The Role of Attachment Training in Mother-infant Attachment

The Effect of Attachment Training Given to Pregnant Women on Mother Infant Attachment

The study aimed to investigate the effect of attachment training given to pregnant women on mother-infant attachment.Primiparous pregnant women between 28.-38. weeks were randomized into two groups. Pregnant women in the study group were given attachment training for 15 days and the effect of the training on mother-infant attachment was investigated by using the mother-infant attachment scale at postpartum week 8 in comparison with the control group.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Maternal Behavior; Infant Development; Mother-Infant Interaction
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: Attachment Training

Detailed Description

Pregnant women between 28th and 38th weeks of gestational age who applied to an outpatient clinic of a training and research hospital were randomized into two groups. The study group was trained online by a psychologist on attachment in two sessions. In order to measure the level of attachment knowledge before and after the training, a test form prepared by the researcher based on the literature and expert opinion was applied as pre-test and post-test. In the 8th week after delivery, "Maternal Attachment Inventory" developed by Mary Muller in 1994 and Turkish validity and reliability study was conducted by Şirin and Kavlak. Maternal Attachment Inventory, Each item contains direct expressions and is always scored as follows: (a)= 4 points, frequently (b)= 3 points, sometimes (c)= 2 points, and never (d)= 1 point. A general score is obtained from the sum of all items. A high score indicates a high level of maternal attachment. The total score from the scale ranges from a minimum of 26 to a maximum of 104

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 60
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• Turkey
  • Istanbul, Turkey
    • University of Health Sciences

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• 18-40 years old with a primiparous pregnancy,
• 28 to 38 weeks of gestation,
• At least primary school graduate,
• Who can use the internet actively and can receive planned training online,
• Can speak and understand Turkish like a native speaker,
• Expectant mothers who voluntarily accepted the study.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Transferring the pregnant woman to another hospital for follow-up and treatment
• Those who cannot use active internet and will not be able to receive online education
• Not completing the post-test after the training
• Not completing the postpartum maternal attachment scale
• Expectant mothers receiving psychiatric treatment
• Those with risky pregnancies
• Any congenital anomaly in the baby
• Unwanted baby status
• Withdrawal of the candidate from the study

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Supportive Care
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Study Group; Thirty pregnant women between 28th and 38th gestational weeks who applied to the outpatient clinic of a training and research hospital were included in the study group. During the training, 7 participants were excluded due to premature birth.	Behavioral: Attachment Training; The study group was trained online by a psychologist on attachment in two sessions. In order to measure the level of attachment knowledge before and after the training, a test form prepared by the researcher based on the literature and expert opinion was used as pre-test and post-test. In the 8th week after delivery, "Maternal Attachment Inventory " developed by Mary Muller in 1994 and Turkish validity and reliability study was conducted by Şirin and Kavlak.
No Intervention: Control Group; Thirty-one pregnant women between 28th and 38th gestational weeks who applied to the outpatient clinic of a training and research hospital were included in the control group. The control group was administered only the "Maternal Attachment Inventory " developed by Mary Muller in 1994 and the Turkish validity and reliability study was conducted by Şirin and Kavlak at the 8th week after birth.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Maternal Attachment	Maternal Attachment Inventory (MAI) Each item contains direct expressions and is always scored as follows: (a)= 4 points, frequently (b)= 3 points, sometimes (c)= 2 points, and never (d)= 1 point. A general score is obtained from the sum of all items. A high score indicates a high level of maternal attachment. The total score from the scale ranges from a minimum of 26 to a maximum of 104.	10 minutes

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Saglik Bilimleri Universitesi

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): August 1, 2023
• Primary Completion (Actual): January 1, 2024
• Study Completion (Actual): March 4, 2024

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: May 14, 2024
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: May 14, 2024
• First Posted (Actual): May 20, 2024

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): May 21, 2024
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: May 20, 2024
• Last Verified: May 1, 2024

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: infant; maternal attachment; attachment training
• Other Study ID Numbers: mother-infant attachment

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No