Cimino S.a· Cerniglia L.b

Author affiliations

aDepartment of Dynamic Clinical and Health Psychology, Sapienza, University of Rome, Rome, Italy
bFaculty of Psychology, International Telematic University Uninettuno, Rome, Italy

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Article / Publication Details

First-Page Preview

Received: May 30, 2022
Accepted: November 28, 2022
Published online: January 04, 2023

Number of Print Pages: 7
Number of Figures: 0
Number of Tables: 3

ISSN: 0254-4962 (Print)
eISSN: 1423-033X (Online)

For additional information: https://www.karger.com/PSP

Abstract

Introduction: Before the COVID-19 pandemic, proximity between mothers and their newborn infants was at the core of sanitary guidelines. With the aim of stopping the virus transmission from mothers to infants and possible physical dangers due to the infection, some hospitals discouraged or even prohibited skin-to-skin contact and breastfeeding. Method: This study recruited 180 dyads in private and public hospitals in Italy with the aim of verifying whether mother-infant separation after delivery is associated with higher maternal psychopathological distress (assessed through the SCL-90-R) and poorer quality of dyadic interactions during breastfeeding (evaluated through the SVIA). Results: Our results showed that mothers separated from their infants displayed more anxiety, depression, and obsessive-compulsive symptoms and a lower quality of feeding interactions on all the subscales of the SVIA (mother’s affective state; interactive conflict; food refusal behavior; dyad’s affective state). Conclusion: In light of these results, our study suggests that separating mothers from their newborns is associated with increased psychopathological symptoms in mothers and poorer feeding interactions. These issues have been posited as key predictors of maladaptive outcomes in infants’ later lives; therefore, health services must fully consider the short- and long-term consequences of separating mothers and infants in their policies in the event of future pandemics.

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First-Page Preview

Received: May 30, 2022
Accepted: November 28, 2022
Published online: January 04, 2023

Number of Print Pages: 7
Number of Figures: 0
Number of Tables: 3

ISSN: 0254-4962 (Print)
eISSN: 1423-033X (Online)

For additional information: https://www.karger.com/PSP

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