Relationship between Mother-Child Bonding with Postpartum Depression among a Group of Mothers in Shiraz-Iran

Background and Objectives: Mother-child bonding is vital for psychological development of children. Previous studies have shown that mothers' mental health can impact mother-child bonding. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between postpartum depression with mother-child bonding in a group of mothers in Shiraz. Materials and Methods: In this correlational study, 140 mothers referred to health centers to check their children's health status were recruited using convenience sampling method. Participants completed the questionnaires including the Postpartum Bonding Questionnaire (BPQ) and the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EDPS). The statistical indexes including means, standard deviation, Pearson correlation coefficient and logistic regression analysis were measured to analyses the data using the SPSS. Results: Findings showed that about 25% of mothers experienced symptoms of postpartum depression and 23% had mother-child bonding disorder. The results also indicated that mothers with symptoms of postpartum depression were more likely to have mother-child bonding problems. The findings also showed that postpartum depression predicted mother-child bonding problems significantly. Conclusion: The study showed that mothers with more symptoms of postpartum depression were more likely to have bonding impairment with their children.