Antenatal Attachment, Mindfulness and Self-compassion Version 1
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Expecting a Baby with a Cleft: Antenatal Attachment, Mindfulness and Self-compassion
IRAS ID
192385
Contact name
Peter Taylor
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Liverpool
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 3 months, 30 days
Research summary
In the UK, one in 700 babies are born with a cleft lip with over 50% diagnosed at the 20-week antenatal scan. A cleft lip is a non-life threatening condition that can be corrected with surgery when the baby is approximately 3 months old. Pregnancy, for some people, can be a stressful time for lots of different reasons, however, expecting a baby with a cleft lip might increase experiences of anxiety and low mood (depression). Experiences such as these might impact on bonding (attachment) feelings towards the baby, which can have implications for development and adjustment in later life. However, mothers-to-be who report greater self-kindness (self-compassion) and the ability to remain non-judgementally in the present moment (mindfulness) rather than thinking too much about the future or thinking too much about the past, might experience more positive feelings towards their unborn baby and might experience less anxiety and low mood as a result.
This research is a questionnaire-based study that will be available to complete both on-line and on paper. The research aims to explore the experiences of two groups of mothers-to-be: a group expecting a baby with a cleft lip and a group expecting a baby with no identified anomaly from the routine 20-week antenatal scan.
This research hopes to explore antenatal attachment, self-compassion, mindfulness, low mood and anxiety with a view to informing antenatal services about the type of additional support that mothers-to-be may benefit from, particularly those expecting a baby with a cleft lip.
REC name
North West - Haydock Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
16/NW/0096
Date of REC Opinion
22 Feb 2016
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion