title: The impact of maternal characteristics and contextual variables on infant-mother attachment.
abstract: This prospective study examined the effects of maternal characteristics, social support, and risk factors on infant-mother attachment in a heterogeneous sample. Two hundred and six women between the ages of 18 and 40 were interviewed during their last trimester of pregnancy and 1 year postpartum. Structural equation modeling revealed that maternal attachment experiences were significantly related to prenatal representations of the infant and of the self as a mother, which were significantly related to infant-mother attachment assessed by the Strange Situation. Maternal risk factors were significantly related to prenatal representations, and social support from other women predicted infant-mother attachment. The overall model indicated a good fit. Thus, both individual and contextual factors were important in explaining infant attachment security.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, University of Michigan Health System, Ann Arbor, MI 48105, USA. ach@umich.edu
authors.forename: Alissa C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Huth-Bocks
authors.forename: Alytia A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Levendosky
authors.forename: G Anne
authors.initials: GA
authors.lastname: Bogat
authors.forename: Alexander
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: von Eye
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D004777:Environment; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D009034:Mother-Child Relations; D009035:Mothers / Q000523:psychology*; D009769:Object Attachment; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D012944:Social Support