Prenatal Spousal Military Deployment and Maternal Prenatal Adaptation as Predictors of Postpartum Maternal- Infant Attachment

A woman’s ability to adapt and identify with the concept of being a mother is a process that occurs progressively throughout pregnancy and is predictive of postpartum adaptation and infant health outcomes. Integral to this adaptive process is the esteem-enhancing support from a partner or husband. Less is known about the impact of military deployment and the absence of the husband on the pregnant woman’s level of anxiety and its impact on postpartum maternalinfant attachment. The effect of spousal deployment during pregnancy on prenatal anxiety and adaptation to a 6-month measure of maternal-infant attachment was the focus of this study. The sample comprised 113 pregnant women eligible for care in the military medical system. Significant predictors of postpartum maternal-infant attachment and satisfaction with maternal role and infant care were: Prenatal deployment of one’s spouse, specific prenatal measures of anxiety and depression, and the pregnant woman’s relationship with her spouse. The findings indicate the unique and important support provided by the spouse. Most particularly the findings show the impact of prenatal partner/spousal separation secondary to military deployment on postpartum maternal adaptation and maternal-infant attachment.