Attachment theory's core hypotheses in rural Andean Peru

Area of Science:

• Developmental Psychology
• Cross-Cultural Psychology
• Attachment Theory

Background:

• Attachment theory posits universal patterns of child-adult relationships.
• Previous research has primarily focused on Western, industrialized samples.
• The applicability of attachment theory in diverse cultural contexts, such as rural Peru, requires investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine the universality of attachment theory's core concepts in a rural Andean sample.
• To assess child attachment security and maternal sensitivity in mothers and children in Cusco, Peru.
• To explore the relationship between maternal sensitivity, child attachment, and cumulative maternal risk.

Main Methods:

• Employed the Attachment Q-set (AQS) to evaluate child attachment security.
• Utilized the Ainsworth sensitivity scale and Maternal Behavior Q-sort (MBQS) to measure maternal sensitivity across naturalistic interactions.
• Calculated a cumulative maternal risk variable for a comprehensive analysis.

Main Results:

• Most children exhibited less characteristic secure base behaviors compared to reference samples.
• A significant association was observed between maternal sensitivity and child attachment security.
• Maternal sensitivity showed a negative correlation with the cumulative maternal risk variable.

Conclusions:

• Findings provide partial support for the universality claims of attachment theory.
• Highlights the importance of cultural context in attachment and child development research.
• Suggests further research into assessment methods for rural populations in the Global South.