Maternal-Infant Bonding in the Postpartum Period

Abstract

Background: One of the most important predictors of a child's emotional, cognitive, and social development is the relationship between mother and child during the postnatal period; any disruptions in this process may cause long-term bonding issues for both the mother and their child.

Aim: To determine the level of maternal-infant bonding among Iraqi postpartum mothers and to look at the correlations between bonding and specific demographic characteristics such as age, education, economic position, and birth order.

Method: Study was a descriptive cross-sectional, which carried out at Bint Al-Huda Teaching Hospital in Nasiriyah, Iraq, extended from July to December 2025. The Postpartum Bonding Questionnaire (PBQ), translated into Arabic, was administered to the carefully chosen sample of 108 postpartum women in Nasiriyah. SPSS version 26 was used to analyze the data by using descriptive and inferential statistics.

Results: The study’s findings which related to mothers’ bonding, showed that 74.1% had excellent, 22.2% were moderate, and 3.7% of mothers had low attachment. In addition, the economic status (P = 0.04), maternal age (P=0.02), the child's birth order (P = 0.01), and were all statistically substantially correlated with bonding levels. There were no significant correlations with residence or education.

Conclusion: The current study referred that the level of Maternal-Infant Bonding was generally adequate, a small percentage of mothers exhibited low levels of this bond, attributed to young age, first birth, and economic status. These findings suggest the need for early screening and tailored psychological interventions in postpartum care to maintain healthy mother-infant bonds and prevent any potential problems in this bond.

Keywords: Infant, Bonding, Nursing, Maternity, Postpartum, Pediatric.