EVALUATION OF THE QUALITY OF MARITAL RELATIONSHIP AND ITS RELATIONSHIP WITH MATERNAL-FETAL ATTACHMENT IN WANTED AND UNWANTED PREGNANCIES

The process of motherhood affects the marital relationship and the mother's attachment to the fetus. Therefore, the present study was designed and conducted to determine the quality of marital relationship and its relationship with maternal-fetal attachment in wanted and unwanted pregnancies.

This descriptive-analytical comparative study was performed on 150 mothers with wanted and unwanted pregnancies referred to health centers in Zanjan in 2017. Data collection tools included demographic information checklist, Glasser Marital Relationship Quality Questionnaire, and Cranley Fetal Attachment Questionnaire (CMFAS). Data were analyzed by appropriate statistical tests (ANOVA, Kruskal–Wallis, Chi-Square, Spearman, Pearson) using SPSS 16 software.

The total score of marital destructive behaviors in wanted pregnancies was lower than unintended and unwanted pregnancies (p˂0.001), results show that the quality of marital relations was favorable. The total score of maternal -fetal attachment in wanted pregnancies was higher than unintended and unwanted pregnancies and this difference between the groups was statistically significant (p˂0.001). There was also an inverse relationship between destructive behaviors of marriage and maternal attachment to the fetus in all three groups of wanted pregnancy (r=-0.98, p = 0.49), unintended pregnancy (r = -0.341, p ˂0.001), and unwanted pregnancy (r=-0.456, p = 0.015).

Reducing the destructive behaviors of marriage can lead to an increase in the mother's attachment to the fetus in unwanted pregnancies and consequently improve the mother and child's mental health.