Examination of the Relationship Between Mothers' Self-Confidence and Maternal Attachment in the Postpartum Period

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: The relationship between self-confidence and maternal attachment during the postpartum period is critical to both the infant's healthy development and the mother's psychosocial adjustment. This study aimed to evaluate the association between mothers' self-confidence levels and maternal attachment during the postpartum period. METHOD: The study employed a descriptive and correlational design. A purposive sampling method was used in the study, and 147 mothers who were between 1 and 4 months postpartum, over the age of 18 years, able to communicate in Turkish and competent to fill out an online survey were included in the study. The data collection tools included the Descriptive Information Form, the Karitane Parenting Confidence Scale (KPCS), and the Maternal Attachment Inventory (MAI). The collected data were processed and analyzed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences for Windows, version 24.0. RESULTS: The participants' mean total KPCS score was 35.95 +/- 4.39, and the mean MAI score was 92.71 +/- 5.34. No statistically significant association was found between maternal attachment and parental confidence levels (p > .05). Additionally, no significant differences were observed between participants' sociodemographic characteristics and their scale scores (p > .05). CONCLUSIONS: The findings suggest that maternal confidence and attachment, although both essential components of postpartum adjustment, function as independent constructs influenced by different psychological and contextual mechanisms. Understanding these dimensions separately may provide insights for developing targeted interventions to support mothers in the early postpartum period.