A Qualitative Investigation of Prenatal Attachment
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Exploring Maternal Experience of Bonding, Pre and Post Labour: An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis
IRAS ID
220330
Contact name
Christina Morley
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Teesside University
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 1 months, 20 days
Research summary
The concept of attachment between mother and baby is well established, however the conceptualisation of prenatal attachment lacks clarity. Links between prenatal and postnatal attachment, health behaviours and psychosocial functioning have been suggested but debate continues as to the nature of ‘prenatal attachment’. The present study aims to investigate the lived experiences of mothers bonding with their babies before and after birth and will use Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis to gain a deeper understanding of the bond across two time points. Between six and ten mothers will be recruited from community midwives departments during the eighth month of pregnancy and will be interviewed once at around this point and again at around three months postpartum. Transcripts will be coded and analysed to identify emerging themes relating to mothers’ experiences of bonding with their baby, pre and post labour.
REC name
East Midlands - Leicester South Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
17/EM/0177
Date of REC Opinion
9 Jun 2017
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion