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Child-Rearing History and Emotional Bonding in Parents of Preterm and Full-Term Infants

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Abstract

Some parents fail to develop strong emotional bonds with their newborn infants. As the quality of the parent–infant relationship contributes to the infant’s development, it is of great importance to identify protective and risk factors that facilitate or impede the development of the parent–infant bond. The present study examined both infant-related and parent-related factors. We investigated whether or not the infant’s gestational age at birth influenced the quality of the mother–infant and father–infant bond. In addition, we examined whether or not parents’ own child-rearing history predicts bonding with their newborn infant. Mothers and fathers of full-term infants (born >37 weeks of gestational age, n = 72), moderate preterm infants (born between 32 and 37 weeks of gestational age, n = 69) and very preterm infants (born <32 weeks of gestational age, n = 70) completed the Parental Bonding Instrument—assessing their own child-rearing history—and the Postpartum Bonding Questionnaire at two points in time—which examines the quality of the bond with their infant. Results reveal that mothers of preterm infants report higher feelings of bonding than mothers of full-term infants. For fathers, no differences were found between the gestational age groups. These findings are discussed in light of compensatory care theory and the supporting role of hospital staff. Furthermore, bonding with the infant was strongly influenced by parents’ perceptions of their own child-rearing history in both mothers and fathers of full-term and preterm infants. Clinicians working with parents of newborn infants should pay attention to parental recollections of their own upbringing during early screening in parents of full-term and preterm infants.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Developmental Psychology, Tilburg University, P.O. Box 90153, 5000 LE, Tilburg, The Netherlands

    Ruby A. S. Hall

  2. International Victimology Institute Tilburg, Tilburg University, Tilburg, The Netherlands

    Hannah N. Hoffenkamp

  3. Department of Pedagogical and Educational Sciences, Erasmus University, Rotterdam, The Netherlands

    Anneke Tooten

  4. Centre for Educational Measurement (CEMO), University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway

    Johan Braeken

  5. Department of Medical and Clinical Psychology, Tilburg University, Tilburg, The Netherlands

    Ad J. J. M. Vingerhoets

  6. Department of Tranzo, Tilburg University, Tilburg, The Netherlands

    Hedwig J. A. Van Bakel

  7. Centre for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Herlaarhof, Vught, The Netherlands

    Hedwig J. A. Van Bakel

  8. Centre of Infant Mental Health, Dimence Institute, Deventer, The Netherlands

    Hedwig J. A. Van Bakel

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  1. Ruby A. S. Hall
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  2. Hannah N. Hoffenkamp
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  3. Anneke Tooten
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  4. Johan Braeken
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  6. Hedwig J. A. Van Bakel
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Correspondence to Ruby A. S. Hall.

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Hall, R.A.S., Hoffenkamp, H.N., Tooten, A. et al. Child-Rearing History and Emotional Bonding in Parents of Preterm and Full-Term Infants. J Child Fam Stud 24, 1715–1726 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-014-9975-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-014-9975-7

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