the mother–fetus relationship in the pregnancy period. More knowledge of the determinants of MFA could help to identify mothers at risk for developing suboptimal feelings of attachment.

Stability of fathers’ representations of their infants during the transition to parenthood

Studies investigating fathers’ roles in child development have focused on a range of different aspects. However, few studies have focused on the early father–infant relationship, which already emerges before the child is born. The aim of this study is to examine the concordance of fathers’ representations of their children during the transition to parenthood. The influences of demographic variables, psychological wellbeing, and personality on the stability of these representations are investigated. At 26 weeks gestational age and when infants were six months old, fathers (N = 243) completed questionnaires and the Working Model of the Child Interview during a home visit. A strong association was found between fathers’ prenatal and postnatal representations. First-time fathers more often had balanced representations than fathers who already had children. Furthermore, agreeable fathers were more likely to evolve from a non-balanced prenatal representation to a balanced postnatal representation.