Motherhood in the Digital Age: How Does Social Media Use Affect Prenatal Attachment?

Aim: This descriptive cross-sectional study investigates the associations between social media use and prenatal attachment, depression, anxiety, and body image among pregnant women.Methods: The study included 134 pregnant women presenting to a tertiary healthcare facility in southern Turkey. Data were gathered using a sociodemographic questionnaire, the Prenatal Attachment Inventory (PAI), the Depression-Anxiety-Stress Scale-21 (DASS-21), and the Body Image Scale (BIS), and analyzed with SPSS 25.Results: The participants’ mean age was 29±5 years, and 66.5% were unemployed. Instagram was the most commonly used platform (49.3%). The majority (90.3%) followed pregnancy-related content and used social media for 1–3 hours daily. No significant association was found between duration of social media use and PAI scores, nor between PAI and depression, anxiety, stress, or body image (p>0.05). BIS scores showed positive correlations with DASS-21 depression (r=0.244; p=0.004), anxiety (r=0.174; p=0.045), and stress (r=0.253; p=0.003). Increased social media use during pregnancy was associated with higher DASS-21 depression (p=0.016) and anxiety (p=0.009). Following informative content (evidence-based content) was linked with higher PAI scores (p=0.013), whereas following other mothers’ experiences was associated with higher BIS scores indicating greater body dissatisfaction (p=0.012).Conclusion: Social media appears to have both supportive and potentially adverse effects on pregnant women’s psychosocial well-being. Integrating social media awareness and digital literacy into prenatal counseling may help promote healthier emotional and behavioral outcomes.