Abstract
The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of maternal antenatal anxiety on the mother-infant relationship. Thirty pregnant women completed Questionnaires on anxiety longitudinally in the first, second, and the third trimester of pregnancy. Furthermore, a questionnaire survey of the mothers and behavioral observation of feeding were performed in the 30 mother-infant pairs. The questionnaire consisted of the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory and the Mother and Baby Scale. The behavior of the mothers and infants at feeding was evaluated using the Assessment Mother-Infant Sensitivity Scale. Multiple regression analysis was performed using the score of the mothers' perception and the score of the maternal behaviors and infant behaviors as dependent variables, and anxieties of the mother in each trimester as independent variables. As a result, trait anxiety in the second trimester predicted the mothers' perception of the infants, and childcare by breast-feeding. State anxiety in the second trimester predicted the infants' behavior. These results suggest that anxiety of pregnant women affects the mother-infant relationship in the early post partum.
