“I Owe Her So Much; Without Her I Would Be Dead”: Developing a Model of Mother–Infant Bonding Following a Maternal Antenatal HIV Diagnosis

• Published in: The Journal of the Association of Nurses in AIDS Care Vol. 27; no. 1; pp. 17 - 29
• Main Authors: Willcocks, Kate, Evangeli, Michael, Anderson, Jane, Zetler, Sarah, Scourse, Rosalind
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Elsevier Inc 01.01.2016; Lippincott Williams & Wilkins Ovid Technologies
• Subjects: Adaptation, Physiological; AIDS/HIV; Antenatal; antenatal HIV diagnosis; Anti-HIV Agents - therapeutic use; Babies; Bonding; Breast Feeding; Childbirth & labor; Cross-Sectional Studies; Data analysis; Female; Grounded Theory; HIV; HIV Infections - diagnosis; HIV Infections - drug therapy; HIV Infections - psychology; HIV testing; Human immunodeficiency virus; Humans; Infant; Infants; Infectious Disease Transmission, Vertical; Interviews as Topic; maternal HIV; Medical diagnosis; mother-infant bonding; Mother-infant relations; Mothers; Mothers - psychology; Nursing; Object Attachment; Positive emotions; Postpartum Period; Pregnancy; Pregnancy Complications, Infectious - diagnosis; Pregnancy Complications, Infectious - psychology; Promotion; Psychological support; Qualitative Research; Resilience; Tests; Vulnerability; United Kingdom > UK; HIV testing; mother-infant bonding; maternal HIV; grounded theory; pregnancy; antenatal HIV diagnosis
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jana.2015.08.007
• ISSN: 1055-3290

Women can face a period of psychological vulnerability following antenatal HIV diagnosis, affecting feelings about both the pregnancy and motherhood. Our study explored the impact of being diagnosed with HIV during pregnancy on mother–infant bonding. Grounded Theory was used to assess perceived challenges and facilitating factors for mother–infant bonding for 10 mothers given an HIV diagnosis during pregnancy. Data analysis led to a model of mother–infant bonding composed of four theoretical codes: (a) facing barriers to bonding, (b) feeling disconnected from the baby, (c) developing a special bond, and (d) strengthening and moving on. Challenges with bonding emerged primarily during early stages after diagnosis and birth, with maternal resilience and positivity about the future developing as the infant HIV testing process progressed. Study recommendations include more timely information regarding vertical transmission and more targeted psychological support along with greater promotion of services to support women diagnosed with HIV antenatally.