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Parent relationship quality and infant-mother attachment
Brent Finger1, Sydney L Hans, Victor J Bernstein
1University at Buffalo, State University of New York, USA. bFinger@ria.buffalo.edu
Attachment & Human Development
|May 21, 2009
Summary
Parental conflict negatively impacts infant attachment, but father presence can buffer these effects. Maternal parenting quality also influences infant attachment security.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Psychology
- Family Studies
- Child Development
Background:
- Parental conflict is a significant stressor impacting family dynamics.
- Understanding its effects on infant-mother attachment is crucial for early intervention.
- Socioeconomic factors, like living in stressed urban communities, can exacerbate these issues.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine the interrelations between parental conflict, maternal behavior, and infant-mother attachment.
- To investigate the moderating role of father co-residence and father support on these relationships.
- To explore potential mediation pathways through maternal parenting behavior.
Main Methods:
- Cross-sectional study of 79 African American families in a stressed urban setting.
- Assessment of father-mother conflict, father support, maternal parenting behavior (sensitivity), and infant-mother attachment (security, disorganization).
- Statistical analyses to explore direct, moderated, and mediated effects.
Main Results:
- Higher parental conflict was associated with problematic maternal behavior, low maternal sensitivity, and insecure/disorganized infant attachment.
- Father co-residence buffered the negative impact of parental conflict on infant attachment disorganization and insecurity.
- Father support of the mother was not directly related to maternal parenting or infant attachment.
Conclusions:
- Parental conflict poses a risk to infant-mother attachment, potentially through direct effects not solely mediated by maternal behavior.
- Father's presence in the home environment plays a protective role against the adverse effects of parental conflict on infant attachment.
- Findings highlight the complex interplay of family dynamics and environmental stressors on early child development.
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