ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Psychiatry
Sec. Perinatal Psychiatry
This article is part of the Research TopicPerinatal mental health: Depression, Anxiety, Stress, and FearView all 37 articles
Separation anxiety disorder in pregnancy: The roles of attachment styles, childhood trauma, and prenatal attachment
Provisionally accepted
- 1TC Saglik Bakanligi Goztepe Prof Dr Suleyman Yalcin Sehir Hastanesi, Kadıköy, Türkiye
- 2Istanbul Medeniyet Universitesi Tip Fakultesi, Üsküdar, Türkiye
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Background and aim: Separation anxiety, rooted in attachment theory, involves distress when separated from attachment figures. This study aims to investigate the prevalence Adult Separation Anxiety Disorder (ASAD) among pregnant women and to explore its associations with attachment styles, childhood trauma, and prenatal attachment. Method: This cross-sectional study included 106 third-trimester pregnant women, who were classified into ASAD (n = 51) and non-ASAD (n = 55) groups based on the Structured Clinical Interview for Separation Anxiety Symptoms (SAD-SCI). Participants were also assessed using the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-5 (SCID-5), along with a sociodemographic data form, the Adult Attachment Style Scale (AASS), the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire-33 (CTQ-33), and the Prenatal Attachment Inventory (PAI). Statistical analyses included chi-square tests, t-tests, correlation analyses, and regression models. Results: ASAD was identified in 48.2% of the participants. Anxious/ambivalent attachment, avoidant attachment styles and childhood trauma were significantly associated with ASAD severity (p<0,001). In multivariable logistic regression analysis, anxious/ambivalent attachment style was independently associated with ASAD diagnosis (OR = 1.81; 95% CI: 1.085–3.021). Supportive parental bonding was associated with lower ASAD severity, whereas overprotective parenting attitudes were associated with higher severity. No significant relationship was found between ASAD and prenatal attachment (p>0.05), but childhood sexual abuse negatively correlated with prenatal attachment (p=0.012). Positive paternal care (p=0.004) and overprotective parenting attitudes (p=0.050) were associated with stronger prenatal attachment. Conclusion: ASAD is common during late pregnancy and is closely associated with insecure attachment patterns and adverse childhood experiences, but not with prenatal attachment. These findings support the clinical value of routine ASAD screening during late pregnancy and targeted interventions for at-risk women. Longitudinal studies are needed to clarify the postpartum course of ASAD and its implications for mother–infant relationships and child development.
Keywords: Attachment styles, childhood trauma, Pregnancy, Prenatal attachment, Separation anxiety disorder
Received: 12 Oct 2025; Accepted: 26 Jan 2026.
Copyright: © 2026 Mutlusoy Eraslan and Yeni Elbay. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Rümeysa Yeni Elbay
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