An analysis of the relation between marital satisfaction and maternal bonding

Objective: The purpose of this study is to test the hypothesis that mothers with high marital satisfaction have high maternal attachment. Methods: The sample of the study consisted of 114 volunteer mothers who applied to the maternity and pediatrics departments of the state hospital in Cankiriprovince. The data were collected by 'Mother Information Form', 'Maternal Attachment Inventory', and 'Married Life Scale'. Findings: The results show that the mothers who got married at the age of 31 or later and themselves and their spouses are high school graduates have a significantly high maternal bonding level, whereas in the case where the mothers themselves and their spouses are university graduates, are employed, and who share childcare responsibilities with their spouses have a marital satisfaction that is significantly high; and those whose financial income is greater than their costs, who share the housework with their spouses, who had a friendship phase with their spouses prior to the marriage, who had never been exposed to violence by their spouses, whose pregnancies were planned, who held their babies in their arms in the first 30 minutes following the birth, and who had a baby with the gender they desired have both maternal bonding and marital satisfaction levels that are significantly high. A moderate, positive, and significant relation was identified between the marital satisfaction of the mothers and the bonding they feel for their babies. Result: It is recommended to provide trainings and consultancy services about factors affecting marital satisfaction and mother-infant attachment to the individuals before marriage.