Attachment Behaviors in Physiological Birth Versus Cesarean Section

Abstract

Objectives: Attachment can be described as a powerful bond between two individuals, in this case, between the mother and child. This process is started during pregnancy and completed after childbearing. Thus, delivery time, as a turning point between two stages of attachment is very important. Accordingly, the present study aimed to investigate the probable relations between the mother to child attachment and the mode of delivery. Materials and Methods: In this descriptive-analytical study, 260 pregnant women were included based on specific inclusion criteria, who were in the age range of 15-45 years old and the gestational age between 37 to 42 weeks and were the candidate for physiological delivery or cesarean section. After obtaining the constant written form, the demographic information questionnaire was handed to the participants. One hour after delivery, the attachment questionnaire was completed by the researcher in the postpartum ward. Finally, the Spielberg anxiety inventory for each of the samples was completed up to one hour after delivery. Results: Based on the findings, the participants of the physiological delivery group showed more positive attachment behaviors in comparison with the other group. Further, some domains of attachment such as looking, caressing and rocking the cradle in the subtypes of emotional behaviors, as well as contiguous behaviors and caring behaviors significantly differed among the participants (P<0.05). Eventually, the participants experienced higher levels of anxiety in the cesarean delivery group, but the differences between the groups were not significant (P>0.005) Conclusions: In sum, the results of the current study indicated that mothers who engaged in physiological delivery had higher scores regarding mother to child attachment behaviors. In other words, they are more successful to attach their babies compared to the cesarean group. These results are important because various children are born by a cesarean section and an insecure attachment can have many negative effects for the child.

The Contributions of Physiologic Birth and Cesarean Delivery to Attachment and Social Skills of 6-Year-Old Children

“…The results of the current study indicated that level of attachment seem to differ by the types of child delivery. Normally born children had higher levels of attachment than cesarean children, which was consistent with the previous research findings (Ebrahimi et al, 2020;Zanardo et al, 2016;Zavardehi, Faramarzi and Mirzaeian, 2018). Zavardehi, Faramarzi and Mirzaeian, (2018).…”

“…Zavardehi, Faramarzi and Mirzaeian, (2018). Iranian children born in cesarean section were found to have less attachment compared to normally born children, which was further supported by Ebrahimi et al,(2020). Similar findings were also obtained in Western studies.…”

“…Although there are many studies focusing the association between child delivery and social skills (Ebrahimi, Karimian, Kolahdozan, and Emamian, 2020;Gathwala and Narayanan, 1991;Korja, Latva, and Lehtonen, 2012;Mutryn, 1993;Zanardo et al, 2016), the number of studies investigating the contributions of types of child delivery to attachment and social skills seems insufficient. Therefore, the following research questions will be addressed within the scope of the present study: 1.…”

Assessment of mental health issues in pregnant women with fetal complications: Relation to attachment and anxiety

“…22 Literature reports different results concerning maternal attachment when comparing cesarean section and vaginal delivery. 23 Although there is some evidence showing that nonvaginal or traumatic delivery makes it difficult to establish a bond between mother and baby, [24][25][26][27] in our study, it was determined that women who gave birth with anomaly by cesarean section developed more attachment to babies than women who gave birth normally. This result makes the study different from other studies.…”

“…Over recent years, the rate of cesarean sections has increased, and one of the reasons for this rise stems from the anxiety associated with vaginal birth 22 . Literature reports different results concerning maternal attachment when comparing cesarean section and vaginal delivery 23 . Although there is some evidence showing that nonvaginal or traumatic delivery makes it difficult to establish a bond between mother and baby, 24–27 in our study, it was determined that women who gave birth with anomaly by cesarean section developed more attachment to babies than women who gave birth normally.…”