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Secure base scripts are associated with maternal parenting behavior across contexts and reflective functioning among
Alissa C Huth-Bocks1, Maria Muzik, Marjorie Beeghly
1a Department of Psychology , Eastern Michigan University , Ypsilanti , USA.
Attachment & Human Development
|October 17, 2014
Summary
Secure-base scripts, crucial for attachment internal working models, are linked to positive maternal parenting and reflective functioning in high-risk mothers. Assessing these scripts may aid interventions for at-risk parents.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Psychology
- Attachment Theory
- Cognitive Science
Background:
- Secure-base scripts are key to internal working models of attachment.
- Previous research linked secure-base scripts to maternal behavior and child outcomes in middle-class samples.
- Limited knowledge exists on secure-base script correlates in high-risk populations.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the correlates of secure-base scripts in a high-risk sample of mothers.
- To examine the relationship between secure-base scriptedness and maternal parenting behaviors.
- To explore the association with maternal reflective functioning.
Main Methods:
- 115 mothers with infants, oversampled for childhood maltreatment, participated.
- Maternal parenting was assessed during free play and teaching contexts.
- Maternal reflective functioning was measured using the Parent Development Interview-Revised Short Form.
Main Results:
- Higher secure-base scriptedness correlated with more positive and less negative maternal parenting.
- Secure-base scriptedness was positively associated with maternal reflective functioning.
- Associations indicated relationship-specificity in attachment scripts and largely persisted after controlling for socioeconomic factors.
Conclusions:
- Secure-base scripts are associated with positive parenting and reflective functioning in at-risk mothers.
- Assessing secure-base scripts may be valuable for interventions targeting parental representations and caregiving.
- Findings highlight the importance of secure-base scripts in understanding attachment dynamics in vulnerable populations.
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