Summary: A mother’s positive perception of her emotional bond with her infant is a reliable indicator of healthier social, emotional, and behavioral development in the child.
Source: Deakin University
Deakin University researchers have identified that maternal bonding, assessed before and after birth, helps predict key aspects of infant development.
The emotional bond between a mother and her baby plays a central role in early childhood development. Although theory has long suggested this connection matters, there have been relatively few high-quality longitudinal studies that follow families across pregnancy and the first year of life to examine how maternal bonding relates to later infant outcomes.
Dr. Genevieve Le Bas, a Postdoctoral Fellow, and Associate Professor Delyse Hutchinson, an NHMRC Leadership Fellow, from Deakin University’s Centre for Social and Early Emotional Development (SEED), led a longitudinal study that directly addressed this gap in the literature.
Their paper, “The Role of Antenatal and Postnatal Maternal Bonding in Infant Development,” was published in the Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry. The study investigates whether maternal bonding measured during pregnancy and after birth reliably predicts infant development at 12 months.
In this multi-wave cohort (N = 1,347), expectant mothers completed the Maternal Antenatal Attachment Scale in each trimester to report their emotional connection to the fetus. After birth, the same mothers completed the Maternal Postnatal Attachment Scale at eight weeks and again at twelve months postpartum. Researchers then compared these bonding scores with infants’ developmental outcomes at 12 months using the Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development, Third Edition (Bayley-III).
The research team found that maternal bonding—both how mothers perceived their connection during pregnancy and after birth—predicted multiple indicators of infant social-affective development. Specifically, stronger maternal bonding was associated with more optimal social-emotional functioning, fewer behavioral difficulties, and more stable temperamental profiles. These associations were statistically meaningful, with effect sizes ranging from small to moderate and generally growing stronger across the perinatal period (β = 0.11–0.27).
Smaller effects were also observed linking maternal bonding to cognitive, language, and motor outcomes (β = 0.06–0.08), suggesting the strongest predictive value of bonding lies within social-affective domains rather than across all developmental areas.
Dr. Le Bas highlighted the practical implications: “A mother’s positive perception of her bond with her infant, both antenatally and postnatally, is a marker of more optimal infant social, emotional, and behavioral development.” After accounting for maternal mental health, mother-to-child affectional bonding remained a distinct and potentially modifiable predictor of infant social-emotional outcomes.
The study’s findings point to new opportunities for early intervention and preventive care. Identifying bonding difficulties during routine antenatal and postnatal care could allow healthcare providers to offer targeted support that strengthens the developing parent-child relationship and promotes better social-affective outcomes for the infant.
Dr. Le Bas recommended practical steps to translate the research into care pathways: routine screening for bonding difficulties during pregnancy and in the postnatal period through hospital services, general practice, and maternal and child health nurses; using standardized measures of maternal bonding to identify families who may benefit from additional support; and monitoring progress when interventions are provided. The authors suggest that early support for women experiencing bonding difficulties could cumulatively improve maternal emotional experience, strengthen mother–child relational formation, and promote healthier infant social-affective development.
These findings are especially relevant for clinicians, maternal and child health professionals, and researchers focused on early childhood development, perinatal mental health, and preventive intervention strategies that target the parent–infant relationship.
About this neurodevelopment research news
Author: Press Office
Source: Deakin University
Contact: Press Office – Deakin University
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Original Research: Closed access. “The Role of Antenatal and Postnatal Maternal Bonding in Infant Development” by Genevieve Le Bas et al., Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry.
Abstract
The Role of Antenatal and Postnatal Maternal Bonding in Infant Development
Objective
This study examines whether the affectional bond reported by mothers toward their developing fetus and infant predicts infant developmental outcomes. Despite theoretical emphasis on the importance of maternal bonding, longitudinal evidence has been limited. The study used a large multi-wave pregnancy cohort (N = 1,347) to evaluate these associations.
Method
Maternal bonding was self-reported using the Maternal Antenatal Attachment Scale each trimester and the Maternal Postnatal Attachment Scale at 8 weeks and 12 months postpartum. Infant development at 12 months was measured with the Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development, Third Edition (Bayley-III).
Results
Maternal bonding predicted indicators of infant social-affective development—social-emotional competence, behavioral regulation, and temperament—with effect sizes that were small to moderate and increased over the perinatal period (β = 0.11–0.27). There were very small associations between bonding and cognitive, language, and motor development (β = 0.06–0.08).
Conclusion
The findings indicate that a mother’s perceived emotional connection with her child contributes to predicting social-affective outcomes in infancy. Maternal bonding appears to be a potentially modifiable predictor of infant social-emotional development and therefore represents a promising target for early preventive interventions within antenatal and postnatal care services.