Evolution of Maternal Ambivalence: Long-Term Stability, Suppression, and the Need for Targeted Support

Background: Maternal ambivalence—conflicting emotions toward motherhood—can affect psychological well-being; however, the longitudinal course of maternal ambivalence remains poorly understood. Methods: A three-wave study included 1242 Spanish women who completed the Maternal Ambivalence Scale at baseline (T1), with follow-ups at 3 months (T2, n = 182) and ~3 years (T3, n = 23). Doubts, rejection, and suppression comprised the assessed dimensions. Linear mixed-effects models (LMMs), adjusted for age, parity, education, and perinatal status, were used to examine changes over time, complemented by repeated-measures analysis of variance (RM-ANOVA). Attrition bias was evaluated via Little’s Missing Completely at Random (MCAR) test, logistic regression, and inverse-probability weighting. Results: Short-term changes (T1–T2) were negligible across subscales (|β| ≤ 0.07; g = –0.03 to 0.09; partial η2 = 0.003–0.015). Rank-order stability was high for doubts (r = 0.78) and rejection (r = 0.83), moderate for suppression (r = 0.67). Long-term trajectories suggested stable doubts and rejection, whereas suppression increased moderately [β = 0.16, 95% CI (0.14, 0.19); p < 0.001]. Given the extremely low T3 retention (n = 23), these findings are exploratory; negative rank-order correlations suggest potential reversals or selective retention. Conclusions: Findings underscore the importance of longitudinal assessment and interventions promoting adaptive emotional expression.