Perinatal posttraumatic stress disorder as a predictor of mother-child bonding quality 8 months after childbirth: a longitudinal study.

Background: Negative childbirth experiences can be related to the onset of perinatal post-traumatic stress symptomatology (P-PTSS), which significantly impacts the mother and the infant. As a response in the face of the discomfort caused by P-PTSS, maladaptive emotion regulation strategies such as brooding can emerge, contributing to the consolidation of post-partum depressive symptoms. Ultimately, both types of symptomatology, P-PTSS and post-partum depression, can act as risk factors for developing mother-child bonding difficulties.

Difficulties in Pregnancy Adjustment as Predictors of Perinatal Depression: Indirect Effects through the Role of Brooding Rumination and Maternal-Fetal Bonding.

Objective: The aim of this research was to study the ways in which problems of adaptation to pregnancy influence the development of symptoms of perinatal depression via the presence of brooding and low maternal-fetal bonding, in addition to other risk factors previously established in the literature.

Study Design: Representative sample of pregnant women in the third trimester of gestation ( = 594) completed an online survey that included sociodemographic data and measures of perinatal depression, adjustment to pregnancy, bonding, and brooding. Other risk factors were also assessed as covariates, such as previous history of depression, generalized anxiety, perceived social support, and experience of stressful life events.