Psychological resilience and prenatal attachment levels of women with unintended pregnancy

The purpose of this research was to identify the correlation between psychological resilience levels of women with unwanted pregnancies and their levels of prenatal attachment, as well as to reveal sociodemographic and obstetric predictors of each. The research was carried out using a descriptive cross-sectional design. The population of the study was 307 women who had unwanted third-trimester pregnancies in Adıyaman province. Data were gathered face-to-face using the Personal Information Form, the Adult Resilience Scale (APS), and the Prenatal Attachment Scale (PAS). The internal consistency coefficients of the scales were 0.896 for the APS and 0.770 for the APS. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, independent samples t-test, one-way ANOVA, Pearson correlation, multiple and hierarchical regression analyses, and SPSS 25.0 The participants' mean age was 27.4±5.1, and the most common age range (39.4%) was 25-29 years. The PAS mean score was 56.87±12.25 (27-84) and the YPDS mean score was 132.15±24.00 (88-165). There was a positive, weak, but significant correlation between prenatal attachment and psychological resilience (r=0.283; p<.001). The YPDS prediction model accounted for 8.1% of the total variance; university or above education level (β =0,198; p=.002) and having a boy (β= 0,162; p=.003) were found to enhance psychological resilience. With increasing psychological resilience in unwanted pregnancy, prenatal attachment also increased. Mothers who were more educated and those who were expecting a boy were in a more advantageous position with regard to attachment as well as resilience. Gender dysphoria and medium marriage duration negatively affected attachment. Results indicate that the counseling interventions of perinatal care services to enhance psychological resilience and lessen gender dysphoria will facilitate mother-infant bonding. Keywords: Unintended pregnancy; Psychological resilience; Prenatal attachment; Mental health.