The effects of Mindfulness Training on Primiparous Pregnant women’s Emotion Control and the formation of secure attachment style among their infants

Background: Pregnancy is one of the most crucial and stressful periods in the life of the women, influenced by physiological and psychological changes during pregnancy that affect mother-fetus attachment during pregnancy. The present study aimed to determine the effects of mindfulness training on emotion control of primiparous pregnant women and to investigate its impacts on the formation of secure attachment style in infants. Methods: This pretest posttest control group single blind study was done on pregnant women who were chosen from the healthcare centers of Tehran, Iran. From among ۱۵۰ women screened for eligibility to participate in the study, ۳۸ Primiparous Pregnant women met the inclusion criteria and were randomly assigned into the study groups. The intervention group received seven weekly mindfulness training sessions. The control group received the prenatal routine care. The participants answered the Motion Control Scale at the pretest and posttest. Data were collected using the strange situation in the two groups and analyzed by statistical tests, eight weeks after the intervention. Results: According to the findings, the average age of the sample is in the range of ۲۳ to ۳۹ years. The pregnancy week of the subjects was between ۱۵ months and ۴۱ months. After the intervention, the mean maternal emotion control score was significantly higher in the intervention group than the control group (F=۱۵.۸۹۴; P=۰.۰۰۱). Moreover, the Chi Square test revealed that in terms of infant’s safe attachment style (P=۰.۵۷۰; χ۲= ۷,۶۴۴a), there is no difference between the mothers in the studied groups. Conclusions: The results showed that Mindfulness was effective in the formation of secure attachment style in infants and in promoting maternal-infant attachment. Therefore, it was recommended that such interventions be integrated in the prenatal care programs of pregnant women to improve the secure attachment of infants.

Keywords:

Mindfulness , Emotional Control , Primiparous Pregnant women , secure attachment style , Infants