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Maternal secure base support and preschoolers' secure base behavior in natural environments

Germán Posada1, Garene Kaloustian, Melissa K Richmond

  • 1Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907, USA. gposada@purdue.edu

Attachment & Human Development
|December 1, 2007
PubMed

Insights

Maternal secure base support significantly influences preschoolers' secure-base behavior organization. This research highlights the importance of caregiving in early childhood development and attachment theory.

Area of Science:

  • Developmental Psychology
  • Attachment Theory
  • Childhood Social Development

Background:

  • Attachment theory emphasizes concurrent caregiving's role in child security.
  • Empirical data on attachment constructs beyond infancy is limited.
  • Research is needed across diverse contexts and developmental stages.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To examine the relationship between maternal secure base support and child secure base behavior in preschoolers.
  • To investigate these dynamics in naturalistic settings over extended periods.
  • To provide developmentally appropriate insights into attachment theory.

Main Methods:

  • Two studies involving 90 middle-class mother-preschooler dyads (ages 36-52 months).
  • Naturalistic observations in home and playground settings.
  • Maternal Behavior for Preschoolers Q-Set and Attachment Q-Set were utilized.

Main Results:

  • A significant positive correlation was found between maternal secure base support and child secure base behavior organization (r = .31 in Study 1, r = .49 in Study 2).
  • Findings demonstrate a clear link between specific caregiving behaviors and child attachment behaviors.

Conclusions:

  • Maternal secure base support is crucial for the development of secure-base behavior in preschoolers.
  • The findings underscore the importance of considering caregiving domains and assessment contexts in attachment research.
  • Results have significant implications for refining and applying attachment theory in early childhood.

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