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“Anybody's child”: severe disorders of mother-to-infant bonding

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  03 January 2018

R. Channi Kumar
R. Channi Kumar*
Affiliation:
Institute of Psychiatry, De Crespigny Park, London SE5 8AF
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Abstract

Background

This paper describes severe, disorders of maternal affection and behaviour and suggests that there is an early process of mother-to-infant bonding which can go seriously wrong.

Method

Forty-four self-selected women who had suffered from at least one episode of postnatal mental illness described an unexpected and often catastrophic failure to love one or more of their babies.

Results

These women reported absent affection, sometimes hate, rejection, neglect or impulses to harm, in relation to at least one of their children. These feelings often began immediately or very shortly after the birth, and with one exception, were specific to one child; such characteristics are best encapsulated by the term ‘maternal bonding disorder’. Twenty-nine of the women were multiparae; first-borns were not significantly more likely to be the focus for such feelings. There was no direct evidence of predisposing maternal personality traits or previous experiences. Postnatal mental illness and recalled severe pain during labour were significantly associated with such disorders which, in their severe forms, did not occur in the absence of postnatal mental illness.

Conclusions

The nature of the link between postnatal mental illness and disorders of maternal bonding remains unclear. Because, in multiparae, the disorder often ‘missed’ the first child, factors such as maternal personality traits or early childhood experiences cannot be regarded as sufficient causes.

Type
Papers
Information
The British Journal of Psychiatry , Volume 171 , Issue 2 , August 1997 , pp. 175 - 181
Copyright
Copyright © 1997 The Royal College of Psychiatrists 

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