Prenatal attachment in women with twin versus singleton pregnancy: Socio-demographic, mental health and pregnancy-related predictors.

BACKGROUND

While twin pregnancy (TP) is associated with increased maternal physical and psychological risks, little is known about how this context interferes with prenatal attachment.

AIMS: To compare the level of prenatal attachment between women with TP and singleton pregnancy (SP), and to investigate socio-demographic, maternal mental health and pregnancy-related predictors.

STUDY

DESIGN

Case-control study in a university hospital.

SUBJECTS: 119 women with TP during their last trimester of pregnancy versus 103 women with SP.

OUTCOME MEASURES: The Prenatal Attachment Inventory (PAI), the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS), in addition to the collection of general socio-demographic and medical data.

RESULTS

The mean PAI total score did not significantly differ between the two groups. In the group of women with TP, low but statistically significant correlations were found between the PAI total score and the EPDS total score (r = -0.21) and with maternal age (r = -0.20).

CONCLUSIONS

No major difference in prenatal attachment was found in women TP compared to those with SP. A higher level of depressive symptoms is worth considering to explore the risk of suboptimal attachment in this population. Questions were raised about the applicability of usual measures of prenatal attachment in this context.