Effect of Mothers' Parental Bonding Style on Their Maternal Attachment

Abstract

Purpose: This study was aimed to investigate the relationship between mothers’ parental bonding styles and their maternal attachment levels. Methods: This descriptive and cross-sectional study involved 216 mothers. The data were collected using the Personal Information Form, the Maternal Attachment Inventory (MAI), and the Parental Bonding Instrument (PBI). Results: The mean MAI score of the mothers was found to be 96.72 ± 8.75 which indicated a high level of maternal attachment. The mean score from the PBI-mother form was found to be 49.13 ± 14.60 and PBI-father form was 46.12 ±14.90 which indicated that the mothers had a positive bonding with their parents.The relationship between an individual’s maternal attachment was found to be positive, moderate, and significant to her own parental bonding. Parental bonding with mother and parental bonding with father explained 35% and 23% of the total variance found in maternal attachment, respectively. Conclusion: Mothers’ parental bonding showed an effect on their maternal attachment as well. The families and couples should be trained on how positive or negative bonding with their children can affect their life cycles and future lives.

Keywords

• Maternal attachment
• parental bonding
• mother bonding
• father bonding

References

1. da Rosa KM, Scholl CC, Ferreira LA, Trettim JP, da Cunha GK, Rubin BB, et al. Maternal-fetal attachment and perceived parental bonds of pregnant women. Early Hum Dev. 2021;154:105310.
2. S. Hairston I, E. Handelzalts J, Assis C, Kovo M. Postpartum bonding difficulties and adult attachment styles: the mediating role of postpartum depression and childbirth‐related PTSD. Infant Ment Health J. 2018;39(2):198–208.
3. Özgüngör S. The analysis of the relationships of attachment to mothers and fathers and achievement goal orientation and life satisfaction of adolescents. Educ Sci. 2020;45(203):253–73.
4. Shimura A, Takaesu Y, Nakai Y, Murakoshi A, Ono Y, Matsumoto Y, et al. Childhood parental bonding affects adulthood trait anxiety through self-esteem. Compr Psychiatry. 2017;74:15–20.
5. Bowlby J. Attachment and loss. Vol. 2. Separation: anxiety and anger. Penguin books; 1978.
6. Arguz Cildir D, Ozbek A, Topuzoglu A, Orcin E, Janbakhishov CE. Association of prenatal attachment and early childhood emotional, behavioral, and developmental characteristics: A longitudinal study. Infant Ment Health J. 2020;41(4):517–29.
7. Sears W, Sears M. The attachment parenting book: A commonsense guide to understanding and nurturing your baby. Hachette UK; 2001.
8. Punamäki R-L, Isosävi S, Qouta SR, Kuittinen S, Diab SY. War trauma and maternal–fetal attachment predicting maternal mental health, infant development, and dyadic interaction in Palestinian families. Attach Hum Dev. 2017;19(5):463–86.

