Estilo de apego materno, trabalho autônomo e primeira gestação: relações possíveis

Resumo (EN)

In Bowlby's attachment theory, the baby requires an adult to survive and needs that adult's proximity for security and comfort, which has an impact on its physical and emotional development. Traditionally, women have been the primary caregivers, but with their entry into the labor market and their professional growing appreciation, they have begun to assume a greater number of responsibilities. The objective of this work is to determine whether there is a correlation between the general attachment style of the pregnant woman, her relationship with her family of origin, her partner, and her maternal-fetal attachment in the third trimester, and whether her attachment style affects her relationship with work and motherhood. To this end, a clinical-qualitative and exploratory study was conducted with three pregnant women, primiparous, in the third trimester of pregnancy, with completed higher education, who were currently working independently and did not have a current psychiatric condition. The research instruments utilized were semi-structured interviews (initial and in the puerperium), the ECR-RS, the MFAS, and thematic story-drawing. The results indicated that pregnant women with secure attachment exhibited higher levels of maternal-fetal attachment than those with fearful, insecure attachment. Regarding work, two of the pregnant women continued working and one returned to her previous job after completing her degree. The three participants had planned to stop working during the puerperium, but one of them was compelled to return to work more quickly, one month after giving birth. She was the only one with an insecure attachment, who did not live with her partner, and she exhibited signs of anxiety and an accumulation of roles. The other two participants, with secure attachments, returned to work gradually after the baby's second month, with the support of their partners and one of them from her family of origin. All participants demonstrated that the relationship with the infant during the postpartum period was a priority, with the mother-infant relationship taking precedence over the marital relationship and work. Furthermore, all participants indicated a need for a support network.