Young mothers’ prenatal attachment and later attachment-related representations of their young children

Although mother-to-infant attachment begins during pregnancy, few studies have explored correlates of prenatal attachment and associations with later measures of attachment representations. This study explored whether prenatal attachment is related to attachment representations during toddlerhood and whether associations between them reflect the broader quality of mothers’ relationships. Young, ethnically/racially diverse, low-income American women (n = 160) were followed from pregnancy through 30 months postpartum. Questionnaires assessed prenatal attachment (Maternal Antenatal Attachment Scale [MAAS]) and mothers’ relationships prenatally (Inventory of Parent and Peer Attachment [IPPA]; Social Provisions Scale [SPS]). At 30 months, the Working Model of the Child Interview (WMCI) assessed attachment representation classifications (balanced, disengaged, distorted) and affective themes. Stronger prenatal attachment was associated with balanced representations of the child, greater positive affect, and less negative affect at 30 months, even when accounting for quality of mothers’ other relationships. Relationship quality generally and with the parent figure and infant's father specifically, was associated with prenatal attachment, and relationship quality with the parent figure was related to 30-month attachment representations. Findings support theory that mother-to-child attachment formed during pregnancy contributes to attachment representations and affective qualities of the relationship years later. Data highlight the role young mothers’ parent figures play during the transition to parenthood.