| Description: |
Pregnancy and the postpartum period are times of significant transition for women, with changes in maternal physical and mental health. The relationship between a mother and her infant has been recognised as laying the foundation for later child development. There is considerable evidence that this early relationship is influenced by a woman’s wellbeing during pregnancy and in the early post-partum period. Mindfulness has been found to have positive health outcomes, primarily in reducing maternal stress, anxiety, and depression. However, there remains a need for considering the influence of mindfulness on the mother-infant relationship during pregnancy and the first trimester post-partum. Given the limited research on interoception in pregnancy, this maternal variable was included to acknowledge the importance of embodiment in maternal mindfulness, mental health, and mother-infant relationship. Its relevance was assessed through the associations with all the other measures. This study was the first to explore associations between maternal mindfulness, mental health (depression, anxiety, and stress), interoception, and mother-infant relationship during pregnancy and post-partum across three time points in a non-clinical community sample. This can provide possible avenues for assessment and support strategies by pre and perinatal healthcare practitioners. Women were assessed at 20+ weeks gestation (110), approximately 36-week gestation (72) and 10-12 weeks postpartum (67). Their age ranged from 18 to 47 (M = 33.22). The majority were from Australia and the rest from New Zealand, UK, USA, and Canada. They were from middle to upper class socioeconomic background and from high school/equivalent to doctoral degree educational level, with the majority holding a bachelor’s degree. The maternal variables were assessed with self-report questionnaires. Changes in the maternal variables during pregnancy and postpartum across three timepoints were analysed using ANOVA. Correlations were investigated using Pearson ... |