The Role of Mental Health on Maternal‐Fetal Attachment in Low‐Income Women

To examine and describe the influence of maternal depressive symptoms on maternal‐fetal attachment (MFA) in predominantly low‐income women. Mixed method. Three urban obstetric/gynecologic (OB/GYN) clinics serving predominantly low‐income women. A convenience sample of 166 women participated in the quantitative component and a purposeful subsample of 12 women participated in the qualitative component; all women were between 24 and 28 weeks gestation at the time of data collection. Linear regression models were used to examine the influence of depressive symptoms and social support on MFA. Individual in‐depth interviews were conducted among a subsample of women to explore the influence of maternal depressive symptoms on MFA. Fifty‐nine percent (n = 98) of participants had scores that were clinically significant for depressive symptoms. In the final model of social support and depressive symptoms regressed on MFA, social support (b = .23, 95% CI [0.09, .37], p = .002) and depressive symptoms (b = −1.02, 95% CI [−1.32, −.73], p