Mediation effect of adult attachment orientations between perceived parental warmth and the preference for infants

Abstract

Parenting motivation includes positive affect, a strong preference, and willingness to care for infants. In this series of studies, we investigated the formation of adult attachment, and its influence on parenting motivation. In Study 1, 975 emerging adults (Mage = 20.51, SD = 1.74) completed a survey about perceived parental warmth, adult attachment, and interest in infants to determine if adult attachment mediates the relationship between perceived parental warmth and interest in infants. In Study 2, 270 emerging adults (Mage = 21.58, SD = 1.96) assessed the preference for infant faces including pleasure, cuteness, and willingness to care to examine how adult attachment affects this preference. Attachment avoidance mediated the relationship between perceived parental warmth and the preference for infants including interest in infants (95% CI study1, study2 = [.072, .310], [.158, .806]) and preference for infant faces (95% CI pleasure, cuteness, willingness = [.018, .172], [.053, .290], [.029, .240]). These findings suggest emerging adults with decreased attachment avoidance who perceived emotional warmth from their parents during childhood displayed elevated parenting motivation, have implications for these adults with insecure attachment during the parent-child relationship and can provide the basis for conducting corresponding brain mechanism research.