Infant-mother attachment: relationships to maternal responsiveness and infant temperament
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S Coffman1, M J Levitt, N Guacci-Franco
1College of Nursing, Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton 33431.
The purpose of this study was to explore the relationships between maternal responsiveness, infant temperament, and infant-mother attachment as measured in Ainsworth's Strange Situation. Discriminant analysis revealed that infant temperament was more strongly related to attachment than maternal responsiveness. Infants rated as Anxious-Avoidant in attachment were perceived by their mothers as significantly easier in temperament. Possible explanations for findings and implications for nurses working with infants and parents are discussed.
The purpose of this study was to explore the relationships between maternal responsiveness, infant temperament, and infant-mother attachment as measured in Ainsworth's Strange Situation. Discriminant analysis revealed that infant temperament was more strongly related to attachment than maternal responsiveness. Infants rated as Anxious-Avoidant in attachment were perceived by their mothers as significantly easier in temperament. Possible explanations for findings and implications for nurses working with infants and parents are discussed.