The role of maternal attachment in children's attachment and cognitive executive functioning: A preliminary study

Abstract

The influence of maternal attachment on children's attachment and executive functioning skills through maternal sensitivity and decentered tutoring were studied in 40 middle-class mother–child dyads. Infant attachment security in the Strange Situation Procedure was related to maternal attachment security, evaluated with the Adult Attachment Interview. When the children were six–seven months of age, maternal sensitivity was evaluated. When the child was six years old, maternal decentered tutoring and the children's executive functioning were evaluated. Regression analyses indicated that maternal tutoring accounted for the association between maternal attachment and child cognitive functioning, whereas maternal sensitivity accounted for the association between maternal and child attachment.