Associations between attachment-related variables in fifth and sixth graders and their mothers in Japan

Abstract

Obtaining data from non-Western cultural contexts is essential for enhancing the cross-cultural validity of attachment theory. This study investigated the associations among maternal attachment style, maternal willingness to serve as an attachment figure, and children’s attachment security in middle childhood in Japan. Sample 1 included a nationwide web survey of 104 dyads of fifth and sixth graders and their mothers. Sample 2 included 53 dyads in an in-person questionnaire survey conducted in Kyoto. In both Samples 1 and 2, the results revealed (1) negative Spearman’s rank correlation coefficients between maternal attachment anxiety and children’s attachment security, (2) positive Pearson’s product-moment correlation coefficients between maternal willingness to serve as an attachment figure and children’s attachment security, and (3) negative Pearson’s product-moment correlation coefficients between maternal attachment anxiety and maternal willingness to serve as an attachment figure. Our data could enhance the cross-cultural validity of attachment in fifth and sixth graders, and suggest that the influence of maternal attachment styles on parental responsiveness changes in middle childhood.