Few studies examined maternal attachment in childbirth-related postpartum posttraumatic stress disorder (PP-PTSD). We studied 685 postpartum women, assessing for PP-PTSD, non-childbirth PTSD, maternal attachment, pre-birth, birth, and post-birth factors. Attachment was lower in PP-PTSD than in non-childbirth PTSD and no PP-PTSD. Hierarchical regression showed that PP-PTSD predicted less maternal attachment above and beyond pre-birth psychiatric conditions, acute distress in birth, and lack of breastfeeding. Childbirth-induced posttraumatic stress may interfere with the formation of maternal attachment, warranting screening of at-risk women.
CITATION STYLE
Dekel, S., Thiel, F., Dishy, G., & Ashenfarb, A. L. (2019). Is childbirth-induced PTSD associated with low maternal attachment? Archives of Women’s Mental Health, 22(1), 119–122. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00737-018-0853-y
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