Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41366483›Full record

ArticleBMC psychology2025

The impact of childhood maltreatment on paternal antenatal bonding: the mediating role of antenatal depression.

Eleonora Bevacqua, Leonardo Fazio, Martina Riolo, Jada Sottile, Claudia Guarneri, Raffaella Mineo, Claudia Rini, Giorgio Falgares, Giulia Costanzo, Omar Carlo Gioacchino Gelo and 5 more

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In one paragraph

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 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

15 authors.

Eleonora Bevacqua *Department of Psychology, Educational Science and Human Movement, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy.
Leonardo Fazio *Department of Medicine and Surgery, LUM University 'Giuseppe Degennaro', Casamassima, Bari, Italy.
Martina RioloDepartment of Psychology, Educational Science and Human Movement, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy.
Jada SottileDepartment of Psychology, Educational Science and Human Movement, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy.
Claudia GuarneriDepartment of Psychology, Educational Science and Human Movement, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy.
Raffaella MineoDepartment of Psychology, Educational Science and Human Movement, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy.
Claudia RiniDepartment of Psychology, Educational Science and Human Movement, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy.
Giorgio FalgaresDepartment of Psychology, Educational Science and Human Movement, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy.
Giulia CostanzoDepartment of Psychology, Educational Science and Human Movement, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy.
Omar Carlo Gioacchino GeloDepartment of Human and Social Sciences, University of Salento, Lecce, Italy.
Antonio MaioranaHCU Obstetrics and Gynecology, ARNAS Civico Di Cristina-Benfratelli Hospital, Palermo, Italy.
Carmela MentoDepartment of Biomedical, Dental Sciences and Morphological and Functional Imaging, University of Messina, Messina, Italy.
Linda A AntonucciDepartment of Translational Biomedicine and Neuroscience, University of Bari Aldo Moro, Bari, Italy.
Susan Garthus-NiegelInstitute and Policlinic of Occupational and Social Medicine, Faculty of Medicine of the Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany.
Maria Rita InfurnaDepartment of Psychology, Educational Science and Human Movement, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy. mariarita.infurna@unipa.it.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundAs fathers become more involved in pregnancy and early parenting, more research attention has been given to their emotional connection with their unborn child. The transition to fatherhood is a critical developmental phase involving psychological and relational changes that shape paternal identity and bonding with the fetus. However, the factors influencing prenatal father-infant bonding remain unclear. This study examines whether emotional abuse and neglect experienced in childhood impact paternal bonding during pregnancy, and whether antenatal depressive symptoms mediate this relationship.

methodsA total of 276 expectant fathers completed self-report questionnaires to assess childhood maltreatment (using the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire, CTQ), depressive symptoms (using the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale, EPDS) and paternal antenatal attachment (using the Paternal Antenatal Attachment Scale, PAAS). Correlational analyses and structural equation modelling (SEM) were used to examine direct and indirect associations between these variables.

resultsEmotional abuse (τ = 0.22, p < .001) and emotional neglect (τ = 0.19, p < .001) were both positively associated with antenatal depressive symptoms. Depressive symptoms were negatively related to two dimensions of paternal antenatal attachment - attachment quality (τ = -0.20, p < .001) and intensity of concern (τ = -0.12, p = .046). SEM analyses supported a mediation model in which depressive symptoms partially accounted for the link between childhood maltreatment and paternal antenatal attachment. Models including depressive symptoms as a mediator provided a better fit (Model 2 A: RMSEA = 0.04, CFI = 0.99, TLI = 0.97; Model 2 N: RMSEA = 0.07, CFI = 0.96, TLI = 0.89) than direct-only models (Model 1 A: RMSEA = 0.17, CFI = 0.74, TLI = 0.33; Model 1 N: RMSEA = 0.14, CFI = 0.83, TLI = 0.56).

conclusionsThe findings suggest that emotional neglect and abuse during childhood may hinder expectant fathers' emotional bonding with their unborn child by making them more vulnerable to antenatal depression. Emotional neglect, in particular, emerged as a significant risk factor. These results emphasise the importance of screening expectant fathers for early adversity and depressive symptoms, in order to support paternal engagement and infant well-being.

Indexed as

Adult Survivors of Child AbuseChild AbuseDepressionFather-Child RelationsFathersObject AttachmentAdultFemaleHumansMaleParentingPregnancySurveys and QuestionnairesYoung AdultChildhood maltreatmentFathersPaternal antenatal bondingPerinatal depressionPregnancy

Identifiers

PMID41366483
PMCPMC12801912

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.