Relationship between fear of childbirth and the sense of cohesion with the attachment of pregnant mothers to the fetus

Maternal–fetal attachment is a term used to describe the emotional relationship that a pregnant woman has with her developing fetus. Mental care for pregnant women (fear of childbirth and a sense of cohesion of pregnant women) is one of the most important aspects of prenatal care that affects the mother's attachment to the fetus. If fear and anxiety are relieved, psychological and physical relaxation will be replaced. Therefore, the present study was conducted with the aim of determining the relationship between fear of childbirth and the sense of cohesion with the attachment of pregnant mothers to the fetus.

The present study is a descriptive study that was performed by multi-stage sampling method on 500 pregnant mothers who referred to health centers in Isfahan in 2017. The study participants completed the following questionnaires: fear of childbirth, sense of cohesion, and mother's attachment to the fetus. The data were analyzed by descriptive and analytical statistical methods (Pearson correlation) using SPSS software version 22.

The results showed that there was a significant negative relationship between the overall score of maternal attachment to the fetus and fear of childbirth (r = −0.153, P = 0.001). However, there is a significant positive relationship between the overall score of maternal attachment to the fetus and the sense of cohesion (r = 0.112, P = 0.01). The results also showed a significant negative relationship between the fear of childbirth and the dimensions of maternal attachment to the fetus, including interaction with the fetus (P = 0.04), self-sacrifice (P = 0.04), and attributing characteristics to the fetus (P = 0.05). There was a positive and significant relationship between the sense of coherence and the subsequent acceptance of the maternal role of maternal attachment to the fetus (P = 0.004).

More attention of prenatal care provider to the psychological issues of the pregnant mother and their fears and worries can lead to appropriate interventions in this field, and as a result, mothers' attachment to their fetus has increased so that they can take proper care during and after pregnancy.