Mother's Attachment Concerns Regarding Spouse and Infant's Temperament as Modulators of Maternal Separation Anxiety

Abstract

The modulators of maternal separation anxiety were examined in a longitudinal study with 97 mothers of infants from 3 to 9 months of age. The objective of the study was to examine the joint contribution of the mother's attachment concerns as related to her husband together with the perception of the infant's temperament to her concerns over separation from her child. Maternal worries about separation from 3-month-old infants predicted maternal separation anxiety when infants were 9 months old. Mother's attachment to her husband and her perception of her child's temperament further predicted maternal separation anxiety at 9 months over and above the worries at 3 months. Mothers who feared dependent relationships with their husbands experienced high levels of maternal separation anxiety. This tendency was particularly marked when the infant was perceived as adaptable at 3 months. In addition, secure mothers, namely, mothers low in fear of abandonment and in fear of being dependent, increased their maternal separation anxiety as a function of their infant's perceived unadaptability.

A tale of passion: New insights into entrepreneurship from a parenthood metaphor

“…An early passionate commitment to the baby (venture) may enhance survival chances if the parent (entrepreneur) takes the necessary steps to nourish and secure the nascent form. For example, women who refrain from smoking and drinking, eat a balanced diet, get appropriate exercise and rest, and obtain quality prenatal care may reduce infant morbidity (Mayseless and Scher, 2000). A similar relationship is likely to hold with entrepreneurs and their ventures.…”

The relationship of maternal separation anxiety and differentiation of self to children's separation anxiety and adjustment to kindergarten: A study in Druze families

“…In several studies exploring relations between children's anxieties and parental variables, positive correlations emerged between maternal separation anxiety and children's anxieties and separation from their mothers (e.g., Hock et al, 2004;Mayseless & Scher, 2000). Maternal separation anxiety is defined as an unpleasant emotional state that reflects a mother's concerns and apprehensions about leaving her child.…”

“…Such relations have not yet been tested from a Bowenian perspective in Western or Eastern cultures; most research has investigated the impact of maternal separation anxiety in Western societies and on infants in the course of their first year (Hock & Clinger, 1981;Lutz & Hock, 1995;Mayseless & Scher, 2000;Scher, Hershkovitz, & Harel, 1998;Stifler, Coulean, & Fish, 1993) or on adolescents (e.g., Blunk & Williams, 1999;Hock, Eberly, Bartle, Ellwanger, & Widman, 2001;Simnowitz, 1999). In keeping with Tuason's and Friedlander's (2000) suggestion that the process of differentiation may be unique in each culture, the present study is the first attempt to explore these relationships in an Israeli Druze sample.…”

Heightened Maternal Separation Anxiety in the Postpartum

“…In common with other perinatal mental health outcomes, research has historically been underpinned by the assumption that personal and individual factors are the most relevant (Mayseless & Scher, 2000;Lutz & Hock, 2001). argue that the etiology of maternal separation anxiety is complex, influenced by maternal personality, genetically determined biases for proximity between mothers and infants and by sociocultural norms privileging mothers as an infant's primary attachment figure.…”

“…Accordingly, high maternal separation anxiety has been investigated as an aspect of insecure attachment and personality in three studies (Lutz & Hock, 2001;Mayseless & Scher, 2000;Scher et al, 1998). Similarly, the relationship between more depressive symptoms and high separation anxiety has been consistently reported Hsu, 2004).…”