Does rejection sensitivity predict impaired mother-infant bonding? A longitudinal study.

Background: Mother-infant bonding refers to emotional, cognitive, neurobiological, and behavioural ties between mother and infant. It is a process that develops from pregnancy throughout infancy. Rejection sensitivity could be one of the risk factors for impaired bonding, and it is defined as a personality disposition that is characterised by an anxious expectation of rejection in social situations. It is known that rejection sensitivity is a predictor of problems in relationships, but its association with difficulties in mother-infant bonding is still unknown.

Design: This was a three-wave online longitudinal study.

Methods: In this study, 1052 women participated in the second trimester of pregnancy (T1), 879 of them participated during the third trimester (T2), and 758 of them in the postpartum period (T3; 6-21 weeks). Women completed the Adult Rejection Sensitivity Questionnaire, Prenatal Attachment Inventory, Postpartum Bonding Questionnaire, and Sociodemographic and obstetric data. Mother-infant bonding had three dimensions: Impaired bonding, Anxiety about care and maternal distress, and Lack of enjoyment and affection with the baby.

Results: The path analysis was conducted where rejection sensitivity (T1) was the predictor, mother-foetal bonding (T2) mediator, and mother-infant bonding (T3) criterium while parity, education level, and place of living were covariates. Higher rejection sensitivity predicted impaired dimensions of mother-infant bonding in the postpartum directly and indirectly via lower mother-foetal bonding during pregnancy.

Conclusion: Women with high rejection sensitivity are at risk for impaired bonding in the peripartum period. Those women should be identified during pregnancy, and special attention should be given to prevent bonding difficulties.