Effects of mediated instruction, the cesarean experience, and infant characteristics on maternal attachment behavior

Cesarean section delivery may be associated with less than optimum conditions for the type of interactions between mothers and newborns which promote bonding and the development of attachment. Mothers who have had cesarean sections are considered at risk for parenting failure. The purpose of this study was to identify problematic maternal, infant, and situational variables and to test an intervention to determine its influence on maternal behaviors toward the infant. The research question guiding this quasi-experimental study was as follows: what proportion of variance in maternal attachment behavior can be accounted for by the experimental intervention both in combination with and beyond that which can be accounted for by non-experimental maternal variables associated with childbirth and the cesarean section experience, and infant variables. The experimental intervention was a videotape, "Baby's Talking-Are You Listening?" which focuses on the manner in which infants from birth to nine months exhibit their multi sensory capabilities for communication, and how in interaction with the infant these capabilities can be enhanced. The hypothesis to be tested was as follows: a statistically significant amount of the variance in maternal attachment behavior will be explained by the experimental condition beyond the variance accounted for by the maternal and infant variables. [...]