Despite the emerging body of literature on mother-to-infant bonding and the associated variables, there are various definitions of bonding construct. Also, there is a lack of a comprehensive concep...

Bonding refers to emotions and cognitions towards one’s infant. Breastfeeding is believed to facilitate bonding, yet only a handful of studies have empirically tested this assertion. This study aimed to confirm whether a positive association between breastfeeding and bonding exists and whether breastfeeding may be protective against the negative consequences of mood and sleep disturbances on bonding. A cross-sectional survey was administered to a convenience sample of Israeli mothers of infants ages 1–9 months. The main outcome measures were breastfeeding history, bonding (Postpartum Bonding Questionnaire, PBQ), mood (Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale, EPDS) and sleep (Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, PSQI). Two hundred seventy-one mothers (21–46 years) completed the survey. 65.7% reported current breastfeeding, 22.1% past breastfeeding, 12.2% never nursed. The PBQ correlated with both the EPDS and PSQI. Breastfeeding was associated with greater daytime fatigue, but not with any other sleep problem, and was not associated with bonding. This negative result was confirmed with Bayesian analysis demonstrating that the probability for the null hypothesis was 4.5 times greater than the hypothesized effect. Further, hierarchical regression revealed a positive relationship between bonding, daytime fatigue and depression symptoms only among women who were currently breastfeeding. These findings suggest that among healthy mothers, breastfeeding may not be a central factor in mother-infant bonding, nor is it protective against the negative impact of mood symptoms and bonding difficulties. Theoretical and methodological bases of these findings are discussed.

As mother-infant bonding difficulties are potentially detrimental to child development, it is of importance to study its etiology and associated factors. Only a minority of studies have focused on the role of personality and postpartum depression and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in the etiology of bonding difficulties. The present article attempted to ascertain the association of vulnerability (Neuroticism) and resilience (Dispositional Optimism) with bonding, wherein postpartum depression and PTSD symptoms were possible mediators. There were 504 mothers of infants, 0-13 months, who were sampled cross-sectionally using social media. Respondents completed an online survey consisting of the following questionnaires: demographic details, Neuroticism (subscale of the Big Five Inventory, BFI), Dispositional Optimism (Life Orientation Test-Revised), postpartum PTSD symptoms (City Birth Trauma Scale, BiTS), postpartum depression symptoms (Edinburgh Postpartum Depression Scale, EPDS), and mother-infant bonding difficulties (Postpartum Bonding Questionnaire, PBQ). Path analysis revealed 5 significant indirect paths: Dispositional Optimism affected bonding through EPDS (β = -0.04, p = .010) and through BiTS general symptoms (β = -.02, p = .019), and BFI-Neuroticism affected bonding through EPDS (β = 0.14, p = .001), BiTS birth-related symptoms (β = -0.03, p = .013), and BiTS general symptoms (β = 0.11, p = .001). Both Dispositional Optimism and Neuroticism correlated with bonding difficulties, mediated by postpartum depression and PTSD symptoms. When all variables were measured in a single model, postpartum PTSD birth-related symptoms predicted fewer bonding difficulties while general postpartum PTSD symptoms were associated with more bonding difficulties. Taken together, these results can promote better understanding of postpartum psychopathology and mother-infant bonding to allow for better treatments. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).