Evaluating the effect of prenatal interventions on maternal–foetal attachment: A systematic review and meta‐analysis

Abstract

Aim This study aimed to evaluate the effect of prenatal interventions on maternal foetal attachment. Design Systematic review and meta‐analysis. Methods In this study, a comprehensive review was performed to find articles published from January 2000 ‐ December 2019 in the form of randomized and non‐randomized clinical trials. To this end, online databases including PubMed, Scopus, Google Scholar, ScienceDirect, Proquest, Ovid, CINAHL and JAMA were searched. Duplicate articles were also excluded using Endnote X7 Reference. The results were then analysed via RevMan 5.3 software. Results The results showed that foetal movement counting did not seem to be effective in increasing MFA by itself. But, this intervention alongside other attachment behaviours such as touching the belly and talking to foetus could enhance MFA. Therefore, the best interventions to improve MFA might be combined ones implemented in the form of counselling and training sessions.

Effects of maternal psychological distress and perception of COVID-19 on prenatal attachment in a large sample of Italian pregnant women

“…It is important to bear in mind that women identified as 'at risk' during early pregnancy should be followed throughout the prenatal and postpartum period with appropriate support, to promote a positive prenatal attachment and reduce anxiety. As suggested by Abasi et al (2021), the best interventions should be focused on enriching prenatal attachment behaviors such as fetal movement counting, touching the belly, and talking to the fetus. Moreover, other interventions like mindfulness-based prenatal programs could further have a positive effect on mothers' anxiety and increase strong healthy mother-infant bonding which may lead to healthier childhood development (Boekhorst et al, 2020;Sbrilli et al, 2020).…”

Prenatal attachment by first-time fathers – the pilot study of the factor structure of the Polish-language version of the Prenatal Attachment Inventory for men (PAI-M)

“…It seems understandable that men expecting a baby have greater difficulty in visualizing the fetal manifestations of a child because they are not pregnant themselves. Indeed, previous research has found expectant fathers to have lower fetal attachment scores than expectant mothers [31]; as such, it is important to recognize factors that influence paternal prenatal attachment. Since prenatal attachment is negatively associated with postpartum bonding disorders [32,33,34] understanding the specific aspects of the relationship between a future father and his child at the prenatal stage can not only clarify the process of paternal prenatal attachment formation, but also help support fathers through the prenatal period.…”

The Effects of Relaxing Music on Life Distress and Maternal-fetal Attachment in Pregnant Women

“…MFA-related behaviors are divided into 5 general categories, including role-taking, the differentiation of self from the fetus, the giving of self, attributing characteristics and intentions to the fetus, and interaction with the fetus. Mothers with lower levels of attachment also report higher levels of stress and depression, which can lead to adverse pregnancy outcomes (Cunen et al 2017;Abasi et al 2020).…”