Mother-Infant Bonding and Emotional Availability at 12-Months of Age: The Role of Early Postnatal Bonding, Maternal Substance Use and Mental Health.

Results suggest that the mother's felt bond to her child is stable across the first year of life and that early bonding is a more robust indicator of bonding at 12-months than a mother's mental health or substance use. These findings point to the importance of clinical and public health investments in establishing a strong bond between mother and child in the early postpartum period.