Discrete category of mother-to-infant bonding disorder and its identification by the Mother-to-Infant Bonding Scale: A study in Japanese mothers of a 1-month-old

• Published in: Early human development Vol. 111; pp. 1 - 5
• Main Authors: Matsunaga, Asami, Takauma, Fumie, Tada, Katsuhiko, Kitamura, Toshinori
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Ireland Elsevier B.V 01-08-2017
• Subjects: Adult; Advanced Basic Science; Behavior Rating Scale; Child abuse; Cluster analysis; Depression, Postpartum - epidemiology; Depression, Postpartum - psychology; Female; Humans; Infant, Newborn; Japan; Male; Maternal bonding; Mother-Child Relations; Neonatal and Perinatal Medicine; Object Attachment; Post-natal depression; Screening; Stress, Psychological - epidemiology; Stress, Psychological - psychology; Surveys and Questionnaires; Cluster analysis; Screening; Child abuse; Post-natal depression; Maternal bonding
• ISSN: 0378-3782; 1872-6232
• DOI: 10.1016/j.earlhumdev.2017.04.008

Abstract Background Difficulty of maternal bonding towards a baby is widely recognised. It is unclear whether this phenomenon is dimensional or categorical. If categorical, an optimal cut-off score of a screening instrument is needed in clinical settings. Aims In this study, we investigated whether maternal bonding is dimensional or categorical phenomenon and try to set optimal cut-off score of screening instruments. Methods Self-report questionnaire studies were conducted in a general hospital and four antenatal clinics. Two-step cluster analysis was conducted for the Mother-to-Infant Bonding Scale (MIBS) subscale scores in 723 mothers of neonates. ROC curves and optimal cut-off points of the MIBS scores were calculated based on cluster-analysis derived groups. Results A 2-cluster structure appeared: “normal” ( n = 619) vs. “pathological maternal bonding” ( n = 104). Mothers of the latter category scored significantly higher in terms of postnatal depression and neonatal abuse than those of the former category. AUC of the ROC curve by the total MIBS scores both 5 days and 1 month after childbirth were > 0.9. The optimal cut off scores were 3/4 at 5 days, and 4/5 at 1 month, after childbirth. Conclusions There was a group of mothers with high MIBS scores discretely different from those with low MIBS scores. MIBS may be a useful tool to identify mothers with a severe bonding disorder that needs clinical intervention.