ArticleBMC psychology2025
The relationship between maternal psychopathology and maternal-fetal attachment: a cross-sectional study from the Czech Republic.
Article in BMC psychology, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
3 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Prenatal bonding and early emotion regulation in infancy and toddlerhood (0-36 months): a systematic review of developmental associations, psychological mediators, and contextual moderators.Frontiers in psychology · 2025Pooled it
- The mediating role of pregnancy-related anxiety between fetal movement self-monitoring adherence and maternal-fetal attachment in the third trimester.Frontiers in global women's health · 2026Article
- Maternal Stress and Child Development: The Moderating Role of Interactive Shared Reading.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2025Article
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Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundMaternal-fetal attachment might be associated with maternal mental health issues, but previous results have been inconsistent, particularly regarding prenatal anxiety. We compared maternal-fetal attachment between pregnant women with and without symptoms of antenatal depression and anxiety. Additionally, we examined the relationships between prenatal depressive and anxiety symptoms, psychosocial stress, and maternal-fetal attachment.
methodsWe conducted a cross-sectional study involving a sample of 2,233 pregnant women. The data were collected between March 2021 and March 2023 at outpatient clinics in the Czech Republic. We used self-report questionnaires to assess symptoms of prenatal depression (Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale, EPDS), anxiety (Perinatal Anxiety Screening Scale, PASS), psychosocial stress (Prenatal Psychosocial Profile, PPP), and maternal-fetal attachment (Prenatal Attachment Inventory - Revised, PAI-R).
resultsWomen without symptoms of antenatal depression had higher total scores on the PAI-R (U = 336,357; p = .013) and on the PAI-R Interaction subscale (U = 322,913; p < .001), suggesting a higher quality of maternal-fetal attachment than women with symptoms. No other significant associations were found between antenatal depression, anxiety and the PAI-R subscales scores.
conclusionsOur results suggest that women experiencing increased depressive, but not anxiety, symptoms in pregnancy, have a poorer quality of attachment to their child, although the effect size is small. Consequently, treating prenatal depression in women could have a positive effect on maternal-fetal attachment.
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