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Intergenerational transmission of attachment for infants raised in a prison nursery

M W Byrne1, L S Goshin, S S Joestl

  • 1Columbia University School of Nursing, New York, USA. mwb4@columbia.edu

Attachment & Human Development
|June 29, 2010
PubMed

Insights

Mothers in prison nurseries can foster secure infant attachment. Even with insecure maternal attachment, children

Area of Science:

  • Developmental Psychology
  • Attachment Theory
  • Forensic Psychology

Background:

  • Infant attachment is crucial for development.
  • Maternal incarceration presents unique challenges to attachment.
  • Limited research exists on attachment in prison nursery settings.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To assess infant attachment security in a prison nursery.
  • To compare attachment outcomes with community samples.
  • To explore the influence of maternal attachment history.

Main Methods:

  • Strange Situation Procedure for infant attachment assessment.
  • Adult Attachment Interview for maternal attachment classification.
  • Analysis of 30 mother-infant dyads in a prison nursery.

Main Results:

  • 60% of infants exhibited secure attachment.
  • Infants co-residing ≥1 year showed higher security rates (75%) vs. <1 year (43%).
  • Secure attachment rates were comparable to normative community samples, even with maternal insecurity.

Conclusions:

  • Secure infant-mother attachment is achievable in prison nurseries.
  • Longer co-residence may positively influence attachment security.
  • Maternal incarceration does not preclude secure attachment development.

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