A Longitudinal Study of Maternal Postnatal Bonding and Psychosocial Factors that Contribute to Social-Emotional Development.

In this longitudinal study, we examined how maternal bonding and psycho-social factors are associated with social-emotional problems in two-year-old children. Our data came from a birth cohort from which data were collected at four timepoints: prenatally during the third trimester, and postnatally at 3, 8 and 24 months. The participants were 1,667 mothers, of which 943 (56.6%) returned the questionnaire at each timepoint of the longitudinal study. The Children's social-emotional problems were examined using the Brief Infant-Toddler Social and Emotional Assessment. According to linear regression analysis, maternal bonding difficulties at three and eight months, maternal expectations of the unborn baby during pregnancy, and maternal relationships within and outside the family were related to social-emotional problems in children of two years of age. The results highlight the importance of screening mothers who already prenatally have bonding problems or mothers who have bonding problems postnatally to provide effective and targeted intervention support.

The significance of supportive and undermining elements in the maternal representations of an unborn baby.

OBJECTIVE: The maternal representations of an unborn baby begin to develop during pregnancy. However, the factors that moderate them are not well identified. The objective of this study was to jointly explore supportive and undermining factors in the maternal representations of an unborn baby and motherhood. METHODS: Cross-sectional data comprising 1646 women studied during the third trimester of pregnancy. Maternal expectations were measured using a 12-item self-report questionnaire, Mother's Representations about an Unborn Baby. Depression, anxiety, family atmosphere and adult attachment were measured using standardised questionnaires. Statistical analysis is based on multivariate linear regression analysis. RESULTS: The most powerful predictors of a mother's prenatal expectations were the mother's educational status, age, closeness in adult relationships, higher levels of depressive symptoms and family atmosphere. In accordance with our hypothesis, depression was related to the mother's more negative expectations on their relationship with the unborn baby and on regularity in the baby's sleeping and eating patterns. A positive family atmosphere and the mother's ability for closeness and dependence (i.e. confidence) in adult relationships were related to more positive expectations of the mother-unborn baby relationship. On the other hand, stress, anxiety and adverse life events were not related to the mother's expectations of her unborn baby. CONCLUSIONS: The results may be helpful in identifying families who need early professional support and call for studies where the prenatal phase is explored as a proactive phase for the development of the child-parent relationship.

Heavy drinking is associated with more severe psychosocial dysfunction among girls than boys in Finland.

PURPOSE: To investigate social, psychological, and environmental factors related to heavy drinking by 15-year-old Finnish school pupils. METHODS: Each of 240 pupils completed a questionnaire about alcohol use, smoking, and illicit drug use; an Offer Self-Image Questionnaire; an Inventory of Parent and Peer Attachment; and a Psychosomatic Symptoms Questionnaire. Teachers assessed each pupil according to a Social Skills Rating Scale. Academic achievement was assessed on the basis of report grades. RESULTS: Heavy drinking was associated with smoking, trial of drugs, poor social skills in class, and poor school achievement in both boys and girls. In girls, heavy drinking was associated with psychosomatic symptoms and a negative social self-image. Girls who drank heavily also had more difficulty with concentration and externalizing problems and more problems with teachers than those who were abstinent or consumed alcohol moderately. The self-images of boys who drank heavily were more negative than those of alcohol-abstinent boys. In boys, heavy drinking was associated with higher numbers of peer relationships. CONCLUSIONS: Heavy drinking is associated with more severe psychosocial dysfunction among girls than boys. It may be possible to identify girls at school who drink heavily and guide them toward treatment.