Maternal anxiety, behavioral inhibition, and attachment
Joan Stevenson-Hinde1, Anne Shouldice, Rebecca Chicot
1Sub-Department of Animal Behaviour, University of Cambridge, UK. jgs11@cam.ac.uk
Attachment & Human Development
|April 21, 2011
Summary
Maternal anxiety significantly impacts child attachment, especially in children with high behavioral inhibition. Unpartnered mothers reported higher anxiety, linking maternal anxiety to ambivalent attachment patterns in children.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Psychology
- Clinical Psychology
- Family Studies
Background:
- High rates of maternal anxiety observed in community samples.
- Maternal anxiety is more prevalent than depression.
- Single mothers report higher anxiety levels.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between maternal anxiety (MA) and child behavioral inhibition (BI).
- To examine the influence of MA and BI on child attachment security.
- To explore specific attachment patterns associated with high MA and BI.
Main Methods:
- Community sample of 763 mothers assessed for anxiety and depression.
- Subsample of 98 mothers and their 4.5-year-old children studied.
- Maternal anxiety, child behavioral inhibition, and attachment security were measured.
Main Results:
- Maternal anxiety negatively correlated with attachment security.
- Maternal anxiety, not behavioral inhibition, was a significant predictor of attachment.
- Children with ambivalent attachment showed high levels of behavioral inhibition and maternal anxiety.
Conclusions:
- Maternal anxiety is a key factor in child attachment development.
- Children with high behavioral inhibition are particularly vulnerable to maternal anxiety.
- This vulnerability may lead to ambivalent attachment patterns.
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