Mother-Child Bond through Feeding: A Prospective Study including Neuroticism, Pregnancy Worries and Post-Traumatic Symptomatology

Lorena Gutiérrez Hermoso, Patricia Catalá Mesón, Carmen Écija Gallardo, Dolores Marín Morales and Cecilia Peñacoba Puente ()
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Lorena Gutiérrez Hermoso: Department of Psychology, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, Avenida de Atenas s/n, 28922 Alcorcón, Spain
Patricia Catalá Mesón: Department of Psychology, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, Avenida de Atenas s/n, 28922 Alcorcón, Spain
Carmen Écija Gallardo: Department of Psychology, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, Avenida de Atenas s/n, 28922 Alcorcón, Spain
Dolores Marín Morales: Obstetric Department, Hospital Universitario de Fuenlabrada, Camino del Molino, 2, 28942 Fuenlabrada, Spain
Cecilia Peñacoba Puente: Department of Psychology, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, Avenida de Atenas s/n, 28922 Alcorcón, Spain

IJERPH, 2023, vol. 20, issue 3, 1-14

Abstract: Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a common postpartum problem and influences maternal bonding with the infant. However, the relationship between this disorder, maternal personality, and the infant’s emotional state during feeding is not clear. The aim of the present study was to explore the contribution of neuroticism on the infant’s emotional state during feeding, by attending to the mediating role of postpartum PTSD (P-PTSD) symptoms and the moderating role of worries during pregnancy. A prospective design study was developed with 120 women with a low pregnancy risk. They responded to a questionnaire assessing maternal personality (first trimester), worries during pregnancy (third trimester), P-PTSD symptoms, and mother-baby bonding (4 months postpartum). The results showed a positive association among neuroticism, infant irritability during feeding, and P-PTSD symptoms, suggesting the latter plays a mediating role in the relationship between neuroticism and infant irritability (B = 0.102, standard error (SE) = 0.03, 95% coefficient interval (CI) [0.038, 0.176]). Excessive worries, related to coping with infant care, played a moderating role between neuroticism and P-PTSD symptoms (B = 0.413, SE = 0.084, p = 0.006, 95% CI [0.245, 0.581]). This relationship was interfered with by depressive symptoms in the first trimester (covariate) (B = 1.820, SE = 0.420, p = 0.016, ci [2.314, 0.251]). This study contributes to a better understanding of the role of neuroticism as an influential factor in the occurrence of P-PTSD symptoms, and in the impairment of infant bonding during feeding. Paying attention to these factors may favor the development of psychological support programs for mothers, with the aim of strengthening the bond with their child.

Keywords: P-PTSD symptoms; mother-baby bonding; pregnancy; neuroticism; moderated-mediation model (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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