Cited by 126Maternal Mental Health During Pregnancy and PostpartumAttachment and Relationship DynamicsInfant Development and Preterm Care

Psychological and psychophysiological considerations regarding the maternal-fetal relationship

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DiPietro, Janet A.·2010·Infant and Child Development

Abstract

The earliest relationship does not begin with birth. Pregnant women construct mental representations of the fetus, and feelings of affiliation or "maternal-fetal attachment" generally increase over the course of gestation. While there is a fairly substantial literature on the development and moderation of psychological features of the maternal-fetal relationship, including the role of ultrasound imaging, relatively little is known about the manner in which maternal psychological functioning influences the fetus. Dispositional levels of maternal stress and anxiety are modestly associated with aspects of fetal heart rate and motor activity. Both induced maternal arousal and relaxation generate fairly immediate alterations to fetal neurobehaviors; the most consistently observed fetal response to changes in maternal psychological state involves suppression of motor activity. These effects may be mediated, in part, by an orienting response of the fetus to changes in the intrauterine environment. Conversely, there is evidence that fetal behaviors elicit maternal physiological responses. Integration of this finding into a more dynamic model of the maternal-fetal dyad, and implications for the postnatal relationship are discussed. Research on the period before birth affords tremendous opportunity for developmental scientists to advance understanding of the origins of human attachment.

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  • Fetuses of smokers show more maladaptive responses to the non-stress test, lower heart rate variability, more mouth and self-touch movements, and poorer recognition of maternal voice than fetuses of nonsmokers.

    “found greater rates of maladaptive response to the non-stress test (a clinical index of fetal well-being)(96), including reduced heart rate variability, increased mouth and self-touch movements, and impaired recognition of maternal voice in fetuses of smokers compared with those of nonsmokers.”

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Authors
DiPietro, J. A.
Affiliations
Johns Hopkins University (US)
Corresponding author
DiPietro, Janet A.
Venue
Infant and Child Development
Publisher
Wiley
Published
2010-01
Volume
19
Issue
1
Pages
27-38
ISSN
  • 1522-7219 (ISSN-L)
  • 1522-7227
OpenAlex
W2144666322
Cited by
126
References
80
Citations by year
2026: 5 · 2025: 11 · 2024: 4 · 2023: 8 · 2022: 6 · 2021: 7 · 2020: 9 · 2019: 9 · 2018: 3 · 2017: 10 · 2016: 2 · 2015: 10 · 2014: 9 · 2013: 9 · 2012: 13
FWCI
10.46
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Infant and Child Development (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
Funders
  • National Institutes of Health
  • National Institute of Child Health and Human Development
  • Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (R01HD027592, R24HD042854)
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Maternal Mental Health During Pregnancy and Postpartum
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Attachment and Relationship Dynamics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Pediatrics, Perinatology and Child Health › Infant Development and Preterm Care
Keywords
maternal-fetal relationship, maternal-fetal attachment, prenatal attachment, maternal stress, maternal anxiety, fetal heart rate, fetal movement, fetal neurobehavior, maternal relaxation, maternal-fetal dyad, prenatal ultrasound

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