War trauma and maternal–fetal attachment predicting maternal mental health, infant development, and dyadic interaction in Palestinian families

ABSTRACT

Optimal maternal–fetal attachment (MFA) is believed to be beneficial for infant well-being and dyadic interaction, but research is scarce in general and among risk populations. Our study involved dyads living in war conditions and examined how traumatic war trauma associates with MFA and which factors mediate that association. It also modeled the role of MFA in predicting newborn health, infant development, mother–infant interaction, and maternal postpartum mental health. Palestinian women from the Gaza Strip (N = 511) participated during their second trimester (T1), and when their infants were 4 (T2) and 12 (T3) months. Mothers reported MFA (interaction with, attributions to, and fantasies about the fetus), social support, and prenatal mental health (post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, and anxiety) at T1, newborn health at T2, and the postpartum mental health, infant’s sensorimotor and language development, and mother–infant interaction (emotional availability) at T3. Results revealed, first, that war trauma was not directly associated with MFA but that it was mediated through a low level of social support and high level of maternal prenatal mental health problems. Second, intensive MFA predicted optimal mother-reported infant’s sensorimotor and language development and mother–infant emotional availability but not newborn health or maternal postpartum mental health.

KEYWORDS:

• Mother–fetal attachment (MFA)
• war trauma
• maternal mental health
• infant development
• emotional availability

Acknowledgements

We are very grateful for the Palestinian mothers and infants who shared with us their important experiences. The study would not have been possible without our excellent fieldworkers. We are deeply thankful for them.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This study was supported by grants from the Academy of Finland (#25021024), Finnish Cultural Foundation and National Doctoral Programme of Psychology (DOPSY).