Prenatal attachment inventory during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic

ABSTRACT
Objective. The mother’s ability to attune herself to the child already from life in utero depend on the functioning of the biological hormonal channels that preside over foetal growth and well-being and the loving feelings that represent prenatal attachment. Loving attachment is the deep, specific and permanent bond that allows one to breastfeed, cradle and protect one’s baby and not abandon it, and enables the mother to respond effectively to the baby’s needs.
The aim of this study is to investigate the psycho-emotional dimensions of women in the period of endogestation during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic.
Materials and Methods. A cross-sectional study was conducted on a sample of Italian mothers enrolled online via social networks, and the validated Prenatal Attachment Inventory (PAI) questionnaire was used. The statistical analysis we performed by Shapirò-Wilk test, the Wilcoxon test and the Kruskall-Wallis test.
Results. The PAI study showed a high average prenatal attachment of the women in the sample, which increases as the pregnancy progresses and is greater in southern women and primipara.
Conclusions. From our study it can be deduced that women, having mostly good social and emotional support, manage to establish a bond with the child despite the stress due to the pandemic.