Development of the maternal-fetal relationship in women who use substances: Understanding the influence of intersecting variables on prenatal attachment and health behaviours

Healthy maternal-infant attachment is the foundation on which a child’s physical, cognitive, psychological and emotional development rests.  This relationship between the mother-baby dyad has been shown to begin during the prenatal period with research suggesting that prenatal attachment is a strong predictor of postnatal attachment.  The purpose of this qualitative research project is to get a better understanding of prenatal attachment in women who use substances during pregnancy and to determine if efforts towards harm-reduction may be implemented to improve outcomes for mothers, babies and families.  Data collection is complete and the study should be completed in late spring 2014.

Contact: Michelle Foulkes, mfoulkes@toh.on.ca