Examining the relationship between parents' self-reported mindfulness and observed language use in attachment-relevant communication.

Parents' language use is an important context for early socialization. We examined the relationship between parents' self-reported mindfulness and observed language use in two forms of attachment-relevant communication. Sixty-three parents of 6-18-month-old infants from Australia (n = 32) and New Zealand (n = 31) completed the five facets of mindfulness-short form (FFMQ-SF) questionnaire, the adult attachment interview (AAI), and a 10-min play session with their infant. We examined parents' frequency of word usage within the categories of the linguistic inquiry word count (LIWC) text analysis program to explore the relationship between mindfulness and language use. Mindfulness was associated with cognitive, affective, perceptual, and time orientation language use in the AAI. However, fewer associations were identified between mindfulness and language use in the parent-infant play session. Results are discussed in terms of their relevance to mindfulness and attachment.

El uso del lenguaje por parte de los padres es un contexto importante para la temprana socialización. Examinamos la relación entre la auto reportada atención consciente de los padres y el observado uso del lenguaje en dos formas de comunicación relevantes a la unión afectiva. Sesenta y tres progenitores de infantes entre 6 y 18 meses de edad de Australia (n = 32) y Nueva Zelanda (n = 31) completaron el cuestionario de Cinco Facetas de la Atención Consciente en su formato corto (FFMQ­SF), la Entrevista de la Afectividad Adulta (AAI), así como una sesión de juego de diez minutos con sus infantes. Examinamos la frecuencia del uso de palabras por parte de los padres dentro de las categorías del programa de análisis de texto Investigación Lingüística del Conteo de Palabras (LIWC) para explorar la relación entre la atención consciente y el uso del lenguaje. Se asoció la atención consciente con el uso del lenguaje cognitivo, afectivo, perceptivo y con orientación del tiempo de la AAI. Sin embargo, menos asociaciones se identificaron entre la atención consciente y el uso del lenguaje en la sesión de juego entre progenitor e infante. Los resultados se discuten en términos de su relevancia para la atención consciente y la afectividad.

Antenatal mind-mindedness and its relationship to maternal-fetal attachment in pregnant women.

In this study, researchers aimed to investigate whether a relationship exists between maternal-fetal attachment (MFA) and antenatal mind-mindedness in a sample of Australian pregnant women (n = 43). Participants completed the Maternal Fetal Attachment Scale (MFAS) in their second and third trimester, and a modified 'describe your baby' interview with the inclusion of general prompts as a measure of antenatal mind-mindedness in their third trimester. Positive correlations were observed between mental comments, but not total predictions, made by women during the modified antenatal mind-mindedness task and MFAS scores at the second and third trimesters. An average of 6.07 total predictions and 1.30 mental predictions were made before prompts, increasing to 17.65 total comments and 6.58 mental comments after prompts. Prompts within the mind-mindedness task resulted in 42 participants making at least one mental prediction (M = 6.58). Our findings provide the first evidence for a relationship between MFA and antenatal mind-mindedness, and highlight the importance of considering mind-mindedness during pregnancy in the developing bond from mother to baby.

The role of pregnancy acceptability in maternal mental health and bonding during pregnancy.

BACKGROUND: Pregnancy is an important time for women's mental health and marks the foundations of the emerging bond between mother and baby. This study aimed to investigate the role of pregnancy acceptability and intendedness in maternal mental health and bonding during pregnancy. METHODS: Data were collected from a community sample of 116 Australian pregnant women (M = 29.54, SD = 5.31) through a series of self-report questionnaires pertaining to mental health and antenatal bonding. RESULTS: Lower pregnancy acceptability was correlated with higher depression, anxiety and total distress, lower physical and environmental quality of life and lower antenatal bonding. Women who reported their pregnancy was intended reported higher physical quality of life than those who reported their pregnancy was unintended. The relationship between total distress and antenatal bonding was moderated by women's degree of pregnancy acceptability (low versus high). For women with low acceptability, higher distress was associated with lower bonding, but there was no such association for women with high pregnancy acceptability. The moderation model examining associations between distress and pregnancy acceptability explained 15% of the variance in antenatal bonding scores. CONCLUSION: Consideration of women's appraisal of their pregnancy acceptability may provide a valuable framework for identifying individuals who may be at risk for mental health and bonding difficulties.

A systemic review of maternal wellbeing and its relationship with maternal fetal attachment and early postpartum bonding.

BACKGROUND: An emerging body of literature suggests there is a relationship between a pregnant woman's psychological wellbeing and the development of maternal-fetal attachment (MFA) and early postpartum bonding. The nature of this relationship is not well understood because of the limited theoretical framework surrounding the construct of MFA and variations in study methods and data collection points. In this systematic review, we synthesize the published literature to determine the nature of the relationship from the antenatal to early postnatal period and to provide recommendations for future research and clinical practice. METHOD: Using the preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses (PRISMA) approach, four electronic databases were searched for peer-reviewed empirical studies, published in English. Articles were considered for inclusion if data was collected on at least one domain of maternal wellbeing/mental health and MFA during pregnancy or MFA during pregnancy and the mother-infant relationship during the early postpartum period (up to 12 weeks). No date parameters were applied to the search strategy. The review was registered with PROPSERO (registration number: CRD42018096174). RESULTS: 25 studies examining maternal mental health and MFA/postpartum bonding were selected for inclusion in this review. Key findings identified from the review were: a need to validate existing mental health measures or develop new measures specific for use in antenatal populations; inconsistencies in data collection points throughout pregnancy and postpartum; a lack of consensus about the construct of MFA and the way it is assessed; and a continued focus on postpartum outcomes. CONCLUSION: Scientific gaps remain in our understanding of the relationship between maternal mental health and both MFA and postpartum bonding which limit our theoretical understanding of the MFA construct. Recommendations for future research are to employ prospective longitudinal designs that span the full pregnancy and postpartum period, and for consistency in the terminology and methodology used when considering MFA. A re-focus of research attention on the theory behind MFA will allow a richer and more holistic account of the emerging relationship between mother and baby.