2008 年 45 巻 6 号 p. 405-422
The aim of the present study was to examine effects of establishing maternal antenatal attachment to the fetus through Dohsa-hou-induced positive mindbody experience. Pregnant women (N=4) underwent Dohsa-hou relaxation from 4 months of pregnancy to 2 weeks before birth. Each session took 60 minutes. Cognitive/affective responses to the fetal movements, image of the fetus as a human baby, emotional responses about becoming mother, and antenatal emotional attachment were assessed using the Maternal Antenatal Emotional Attachment Scale (MAEAS), and depressive states were assessed with the Self-Rating Depression Scale (SDS). In all participants, after Dohsa-hou relaxation sessions, there was a reduction in feelings of maternal insecurity, such as depressive and anxious feelings about pregnancy. Reduction was also seen in negative emotional responses to a past experience of abuse in one of the women who had experienced maltreatment. Over the course of the pregnancy, the occurrence of fetal movements increased during Dohsa-hou relaxation. The participants' perception of fetal movements was associated with enhanced attachment to their fetuses, as shown by increased scores on the Maternal Antenatal Emotional Attachment Scale.