Ab1571-HPR Development of the Maternal Fetal Attachment in Pregnant Women With Rheumatic Diseases

Background: Maternal–fetal attachment (MFA) refers to the bond between a mother and her baby that starts when the mom-to-be develops emotional, cognitive, and behavioral aspects toward the unborn baby and can be measured with scales such as the Maternal Antenatal Attachment Scale (MAAS) [1]. Due to the high frequency of adverse maternal-fetal outcomes associated in pregnant women with autoimmune rheumatic diseases (ARD), MFA can be used to identify mothers with impairment in developing a healthy relationship with their babies and intervene promptly to prevent disorders in the babies' neurodevelopment [2]. Objectives: Describe the quality and intensity of the MFA in pregnant women with ARD and their relationship with depressive and anxious symptoms. Methods: A descriptive and cross-sectional study was conducted. Pregnant women with ARDs from the Reproduction and Pregnancy Clinic in Rheumatic Diseases (CREER in Spanish) from a University Hospital in México were included. Clinical and sociodemographic data from the third-trimester evaluation were obtained from the records (Table 1). The Maternal Antenatal Attachment Scale (MAAS), the State and Trait Inventory (STAI), and the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) scales were used. The description and scores of the scales are in Table 2. Statistical analysis was performed with the Shapiro-Wilk and Spearman correlation tests; the sociodemographic and clinical characteristics are presented as frequencies and percentages for the categorical variables and means, standard deviation (SD), median, and interquartile range (IQR) for the continuous variables. A p < 0.05 was considered significant. SPSS version 25 (IBM Corp, Armonk, NY) was used. Results: Fifty-five women were included. The mean (SD) age was 28.35 (6.772) years. The main ARD was rheumatoid arthritis in 31 (56.4%) patients. The median (IQR) for both subscales of the MAAS was: quality 25.00 (17-28) and intensity 19.00(12-55). There were no significant correlations between MAAS intensity with anxiety state (p= 0.193, r= 0.178) and postnatal depression (p= 0.721, r= 0.049). There were no significant correlations between MAAS quality with anxiety state (p = 0.443, r= 0.105) and postnatal depression (p= 0.253, r= -0.157). Two groups were made: 31 (56.4%) patients with RA and 24 (43.7%) patients with other ARDs. RA patients had a significant positive correlation between MAAS quality and anxiety state (STAI) (p= 0.003, r=518). Patients with other ARDs, a negative correlation with anxiety traits (STAI) (p=0.009, r= -.518) was found. Conclusion: The pregnant women from the CREER were able to develop MFA quality and intensity with their unborn babies. Pregnant women with RA develop more emotions toward their unborn babies; nevertheless, these emotions could be negative ones because of the correlation with their STAI state scores. On the other hand, women with other ARDs tend to have a more "anxious" personality which negatively affects the MFA quality development. Monitoring the perception that pregnant women with ARD have of their unborn baby should be part of prenatal care due to the benefits it has on obstetric and fetal outcomes. REFERENCES: [1] Navarro-Aresti L, Iraurgi I, Iriarte L, Martínez-Pampliega A. Maternal Antenatal Attachment Scale (MAAS): adaptation to Spanish and proposal for a brief version of 12 items. Archives of women's mental health. 2016 Feb;19:95-103. [2] Gioia, M. C., Cerasa, A., Muggeo, V. M. R., Tonin, P., Cajiao, J., Aloi, A., Martino, I., Tenuta, F., Costabile, A., & Craig, F. (2023). The relationship between maternal-fetus attachment and perceived parental bonds in pregnant women: Considering a possible mediating role of psychological distress. Frontiers in psychology, 13, 1095030. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.1095030. Acknowledgements: NIL. Disclosure of Interests: None declared.