Relationship Between Maternal-Fetal Attachment With Anxiety and Demographic Factors in High-risk Pregnancy Primipara Women

There are contradictory results in studies on the relationship between maternal-fetal attachment behaviors and anxiety in high-risk pregnancies. This study aimed to determine the relationship between maternal-fetal attachment and anxiety and demographic characteristics of first pregnant women with high-risk pregnancies.

In this cross-sectional study, 200 pregnant women with preeclampsia, hypertension, and preterm were enrolled in two prenatal clinics of a selected hospital affiliated with the Iran University of Medical Sciences in 1998. The random sampling method was simple. The instruments used in this study included the demographic and midwifery questionnaire, the Cranley fetal-maternal attachment questionnaire, and the Wendenberg pregnancy anxiety questionnaire. Data were analyzed using Spss software version 16 using independent t-test, analysis of variance and Pearson correlation coefficient, and linear regression..

The mean maternal attachment to the fetus was 85.26±12.68 in the participating women. It was moderate level. The mean score of female anxiety was 196.20±66.34, higher than the mean of the instrument. There was a statistically significant correlation between the total score of maternal attachment to the fetus and the total score of female anxiety (P<0.001). There was a significant and inverse relationship between education of pregnant women and their husbands, support of pregnant women, and planning for pregnancy with maternal attachment to the fetus and anxiety (P<0.001).

Less education for pregnant mothers and, lack of planning for pregnancy, less support from spouses to pregnant women have caused them to become more attached to the fetus. The mothers were more worried in the face of preterm pregnancy. The efforts of health care providers should be for pregnancy care in this group of women with higher quality and with more consultation time.