Maternal sensitivity and infant attachment security in Korea: Cross-cultural validation of the Strange Situation

Abstract

The present study sought to analyze infant and maternal behavior both during the Strange Situation Procedure (SSP) and a free play session in a Korean sample (N = 87) to help understand whether mother-infant attachment relationships are universal or culture-specific. Distributions of attachment classifications in the Korean sample were compared with a cross-national sample. Behavior of mothers and infants following the two separation episodes in the SSP, including mothers' proximity to their infants and infants' approach to the caregiver, was also observed, as was the association between maternal sensitivity observed during free play session and infant security. The percentage of Korean infants classified as secure versus insecure mirrored the global distribution, however, only one Korean baby was classified as avoidant. Following the separation episodes in the Strange Situation, Korean mothers were more likely than mothers in Ainsworth's Baltimore sample to approach their babies immediately and sit beside them throughout the reunion episodes, even when their babies were no longer distressed. Also, Korean babies less often approached their mothers during reunions than did infants in the Baltimore sample. Finally, the link between maternal sensitivity and infant security was significant. The findings support the idea that the basic secure base function of attachment is universal and the SSP is a valid measure of secure attachment, but cultural differences in caregiving may result in variations in how this function is manifested.

Is the ideal mother a sensitive mother? Beliefs about early childhood parenting in mothers across the globe

“…However, Mary Ainsworth's first descriptions of behaviors that reflect sensitive responsiveness were based on her observations in Uganda (Ainsworth, 1967). Cross-cultural research indeed confirms that sensitivity and attachment can be validly measured in nonWestern contexts, and also relates to secure infant attachment in the expected directions in countries such as China (Ding, Xiu, Wang, Li, & Wang, 2012), Japan (Vereijken, Riksen-Walraven, & Kondo-Ikemura, 1997), South Korea (Jin, Jacobvitz, Hazen, & Jung, 2012), Mali (True, Pisani, & Oumar, 2001), Mexico (Gojman et al, 2012), and South Africa (Tomlinson, Cooper, & Murray, 2005). Further, some of the main components of sensitivity represent universally important aspects of caregiving.…”

Maternal attachment and mind-mindedness: the role of emotional specificity

“…A mother's ability to read and sensitively respond to her infant's cues is pivotal to the development of a secure infant attachment (e.g., Atkinson et al, 2005;Jin, Jacobvitz, Hazen, & Jung, 2012;McElwain & Booth-LaForce, 2006). Mothers need to be able to attune to their infants' mental states and accurately infer emotions, beliefs, desires, and cognitions so that they may respond in a manner that sensitively meets their infants' needs.…”

An Exploratory Study of Maternal Depressive Symptoms and Infant's Social Skills in Korea: The Mediating Role of Mothers’ Social Interactions with their Infants

“…Furthermore, the pathway of MDSs and mothers’ social interactions with their infants influencing infants’ social skills worked similarly in a culture that is entirely different from what has been mostly reported in the Western samples. This may be because Korean mothers suffer from postpartum depressive symptoms at approximately the same rate as do mothers in Western cultures, and maternal sensitivity and responsiveness is equally as important for Korean infants (Chung et al., ; Jin et al., ; Kim & Ahn, ). The findings obtained from this exploratory study can help understand the potential universality of the effects of maternal responsiveness and sensitivity on infant's development and the mediating role of sensitive and responsive interactions in the association between current MDSs and infants’ social skills.…”