How do number pregnancy and delivery problems and mothers' psychological health influence rooming-in time? A study of Italian mothers

Background: The amount of time a mother spends with a newborn after birth is known as rooming-in. The benefits of rooming-in include early mother-child attachment, healthy infant brain development, heart rate, body temperature and sleep cycles. Alternatively, studies have shown that lower amounts of rooming-in correlate with subsequent cases of parenting inadequacy, anxiety, and lower responsiveness and affective involvement with the child. This study investigated the influence of number of problems during pregnancy and delivery on the amount of time a mother spent rooming-in. Additionally, we investigated the potential moderating influence of a mother’s sense of coherence and attachment style on the association between number of problems experienced during pregnancy and delivery and rooming in.

Methods: The sample consisted of 67 mothers ages 24-43 (M = 33.65, SD = 4.28) living in Turin, a large industrial city located in the northwest region of Italy. Linear regressions were used to explore linear associations and potential moderation associations among variables of interest. Age and educational level were used as control variables in this study.

Results: Greater indications of problems during the pregnancy and delivery (β = .04, p < 0.001) and greater indications of manageability (sense of coherence) (β = .03, p < 0.05) were associated with lower amounts of time a mother spent rooming-in. No moderation effects were identified.

Conclusion: While the identification of positive determinants of rooming-in behaviors is critical, further studies should clarify the role of a mother’s psychological competence on early parenting behaviors. Intervention implications are discussed.