Longitudinal Assessment of Maternal-Fetal Attachment, Parent-Child Interaction, and Child Outcomes at Age 3 Years

• In Event: Poster Session 07
  In Poster Session: PS 07 Topic - Parenting & Parent-Child Relationships

Abstract

Maternal-fetal attachment (MFA; Cranley, 1981) refers to the emotional relationship and corresponding affiliative behaviors between a woman and her unborn child. Prenatal mental health and social support are understood to be predictors of MFA, but less is known about the influence of MFA on subsequent child development. A notable study by Arguz Cildir and colleagues (2019) followed families longitudinally and observed a positive association between MFA and child socioemotional competence at age 2. An important question for the field is whether and how intermediate factors in the postnatal rearing environment impact associations between prenatal attachment and child outcomes (Le Bas et al., 2019). Here, we are particularly interested in the role of dysfunctional parent-child interaction, which has been linked to both maternal attachment (Mason, Briggs, & Silver, 2011) and child vulnerability for negative outcomes (Blatt & Homann, 1992). We examined data from 221 mothers enrolled in a longitudinal research study that included a prenatal assessment and assessment again at child ages 7 months and 3 years. During the prenatal period, mothers reported on maternal-fetal attachment (Maternal-Fetal Attachment Scale [MFAS]; Cranley, 1981). At child age 7 months old, mothers completed the Parenting Stress Index—Short Form (PSI-SF; Abidin, 1995), a 36-item measure that yields three subscales: Difficult Child, Parent Distress, and Parent-Child Dysfunctional Interaction (PCDI). Here, we focus on the PCDI subscale, a measure of maternal dissatisfaction regarding interactions with her child. At child age 3 years, mothers completed the Brief Infant-Toddler Social Emotional Assessment (BITSEA; Briggs-Gowan et al., 2004) and Child Behavior Checklist for ages 1.5-5 (CBCL; Achenbach & Rescorla, 2000). Four primary child outcomes were assessed: (1) the BITSEA “Competence” subscale that assesses socioemotional abilities, (2) the BITSEA “Problem” subscale that assesses internalizing/externalizing and dysregulation, (3) the CBCL internalizing behavior scale, and (4) the CBCL externalizing behavior scale. Four path analyses were conducted using MPlus with maximum likelihood estimation to account for missing data. Path analyses investigated whether MFA influenced age 3 child behavior outcomes via PCDI. Analyses controlled for gestational age at birth, family income, maternal education, and maternal prenatal depression and anxiety measured using the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI; Spielberger, 1983). There was a significant indirect association between MFA and BITSEA Problems via PCDI (z = -2.12, p < .05; see Figure 1). There was no indirect association between MFA and BITSEA Competence via PCDI, although MFA was directly associated with BITSEA Competence ( = .31, p < .001). When using the CBCL as an outcome, there was a significant indirect association between MFA and Internalizing via PCDI (z = -2.30, p < .05; see Figure 2). However, there was not a significant association between MFA and Externalizing via PCDI. These mixed findings may suggest that child internalizing behaviors are more susceptible to the influence of dysfunctional parenting. Interestingly, indirect associations were significant for BITSEA Problems, which captures internalizing and externalizing behaviors, but only remained significant in the CBCL internalizing scales. Further investigation is needed to explore whether the postnatal rearing environment affects these dimensional behaviors differently.

Authors

• Jessica Hruschak, Wayne State University
  Presenting Author

• Ava C Palopoli, Wayne State University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Toni Lewis
  Non-Presenting Author

• Moriah E. Thomason, New York University School of Medicine
  Non-Presenting Author

• Christopher Joseph Trentacosta, Wayne State University
  Non-Presenting Author