The relation between changes in maternal sensitivity and attachment from infancy to 3 years

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine whether children’s attachment status changed as a function of changes in maternal sensitivity during the first 3 years. This study used data from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development’s Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development and included 1,016 participants with attachment and maternal sensitivity data when the children were 15, 24, and 36 months of age. Results indicated that (1) concurrent measures of maternal sensitivity and attachment status were weakly associated. This association was strongest at 24 and 36 months and was predominantly accounted for by more sensitive maternal behavior predicting secure status. (2) A direct but weak relation was found between slopes of change in maternal sensitivity and changes in attachment status. And (3) multiple time points of maternal sensitivity jointly predicted changes in attachment, especially maternal sensitivity at 24 and 36 months. The findings of this study suggest that the influence of changes in parental sensitivity on child attachment is best understood in the context of ongoing parent–child interactions beginning in toddlerhood.