TY - JOUR
T1 - COVID-19 related worry moderates the association between postpartum depression and mother-infant bonding
AU - Handelzalts, Jonathan E.
AU - Hairston, Ilana S.
AU - Levy, Sigal
AU - Orkaby, Naomi
AU - Krissi, Haim
AU - Peled, Yoav
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2022 Elsevier Ltd
PY - 2022/5
Y1 - 2022/5
N2 - The aim of this study was to ask whether a substantial external stressor, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, affects the association between postpartum depression (PPD) and mother-infant bonding. Specifically, we aimed to determine whether worry regarding such an external threat differentially affected PPD and bonding by analyzing a longitudinal sample of postpartum women assessed before and during the pandemic. One-hundred forty women responded to online questionnaires at (T1) Pre-COVID-19: Six months postpartum (February 2018 to December 2019), and (T2) During COVID-19: Twenty-one months postpartum (April 2020 to January 2021). The strength of correlation between mother-infant bonding and PPD significantly declined from before (T1: R = 0.64, p < 0.00) to during the pandemic (T2: R = 0.44, p < 0.001; Difference = 0.20, p = 0.05). Furthermore, only PPD correlated with the worry due to the pandemic; thus the PPD-bonding association was weaker among women who were less concerned about the pandemic (F(3, 136) = 15.4, R2 = 0.25). The study suggests that emotions and cognitions related to motherhood, such as mother-infant bonding, may be more resilient to external pressures such as a pandemic than affective states such as PPD. (174 words).
AB - The aim of this study was to ask whether a substantial external stressor, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, affects the association between postpartum depression (PPD) and mother-infant bonding. Specifically, we aimed to determine whether worry regarding such an external threat differentially affected PPD and bonding by analyzing a longitudinal sample of postpartum women assessed before and during the pandemic. One-hundred forty women responded to online questionnaires at (T1) Pre-COVID-19: Six months postpartum (February 2018 to December 2019), and (T2) During COVID-19: Twenty-one months postpartum (April 2020 to January 2021). The strength of correlation between mother-infant bonding and PPD significantly declined from before (T1: R = 0.64, p < 0.00) to during the pandemic (T2: R = 0.44, p < 0.001; Difference = 0.20, p = 0.05). Furthermore, only PPD correlated with the worry due to the pandemic; thus the PPD-bonding association was weaker among women who were less concerned about the pandemic (F(3, 136) = 15.4, R2 = 0.25). The study suggests that emotions and cognitions related to motherhood, such as mother-infant bonding, may be more resilient to external pressures such as a pandemic than affective states such as PPD. (174 words).
KW - Bonding
KW - COVID-19
KW - Depression
KW - Pandemic
KW - Postpartum
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85125644875&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.jpsychires.2022.02.039
DO - 10.1016/j.jpsychires.2022.02.039
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C2 - 35259664
AN - SCOPUS:85125644875
SN - 0022-3956
VL - 149
SP - 83
EP - 86
JO - Journal of Psychiatric Research
JF - Journal of Psychiatric Research
ER -