Prenatal attachment Crossgender and crosscultural perspective

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Prenatal attachment Cross-gender and
cross-cultural perspective

• Dr Eleonora Bielawska-Batorowicz
• Institute of Psychology
• University of Lodz, Poland

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Outline of the lecture

• Attachment - a definition
• Theories and studies of attachment
• The other side of attachment
• bonding with a child
• Concepts of prenatal attachment
• Research into prenatal attachment
• the role of parental prenatal attachment

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Attachment - a definition

• ...a relatively enduring emotional tie to a
  specific other person
• Maccoby (1980)
• the strong emotional tie that a person feels
  toward a special other person in his or her life
• Lefton (1997)

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Attachment behaviour in infancy is shown by

• seeking to be near the other person
• showing distress on separation from that person
• showing joy or relief on reunion
• being generally oriented toward the person even
  when not in close proximity (listening to,
  getting attention by showing toys etc,)

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Theories and classical studies on attachment

• Cupboard love theory
• babies become attached to the mother who feeds
  them
• Harlows study with rhesus monkeys
• Monotropy theory (John Bowlby)
• tendency to become attached to one particular
  individual
• critical period for the development of attachment
  (mothering almost useless if delayed till 12
  months)
• Only one attachment figure?

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Theories and classical studies on attachment

• Different kinds of attachment
• Strenght - intensity with which attachment
  behaviours are displayed
• Security how confident the child is of the
  attachment figure being there when needed and
  being able to use her (him) as a safe base from
  which to explore in the strange anvironment
• Mary Ainsworths strange situation study
• type A anxious-avoidant 15
• type B securely-attached 70
• type C anxious-resistant 15

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Sensitivity of the attachment figure

• Attachments develop most readily to people (not
  just mothers) who
• express positive emotions (affectionate,
  touching, smiling, praise)
• are responsive (respond to the childs crying on
  most occasions)
• offer social stimulation (come close to the baby,
  smile, talk, initiate interactions)
• are predictable (their behaviour is consistent
  and becomes part of a childs world)

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The other side of attachment (bonding with a
child)

• A special process of emotional attachment that
  may occur between parents and babies in the
  minutes and hours immediately after birth
• Lefton (1997)

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The other side of attachment (bonding with a
child)

• theory of critical period - Klaus Kennell
  (1976)
• skin-to-skin contact
• 6 - 12 hours after delivery
• rooming-in practices
• better social development of children
• development of bonding - Rutter (1979)
• no support for idea of better development if
  skin-to-skin contact during critical period

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Prenatal attachment / bonding

• Is it possible to become attached to a child who
  is not born yet?

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Prenatal attachmentfirst concepts

• First mentioned by Deutsch (1945)
• Bibring (1959) - one of the psychological task of
  pregnancy - to invest libido in the foetus
• Benedek (1959) - the concept of pregnancy as the
  gestation of the person

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Prenatal attachmentmore recent concepts

• Lumley (1972) - women form mental picture of
  the foetus in 2nd 3rd trimester of pregnancy
• Leifer (1977) - no attachment in 25 of mothers
  these women less attracted to infants 7 months
  postpartum

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Prenatal attachmentmore recent concepts

• Raphael-Leff (1991)
• Approaches to pregnancy / foetus in women
• Facilitator
• Regulator
• Intermidiate / Bipolar (proposed later by other
  authors)
• Approaches to pregnancy / foetus in men
• Participator
• Renouncer

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Can we measure it?Theoretical concepts of
measurement tools

• Cranley (1981) - self-report questionnaire for
  maternal-foetal attachment
• Condon (1993) parental prenatal love
• Condon (1998) prenatal love continues
  postnatally
• Muller (1993) affectionate relationship between
  a mother and her unborn baby from a mothers
  perspective

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Measurement of prenatal attachment

• Cranleys Maternal Foetal Attachment Scale (MFAS)
  - 24 items, 5 subscales
• Role taking
• Differentaition of self from foetus
• Interaction with foetus
• Attributing characteristics to the foetus
• Giving of self
• Foetal Attachment Scale (version for mothers and
  fathers)

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Hierarchical model of adult attachment by John
Condon (1993)
EXPERIENCE OF ATTACHMENT / LOVE
To INTER- ACT
To AVOID LOSS
To PRO- TECT
To GRATIFY NEEDS
To KNOW
-information seeking proximity
seeking protecting / safeguarding
pleasing gratifying altruistically
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Measures of attachment(developed by John Condon)

