# Intimate partner violence and early mother-child bonding

> **NIH NIH R03** · MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY · 2021 · $25,272

## Abstract

Maternal bonding is the earliest emotional connection between a mother and her child. When
this bond is damaged, there are adverse effects on the mother-child relationship and
devastating consequences for the child’s physical, cognitive, and socio-emotional health.
Although numerous psychosocial factors have been associated with poor bonding, very little is
known about the process by which bonding goes awry. In addition, although research has
focused mainly on factors influencing mother-infant bonding after birth, there is strong evidence
that mother-infant bonding begins during pregnancy and shows moderate stability through
toddlerhood. The purpose of this RO3 project is to test a novel prenatal model of bonding that
explicates the association among maternal and fetal biomarkers (ANS/fetal movement), prenatal
bonding behaviors, and maternal cognitions about the fetus in mediating the relationship
between ANS/fetal movement and bonding behaviors. Importantly, the model proposes
mechanisms by which the maternal-fetal bond can become impaired when women experience
intimate partner violence (IPV). We will assess 200 participants from our ongoing NICHD-
funded RO1 grant, which is exploring the effects of IPV stress during pregnancy and early
infancy on a variety of other maternal and infant outcomes. We will begin to test our model
during the existing RO1’s third trimester assessment. To do this, we will add assessments of
maternal autonomic nervous system (ANS) activity (heart rate and vagal tone) associated with
fetal movement, self-reported measures of maternal attributions about the fetus, and observed
and self-report prenatal bonding behaviors. We will then add an additional one-month post-birth
assessment to determine the process by which the maternal-fetal bond during pregnancy can
affect the maternal-infant bond. Knowledge gleaned from this research will be crucial in
developing interventions to influence maternal prenatal cognitions about the fetus as a strategy
to prevent the devastating effects of problematic maternal-fetal and (later) maternal-infant
bonding.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10439149
- **Project number:** 3R03HD096141-02S1
- **Recipient organization:** MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Gloria Anne Bogat
- **Activity code:** R03 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $25,272
- **Award type:** 3
- **Project period:** 2021-09-01 → 2022-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10439149

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10439149, Intimate partner violence and early mother-child bonding (3R03HD096141-02S1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10439149. Licensed CC0.

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