Intersubjectivity and Relational Health in Mother and Child Attachment Dimensions

Abstract

One major factor influencing the mental and relational health is the attachment style, structured in early mother-infant/toddler interaction. Starting from this idea, the present study was conducted on 54 subjects (27 mothers and their children), mothers aged between 24 and 43 (mean 32 years), all from urban areas, and children (infants and toddlers) aged 14 to 35 months (mean 22.15 months). The variables described in the hypothesis (mother's attachment dimensions and child's attachment dimensions) have been first correlated, and then the moderating effect of label variables the child's current main caregiver and kindergarten commencement was calculated for the relation between the two. Results show that there is a significant positive correlation only between the couple anxiety dimension of the mother's attachment and the cooperation dimension of her child's attachment; there are no statistically significant correlations between the avoidance dimension of the mother's in-couple attachment and the child's attachment dimensions; the variable child's current main caregiver does not play a moderating role in the relation between the mother's in-couple attachment anxiety and the child's attachment dimensions, but it moderates the relation between mother's attachment avoidance dimension, the distress at separation, and the demanding/provocative behavior, as child's attachment dimensions; kindergarten commencement does not play a moderating role in the relation between the mother's in-couple attachment dimension and the dimensions of her child's attachment.