• Maternal Antenatal Attachment Scale
• quality of attachment,
• time spent in attachment mode
• Paternal Antenatal Attachment Scale
• quality of attachment
• time spent in attachment mode

• Maternal Postnatal Attachment Scale
• quality of attachment
• absence of hostility
• pleasure in interaction
• Paternal Postnatal Attachment Scale
• quality of attachment
• absence of hostility
• pleasure in interaction

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Studies on prenatal attachment

• Development of attachment during the course of
  pregnancy
• in mothers and in fathers
• in women from different cultures
• Correlates of attachment
• Effects of pregnancy complications
• Attachment and experience of pregnancy and the
  process of care

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Studies on prenatal attachment in Lodz

• Changes of attachment in pregnancy
• Pregnancy complications and attachment
• Gender identity and attachment
• Depression, prenatal attachment and postnatal
  relationships with a baby
• Paternal attachment as perceived by a babys
  mother
• The intensity of attachment in women from
  different cultures

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Development of attachment in mothers (MAAS by
Condon)
Increase over the course of pregnancy
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Development of attachment in fathers (PAAS by
Condon)
Increase over the course of pregnancy
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Development of attachment in mothers and fathers
(MAAS/PAAS total scores)
Mothers more attached than fathers
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Attachment in complicated and in normal pregnancy
(mothers and fathers)
Mothers
Fathers
No differences between normal and complicated
pregnancy
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Attachment in mothers in different types of
pregnancy(Maternal Foetal Attachment Scale by
Cranley)
Significant differences
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Other studies

• Previous fetal loss
• Armstrong Hulti, 1998
• Less strong attachment in next pregnancy
• High risk pregnancy
• Chazotte et al. 1995
• No differences in attachment between women with
  GDM, risk of preterm delivery and normal
  pregnancy
• Wisniewska, 2003
• Less strong attachment when complications and
  prenatal screening

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Gender identity and attachment in fathers(Gender
Identity Inventory - IPP)
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Fathers prenatal attachment as perceived by
mothers

• Women correctly predicted their partners FAS
  scores in 73 of cases

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Prenatal attachment and parental perception of an
infant

• MOTHERS
• more positive postnatal perception (Broussards
  Inventory) related to stronger prenatal
  attachment
• r 0,52 (p0,01)

• FATHERS
• more positive postnatal perception (Broussards
  Inventory) related to stronger prenatal
  attachment
• r 0,73 (p0,001)

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Depression and father-infant attachment
(prenatal)
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Father-infant attachment (pregnancy and postnatal
period)
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Age and attachment

• Older mothers less strong attachment
• J. Berryman K. Windridge (1996)
• MFAS by Cranley
• A. Sidiqqui et. al. (1999)
• PAI by Muller
• Experiences with own mother

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Development during pregnancy and personality

• B. Sjogren et. al. (2004)
• MFAS by Cranley, Karolinska Scales of Personality
• Stronger attachment later phase of pregnancy
• Stronger attachment socially desirable
  attitudes, proneness to feeling of guilt

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Assisted conception and attachment

• During IVF pregnancy
• No diferences between IVF and non-IVF mothers
• S. Golombok, 1993 C. McMahon et. al., 1997) F.
  Gibson et al., 2000)
• Surrogacy
• Surrogate mothers less attached
• Fischer Gillman, 1991
• Important to consider
• Phase of pregnancy
• Gestational vs. Genetical surrogacy

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Polish - Swedish study on prenatal attachment
the samples

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Factors in Mullers PAI Muller in Swedish and
Polish sample
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PAI factor scores for Polish and Swedish mothers
are significantly different
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Planned / not planned pregnancy (PAI total scores)
p 0,082
p 0,46
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Normal / complicated pregnancy (PAI total scores)
p 0,058
p 0,02
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Polish - Swedish comparisons

• The similar factor structure in PAI
• The same dimensions of attachment
• Differences in intensity of attachment
• In Polish sample attachment more intense (total
  scores)
• Planned pregnancy similar effect on attachment
• Complications of pregnancy
• Different effect in both samples

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Prenatal attachment.

• might be affected by the emotional state of a
  parent
• might be affected by age, pregnancy
  complications
• might affect postnatal contacts with the baby
  (Siddiqui Hagglof, 2000)
• might affect postnatal perception of a baby
• might be considered as indicator of the
  adjustment to parental role

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THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION

• Dr E. Bielawska-Batorowicz
• Institute of Psychology
• University of Lodz, Poland
• Smugowa 10/12, 91-433 Lodz
• ebator_at_uni.lodz.pl