The relationship of social support perceived by mothers and fathers and dyadic adjustment with maternal and paternal attachment in the postpartum period

Abstract

This descriptive, correlational, and cross-sectional study included mothers (n = 170) and fathers (n = 173) with 6- to 12-month-old babies. A personal information form, the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS), the Revised Dyadic Adjustment Scale (RDAS), the Maternal Attachment Inventory (MAI), and the Postnatal Paternal-Infant Attachment Questionnaire (PPAQ) were used to gather information. Mothers' median scores were 64 (27-84) for MSPSS, 57 (21-69) for RDAS, and 102 (92-104) for MAI. Fathers' median scores were 53 (24-84) for MSPSS, 57 (40-69) for RDAS, and 84 (57-94) for PPAQ. In mothers, a significant, moderate, positive correlation was found between the median scores of MSPSS and RDAS (r = .521; p < .001) and MAI (r = .362; p < .001). This relationship was also the same for the RDAS and MAI median scores (r = .299; p < .001). For fathers, a significant, low-level, positive correlation was found between median scores of MSPSS and RDAS (r = .53; p = .044) and PPAQ (r = .164; p = .031). A significant, moderate, positive correlation was also found between RDAS and PPAQ median scores (r = .468; p < .001). This study found that baby attachment increases with increasing social support for mothers and fathers and dyadic adjustment. In postnatal follow-ups, women's health nurses and midwives should assess the social support, dyadic adjustment, and attachment levels of mothers and fathers.

Keywords: attachment; dyadic adjustment; maternal; paternal; social support.