9. Wei C, Chen P, Xin M, Liu H, Yu C, Zou Q. Interparental conflict, parent–adolescent attachment, and adolescent Internet addiction: The moderating role of adolescent self-control. Soc Behav Personal an Int J. 2020;48(9):1–13.
10. Lucktong A, Salisbury TT, Chamratrithirong A. The impact of parental, peer and school attachment on the psychological well-being of early adolescents in Thailand. Int J Adolesc Youth. 2018;23(2):235–49.
11. Mo X, Wang Z, Shao J. Parent-child attachment and good behavior habits among Chinese children: Chain mediation effect of parental involvement and psychological Suzhi. PLoS One. 2021;16(1):e0241586.
12. Wieser ALH. School-Family Partnerships and Teachers, Parents and Children. Thesis, Concordia University, St. Paul; 2020.
13. Paulson JF, Dauber S, Leiferman JA. Individual and combined effects of postpartum depression in mothers and fathers on parenting behavior. Pediatrics. 2006;118(2):659–68.
14. Fredriksen E, von Soest T, Smith L, Moe V. Parenting stress plays a mediating role in the prediction of early child development from both parents’ perinatal depressive symptoms. J Abnorm Child Psychol. 2019;47(1):149–64.
15. De Cock ESA, Henrichs J, Klimstra TA, Maas JBM, Vreeswijk CMJM, Meeus WHJ, et al. Longitudinal associations between parental bonding, parenting stress, and executive functioning in toddlerhood. J Child Fam Stud. 2017;26(6):1723–33.
16. Obikane E, Watanabe K, Nishi D, Kawakami N. Association between personal values in adolescence and impaired bonding relationship with children. BMC Psychol. 2020;8(1):1–8.
17. Milojevich HM, Quas JA, Adams BL. Quality of sibling relationships in maltreated youth residing in out-of-home-care. J Interpers Violence. 2021;36(1–2):793–819.
18. Woo J, Wrath AJ, Adams GC. The relationship between attachment and self-injurious behaviors in the child and adolescent population: a systematic review of the literature. Arch suicide Res. 2020;1–22.
19. Whale K, Green K, Browne K. Attachment style, psychotic phenomena and the relationship with aggression: an investigation in a general population sample. J Aggress Confl Peace Res. 2018;11(1):47–58.
20. Schindler A. Attachment and substance use disorders—theoretical models, empirical evidence, and implications for treatment. Front psychiatry. 2019;10:727.
21. Smith M, D’Aniello C. The effect of parental attachment on risky alcohol use and disordered eating behaviors in college students. Contemp Fam Ther. 2021;43(3):290–7.
22. Cortes-Garcia L, Wichstrøm L, Viddal KR, Senra C. Prospective bidirectional associations between attachment and depressive symptoms from middle childhood to adolescence. J Youth Adolesc. 2019;48(11):2099–113.
23. Christian EJ, Meltzer CL, Thede LL, Kosson DS. The relationship between early life events, parental attachment, and psychopathic tendencies in adolescent detainees. Child Psychiatry Hum Dev. 2017;48(2):260–9.
24. Li X, Hao C. Corrigendum: The Relationship Between Parental Attachment and Mobile Phone Dependence Among Chinese Rural Adolescents: The Role of Alexithymia and Mindfulness. Front Psychol. 2021;12. Çankaya S, Yılmaz SD, Ruveyde C, Kodaz ND. Effect of postpartum depression on maternal attachment. AUHSJ. 2017;(4):232–40.
25. Faul F, Erdfelder E, Lang A-G, Buchner A. G* Power 3: A flexible statistical power analysis program for the social, behavioral, and biomedical sciences. Behav Res Methods. 2007;39(2):175–91.
26. Kavlak O, Şirin A. The Turkish version of maternal attachment inventory. J Hum Sci. 2009;6(1):188–202.
27. Özeren GS, Akın S, Barlas GÜ. Effect of Parental Attachment Styles on Interpersonal Relationships in a Group of Nursing Students. Heal Soc. 2019;29(3):60–75.
28. Müller ME. A questionnaire to measure mother-to-infant attachment. J Nurs Meas. 1994;2(2):129–41. 30. Parker G, Tupling H, Brown LB. A parental bonding instrument. Br J Med Psychol. 1979;
29. Kapçi EG, Küçüker S. The Parental Bonding Instrument: Evaluation of Psychometric Properties with Turkish University Students. Turkish J Psychiatry. 2006;17(4):286–95.
30. Oskovi-Kaplan ZA, Buyuk GN, Ozgu-Erdinc AS, Keskin HL, Ozbas A, Moraloglu Tekin O. The effect of COVID-19 pandemic and social restrictions on depression rates and maternal attachment in immediate postpartum women: a preliminary study. Psychiatr Q. 2021;92(2):675–82.
31. Özdemir K, Başkaya Y, İdare A. Evaluation of the relationship between maternal attachment levels of mothers and perceived social support. J Gynecol - Obstet Neonatol. 18(1):638–42.
32. Madden V, Domoney J, Aumayer K, Sethna V, Iles J, Hubbard I, et al. Intergenerational transmission of parenting: Findings from a UK longitudinal study. Eur J Public Health. 2015;25(6):1030–5.
33. Verhage ML, Fearon RMP, Schuengel C, van IJzendoorn MH, Bakermans-Kranenburg MJ, Madigan S. Collaboration on Attachment Transmission Synthesis.(2018). Constraints on the intergenerational transmission of attachment via individual participant data meta-analysis. Child Dev Adv online Publ https//doi org/101111/cdev. 13085.