SYSTEMATIC REVIEW article
Front. Psychol.
Sec. Human Developmental Psychology
This article is part of the Research TopicThe Power of Relationships in Human Development: From Prenatal Bonding to Attachment Across the LifespanView all 12 articles
Prenatal Bonding and Early Emotion Regulation in Infancy and Toddlerhood (0–36 months): A Systematic Review of Developmental Associations, Psychological Mediators, and Contextual Moderators
Provisionally accepted
- Kore University of Enna, Enna, Italy
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Prenatal bonding is increasingly recognized as a foundational process for postnatal development, particularly in shaping infants’ emerging emotion regulation (ER). This systematic review synthesized empirical findings on associations between prenatal bonding and early ER in infancy and toddlerhood (0–36 months). Following PRISMA 2020 guidelines, we searched PubMed, EBSCOhost, and Scopus for English-language studies published between 2015 and 2025. Eligible studies assessed prenatal bonding—primarily maternal, with limited inclusion of paternal measures—and postnatal ER outcomes in children aged 0–36 months. Methodological quality was appraised narratively; given substantial heterogeneity in designs, measures, and outcomes, meta-analysis was not feasible and a narrative synthesis was undertaken. Fourteen studies met inclusion criteria; eleven formed the primary synthesis set (prenatal measure with outcomes ≤ 36 months), with three additional studies considered contextually (e.g., postnatal bonding only, no direct prenatal measure, or outcomes > 36 months). Converging evidence indicates that higher-quality prenatal bonding—especially in the maternal domain—is associated with more favorable early regulatory indicators, notably lower negative affectivity and greater soothability; evidence for attentional regulation and broader socioemotional adjustment was promising yet more variable. Maternal mental health and sociodemographic factors emerged as relevant moderators. Although only a minority of studies included fathers, preliminary signals suggest possible additive paternal contributions; dedicated paternal cohorts are warranted. These findings underscore the developmental relevance of prenatal bonding and the need for theory driven, multimethod longitudinal research using developmentally sensitive measures and diverse samples, including paternal cohorts. Keywords: prenatal bonding; maternal–fetal attachment; paternal bonding; emotion regulation; infancy; early development; maternal mental health
Keywords: Prenatal bonding, Maternal–fetal attachment, Paternal bonding, Emotion Regulation, Infancy, early development, Maternal Mental Health
Received: 07 Sep 2025; Accepted: 24 Oct 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Cervellione, Lombardo, Geraci and Calogero. 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: Brenda Cervellione, brenda.cervellione@unikore.it
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