Prenatal bonding and early emotion regulation in infancy and toddlerhood (0-36 months): a systematic review of developmental associations, psychological mediators, and contextual moderators.

ABSTRACT:

Introduction

Prenatal bonding is increasingly recognized as a foundational process for postnatal development, particularly in shaping infants' emerging emotion regulation. This review aimed to synthesize empirical evidence on the association between prenatal bonding and early emotion regulation capacities in infancy and toddlerhood (0-36 months).

Methods

Following PRISMA 2020 guidelines, PubMed, EBSCOhost, and Scopus were systematically searched for English-language studies published between 2015 and 2025. Eligible studies assessed prenatal bonding-primarily maternal, with limited paternal inclusion-and postnatal emotion regulation outcomes in children aged 0-36 months. Methodological quality was appraised narratively due to substantial heterogeneity in designs, measures, an

SUBMITTER: Cervellione B 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12647035 | biostudies-literature | 2025

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature