The role of maternal prenatal attachment and postnatal stress on mother–infant bonding at 6 months

Aims: Maternal attachment mental state is critical in stress regulation and caregiving behaviours. However, most existing research relies on cross-sectional designs and self-reported attachment measures, which capture distinct but complementary aspects of attachment relative to interview measures. This longitudinal study examines the associations between maternal attachment mental states during pregnancy, postpartum stress and mother–infant bonding at 6-months postpartum. Methods The study followed 98 White expectant mothers in Italy, assessing attachment mental states during the third trimester of pregnancy (M = 35.20 gestational weeks, SD = 2.20; Time 1, T1) using the Adult Attachment Interview (AAI). At 2-months postpartum (T2), maternal stress was measured via the Perceived Stress Scale, and at 6-months postpartum (T3), mother–infant bonding was evaluated using the Maternal Postnatal Attachment Scale. Of the initial sample, 91 mothers continued to T2, and 90 to T3. Mediation analyses examined whether postpartum stress mediated the relationship between maternal attachment coherence of mind and bonding. Results Mothers with lower coherence of mind during pregnancy─which is considered the single best indicator of attachment security in the AAI─reported higher postpartum stress at T2, which, in turn, was associated with lower-quality mother–infant bonding at T3. Conclusion Postpartum stress mediates the relationship between maternal attachment mental states and bonding quality. These findings suggest that addressing attachment-related vulnerabilities and stress during the perinatal period may help support positive mother–infant relationships and developmental outcomes, although future research is needed to directly evaluate the effectiveness of specific interventions.