Factors effecting bonding in the postpartum period

Bonding is an emotional bond of love in the mother as a result of mother and babyrelationship. There are growing data that early bonding is associated with mentalprocesses of the developing baby. Therefore, the factors that effect bonding in thepostpartum period should be understood better. The purpose of this study is toexamine the effect of sociodemographic variables, DSM-IV Axis I and II disorders,and dyadic adjustment on bonding.Hundred mothers of 17-45 years-old were randomly selected in the first post-partumweek in the Obstetrics and Gynecology Unit in Gazi University Medical Faculty andthey were given SCID-I, SCID-II, Post-Partum Bonding Scale, and the DyadicAdjustment Scale. SCID-I and the Post-Partum Bonding Scale were re-applied at the8th postpartum week.Apart from physical problems as mastitis in mother and excessive colitis in baby,young maternal age, low economic status, a history of psychiatric illness in thefamily, a history of previous or current psychiatric illness in the mother, cluster Bpersonality disorders, and disharmony in dyadic relationship had a negative effect onbonding.The results show that bonding disorder is related with many factors, and themothers? feelings about their babies just after birth may change in time. Since only22.5% of the mothers with SCID-I mental disorders showed signs of bondingdisorder, additional factors were thought to play a role in the etiology of this disorder.Key words: Bonding, mental disorders, dyadic adjustment.