Antecedents and consequences of separation anxiety in first-time mothers: infant, mother, and social-contextual characteristics

Abstract

Maternal separation anxiety is an unpleasant emotional state of worry, guilt, and sadness experienced by mothers during a short-term separation from their infant (Hock, McBride, & Gnezda, 1989). Guided by Belsky’s [Child Dev. 55 (1984) 83] multidimensional model of parenting, influences of the three major determinants of parenting, namely maternal characteristics, social-contextual resources, and infant characteristics, on individual differences in maternal separation anxiety were examined. The linkage between mothers’ separation anxiety and their responses to infant social signals during dyadic interactions was also investigated. Fifty-three first-time mothers participated in the present study during the transition to parenthood from their third trimester of pregnancy to 6 months postpartum. Results showed that low maternal trait anxiety, high marital quality, high satisfaction with social network emotional support, and low infant temperamental negativity (indexed by both maternal ratings and behavioral measures) were associated with heightened child- and employment-related separation concerns. Furthermore, general separation anxiety was linked to mothers’ over sensitivity to infant negative signals, but under sensitivity to infant positive signals during social interactions. Factors shaping individual and developmental differences in parents’ separation anxiety are discussed.