EFFECT OF MOTHERS? PARENTAL BONDING STYLE ON THEIR MATERNAL ATTACHMENT

Purpose: This study was aimed to investigate the relationship between mothers' parental bonding styles and their maternal attachment levels. Material and Methods: An cross-sectional study was conducted with 216 mothers between July 2020 and January 2021. The data were obtained via social media with online surveys. The data were collected using the Personal Information Form, the Maternal Attachment Inventory (MAI), and the Parental Bonding Instrument (PBI). The independent variables of the study is parental bonding, the dependent variables of the study is maternal attachment. The correlations among MAI and PBI of mother and father forms was analyzed. A simple linear and multiple regression analysis was performed to explore main predictor. Results: The mean MAI score of the mothers was found to be 96.7 +/- 8.8 which indicated a high level of maternal attachment. The mean score from the PBI-mother form was found to be 49.1 +/- 14.6 and PBI-father form was 46.1 +/- 14.9 which indicated that the mothers had a positive bonding with their parents. A positive, moderate, and significant relationship was revealed between the mean score of the MAI and the mean score of the PBI-mother form (R=0.594, p=0.001) and also between the mean score of the PBI-father form (R=0.468, p=0.001). Parental bonding with mother (beta=0.481, p=0.001) showed a stronger effect on maternal attachment compared to parental bonding with father (beta=0.175, p=0.001). Parental bonding with mother and father together explained 37% of the total variance in maternal attachment. As a result of the simple regression analysis, parental bonding with mother (beta=0.593, p=0.636) and father (beta=0.483, p=0.636) explained 35% and 23% of the total variance in the MAI, respectively. Parental bonding with mother and parental bonding with father explained 35% and 23% of the total variance found in maternal attachment, respectively.Conclusion: Mothers' parental bonding showed an effect on their maternal attachment as well. The families and couples should be trained on how positive or negative bonding with their children can affect their life cycles and future lives.