Spiritual Beliefs of Mothers With Potentially Distressing Pregnancies

This study examines the religious/spiritual (r/s) beliefs of mothers who have experienced difficulties in the formation of their families and their association with maternal-infant attachment and maternal mental health in the pre- and postnatal periods. Groups of women with disclosed differences in their pregnancy intention (e.g., wanted, planned) and reproductive histories (e.g., infertility, perinatal loss, high-risk) were profiled on their image of God/spirituality based on their endorsement of 21 characteristics. Women with planned yet unwanted pregnancies fared worse off in maternal well-being and attachment to their child. Women without complicated reproductive histories yet risky pregnancies fared similarly. Women who held attributions of God as loving and knowable and residing within the self, as opposed to a supreme being who was judging, had better scores on anxiety, depression, perceived stress and social support. Women with the most complex reproductive profiles viewed God as a teacher with karmic implications. Findings from this study suggest that r/s beliefs are significant indicators of whether a nonideal pregnancy will result in distress for the mother and her child. Clinicians are recommended to explore and encourage positive r/s cognitions to assist women as they become mothers.