Maternal care and attachment security in ordinary and emergency contexts.

Abstract

One of the foundations of attachment theory is the notion that early care plays a key role in determining the quality of child-caregiver attachment relationships. Studies have consistently shown relations between maternal sensitivity and infant security. Further research is required to resolve issues arising from modest correlations, focus on research in stressful as opposed to ordinary contexts, and questions about the generality of results across cultures and social contexts and about the context specificity of caregiving behavior. This article addressed these issues in 2 studies of child care in home and hospital contexts. Q-sort scores derived from extended naturalistic observations were used. Results are discussed in terms of links between methodology and effect sizes, the generality of links between maternal care and child security, the need for further research on caregiving in ordinary and emergency situations, and the context sensitivity of maternal behavior.

The organization of children's secure base behaviour in two-parent Portuguese families and father's participation in child-related activities

“…Even for the same caregiver behaviours will vary according to situations and contexts, but the results for the child will be the same. From the child's point of view, what is important is that he/she learns that the parent is responsive, co-operative, and available as needed (Posada et al, 1999).…”

Interventions for Enhancing Parenting Quality in Early Infancy

“…Also, their results showed that the dyads with more positive resources in their families showed, among the three groups, the highest correlations between maternal sensitivity and attachment security. However, data from a study realized in Colombia by Posada and collaborators [38]comparing two samples, one middle class and one in extreme poverty, showed a significant and robust association between these two variables. Nevertheless, in this study the mean scores for maternal sensitivity and attachment security were significantly lower than those from the socioeconomically advantaged.…”

Early child development: nature or nurture?

“…Studies from Chile, Columbia and South Africa show maternal sensitivity was associated with more secure infant attachment, cognitive ability and reduced levels of behaviour problems in preschool children [20][21][22] . Maternal sensitivity is the most crucial for child development.…”