Monochorionic Twins and the Early Mother-Infant Relationship

An Exploratory Observational Study of Mother-Infant Interaction in the Post-Partum Period

Bibliographic Data

ID15469463
AuthorsChiara Ionio (0000-0002-0163-3841, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, corresponding author), Eleonora Mascheroni (0000-0001-8248-7550, IRCCS Eugenio Medea), Gianluca Lista (0000-0002-6636-5673, Ospedale dei Bambini Vittore Buzzi), Caterina Colombo (0000-0002-4505-6150, Ospedale dei Bambini Vittore Buzzi), Giulia Ciuffo (0000-0003-4031-0890, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore), Marta Landoni (0000-0003-0082-1565, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore), Irene Daniele (0009-0009-3079-4052, Ospedale dei Bambini Vittore Buzzi), Maurice Gattis (0000-0002-8665-7577, Cardiff University)
Year2022
Volume19
Issue5
Pages2821-2821
Publication date2022-02-28
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueInternational Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1661-7827 • E-ISSN: 1660-4601
PublisherMultidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute (PUBLISHER • CH)
DOI10.3390/ijerph19052821
PMID35270513
OpenAlexW4214647132
LanguageEN
Citations received1
References cited65

The extraordinary increase in twin rates and specifically monochorionic twin pregnancies represents a major public health issue due to the associated increased risks for the mother, the child and their relationship. The aim of the present study was to examine the quality of mothers' behaviour during mother-infant interaction in the early postpartum period by comparing mothers of twins and mothers of singletons during face-to-face interaction with their infants. Demographic and clinical information was collected by trained research psychologists from the mothers' and the childrens' clinical records and from interviews with the mothers. At three months (corrected for prematurity), the interactions of the dyads (11 mother-twin infant dyads and 11 mother-singleton dyads) were filmed at participants' homes in accordance with the procedure of the Global Rating Scales. Maternal behaviour during interactions was assessed and rated by two trained research psychologists. With regard to the mothers' interaction with each twin, no differences were found between mothers' scores in every GRS subscale, indicating that mothers did not interact differently with their twins. Comparisons between mothers of MC twins and mothers of singletons showed that the quality of maternal sensitive behaviour during the interactions were lower in mothers of twins (0.35) Mothers of twins were also more distant during interactions with their babies and more likely to experience depression symptoms than mothers of singletons (0.05). Future research should examine mother-infant relationships following twin birth with larger samples. Such research will be especially useful in evaluating the potential benefits of interventions to promote positive mother-infant interactions

Observational study · Obstetrics · Period (music · Post partum · Postpartum period · Pregnancy · Assisted Reproductive Technology and Twin Pregnancy · Demographic Trends and Gender Preferences · Family Dynamics and Relationships · Medicine · Psychology · Pediatrics

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