Prevalence and factors associated with impaired maternal infant bonding among mothers attending the young child clinic at Kawempe national referral hospital

Abstract

Introduction: Impaired maternal-infant bonding has a negative impact on the mother-infant relationship and can also affect the social, emotional, and cognitive development of a child. In Uganda, there is a paucity of literature on impaired maternal-infant bonding and the associated factors in the postpartum period. Objective: To determine the prevalence and factors associated with impaired maternal-infant bonding. Methods: A quantitative cross-sectional design that included a consecutive sample of 422 mothers attending the Young Child Clinic at Kawempe National Referral Hospital with babies aged up to 14 weeks was used. Data was collected using an interviewer-administered questionnaire in either English or Luganda. Information on independent variables was collected using items generated from the literature. Maternal-infant bonding was measured by the postpartum bonding questionnaire(PBQ). Participants with a score ≥ 13 on the PBQ were considered to have impaired maternal-infant bonding. Logistic regression was used to determine factors associated with impaired maternal-infant bonding using 95% CI and p≤0.05.Results: The mean age of the mothers was 26 (±5.7) years. The prevalence of impaired maternal-infant bonding among mothers was 45%(190/422). Unmarried mothers (AOR=2.01 [95%CI=1.03-4.09], p=0.041), unplanned pregnancy (AOR=5.20 [95%CI=3.07-8.82], p<0.001), first time mothers (AOR=2.46 [95%CI=1.37-4.42], p=0.003), baby girl (AOR=1.80 [95%CI=1.13-2.86], p=0.13) were significantly associated with impaired maternal infant bonding. Conclusion and recommendations: Impaired maternal-infant bonding is associated with sociodemographic, maternal, and infant factors. Unmarried mothers, first-time mothers, and those with unplanned pregnancies should be particularly assessed for maternal-infant bonding problems. Midwives should screen for bonding problems during antenatal and postnatal care; and design interventions focused on the individual needs of mothers to foster maternal-infant bonding and give timely management to those at risk or with impaired maternal-infant bonding.