The Relationship Between Mother-Infant Attachment, Spiritual Well-Being, and Death Anxiety in Postpartum Women

Abstract

PURPOSE: One of the factors affecting mother-infant attachment is spiritual well-being. The aim of this study is to determine the relationship between mother-infant attachment, spiritual well-being, and death anxiety in postpartum women. METHODS: A descriptive and correlational design was used in the study, which was conducted between May and July 2023. The sample consisted of 526 subjects who volunteered to participate in the research and were selected using the sampling formula for a known population. Data were collected using a personal information form, the spiritual well-being scale, the mother-infant attachment scale, and the death anxiety scale. Mann-Whitney U test, Kruskal-Wallis test, Spearman correlation analysis, and linear regression analysis were employed in the analysis of the data. RESULTS: The mean scores of postpartum women on the mother-infant attachment scale, the spiritual well-being scale, and the death anxiety scale were 23.69 +/- 1.18, 106.60 +/- 9.28, and 27.93 +/- 17.48, respectively. There was no statistically significant relationship between the mean scale scores (p > .05). It was determined that factors affecting mother-infant attachment were the number of prenatal care received and breastfeeding time, spiritual well-being was affected by the person giving support for infant care, and death anxiety was impacted by family type, the status of communication with the spouse, and the first time the infant was held (p < .05). CONCLUSION: It was determined that participants' mother-infant attachment and spiritual well-being scores were high but that their fear of death scores were low.