Association of maternal conflict with psychological symptoms and maternal role satisfaction in pregnant women: a cross-sectional study in Iran.

Authors

Shahnaz Barat, Hanieh Radaee, Hossein-Ali Nikbakht, Azadeh Ramezani, Sara Zohouri, Mahbobeh Faramarzi

Published in

BMJ open. Volume 16. Issue 7. Pages e115987. Jul 08, 2026. Epub Jul 08, 2026.

Abstract

This study aimed to examine the relationship between maternal conflict and psychological symptoms (depression and anxiety) as well as maternal role satisfaction among pregnant women. It also explored the associations between demographic characteristics and maternal conflict and role satisfaction.
A cross-sectional design was employed. The study was conducted among pregnant women attending healthcare centres affiliated with Babol University of Medical Sciences, Iran, during 2022-2023.
Babol, Iran, between March 2022 and February 2023.
Data were collected from 182 pregnant women attending healthcare centres affiliated with Babol University of Medical Sciences. Women were included if they were pregnant, able to complete self-report questionnaires and provided informed consent to participate. Data were collected using the Maternal Ambivalence Scale, the Brief Symptom Inventory-18 and the Maternal Role Satisfaction Scale. Descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation coefficients and multiple regression analyses were conducted to examine relationships between maternal conflict, psychological symptoms, role satisfaction and demographic factors.
Multivariate linear regression indicated that maternal conflict (B=0.202, p<0.001) and increasing the number of pregnancies (B=2.599, p=0.006) were positively associated with psychological distress, whereas a history of live birth was negatively associated with psychological distress (B=-2.857, p=0.014). Furthermore, maternal conflict had positive associations with maternal role satisfaction (B=-1.229, p<0.001), accounting for 52% of the variance (R² = 0.52). Demographic variables did not associate statistically significant with maternal role satisfaction.
Maternal conflict during pregnancy is associated with increased psychological symptoms and decreased maternal role satisfaction. Screening for maternal conflict in prenatal care and developing interventions to help women manage conflicting feelings about motherhood are essential. Healthcare providers should be aware of the impact of maternal conflict on maternal mental health and mother-infant bonding.

PMID:
42419895
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 09 Jul 2026.

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