Parent-infant Attachment Research Articles

Serial Multiple Mediation of the Marital Satisfaction and Parenting Competence in the Relationship Between Postpartum Depression and Parent-Infant Attachment in First-Time Parents With Low- and High-Risk Pregnancy Experiences: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Little is known regarding the effects of postpartum depression on parent-infant attachment in high-risk parents. Based on Mercer's theory of becoming a mother, this study aimed to (1) examine the mediating effects of marital satisfaction and parenting competence in the relationship between postpartum depression and parent-infant attachment using a serial mediation model in first-time parent couples during the first 6 months postpartum, and (2) compare the serial mediation models between parents who had experienced low-risk and high-risk pregnancies. In this cross-sectional study, a total of 194 first-time parent couples at 1 to 6 months postpartum were included. Participants completed an online survey on postpartum depression, marital satisfaction, parenting competence, and parent-infant attachment. In both low- and high-risk groups, parenting competence was a common mediator of the impact of postpartum depression on parent-infant attachment. A sequential mediation effect involving both marital satisfaction and parenting competence was observed in high-risk mothers. Our findings suggest that the adverse impacts of postpartum depression on parent-infant attachment can be mitigated by boosting parenting competence or improving the marital satisfaction in couples experiencing first high-risk pregnancy.

Developing Music Therapy in Maternity Care in Ireland: A Qualitative Study.

Music therapy can be a form of preventive or early intervention. It strengthens and utilizes women's own resources to build resilience, aids relaxation, reduces symptoms of anxiety and depression, promotes parent-infant attachment, and adapts to physical and psychological challenges during the perinatal period. The inclusion of music therapy in Irish maternity services has the potential to improve the quality of healthcare delivery provided to parents and infants. Recent studies demonstrate that the prospect of music therapy is welcomed by parents and perinatal healthcare professionals in Ireland, but such services are yet to be formally embedded in maternity care. Building on a cross-sectional survey, this qualitative study employed 6 semi-structured interviews with women and perinatal healthcare professionals in Ireland to understand their perspectives on developing music therapy in Irish maternity care services. Four themes were identified from the thematic analysis of these interviews: (1) music has multiple functions during the perinatal period; (2) music programs contribute to holistic perspectives and approachability in perinatal care; (3) music therapy provides specialist support; and (4) further development of music therapy services is challenging. The findings offer important insights and practical considerations on the key components of the music therapy programs and strategies in developing music therapy in Irish maternity settings. This information can directly inform music therapy researchers and practitioners in designing music therapy programs and developing relevant services in collaboration with maternity care professionals and policymakers.

Protocol for an intervention for new parents experiencing moderate psychosocial adversity: pilot feasibility randomised trial

ABSTRACT Background Parents exposed to psychosocial adversities often experience challenges which, combined with the needs of a new-born infant, can be difficult to manage and increase the risk of poor outcomes for both parents and infants. Psychosocial adversity can disrupt the development of parental-foetal attachment to the baby during pregnancy, which can have a negative effect on parental care and quality of interaction during the postnatal period. This intervention is based on the proposition that enhanced parental capacity to mentalise and emotionally connect to unborn children during pregnancy, and better understanding about how to manage distressing infant behaviour (i.e., persistent crying and sleep problems) will: (i) promote the development of secure parent-infant attachment; (ii) improve antenatal bonding and postnatal parenting; and, (ii) reduce parental distress. Method This protocol is for a pilot randomised control trial evaluating a new intervention, which makes use of innovative technologies to support parents experiencing moderate psychosocial adversity (Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry: ACTRN12622000287730). The New Technology for New Parents (NTNP) intervention provides support using antenatal ultrasound scans and ‘virtual home visits’ during the perinatal period. Quantitative outcomes include mentalising capacity, parental-foetal/infant attachment, and parental competence. Conclusion To the best of our knowledge, no study has evaluated the combined effectiveness of two novel technologies (3D/4D ultrasound scans and virtual home visits) to support parents across the antenatal and postnatal periods. This protocol, which includes the rationale for this innovative intervention, addresses a gap in services for parents experiencing moderate psychosocial adversity.

Examining the implications of contextual stress and maternal sensitivity for infants’ cortisol responses to the still face paradigm

Infants’ hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical (HPA) axis responses to acute stressors are theorized to be shaped by parents’ sensitive responsiveness to infants’ cues. The strength and direction of the association between maternal sensitivity and infants’ HPA responses may depend on the context in which maternal sensitivity is observed and on broader environmental sources of stress and support. In this preregistered study, we used data from 105 mothers and their 7-month-old infants to examine whether two empirically identified forms of contextual stress—poor maternal psychosocial wellbeing and family socioeconomic hardship—moderate the association between maternal sensitivity and infants’ cortisol responses to the Still-Face Paradigm (SFP). Results indicated that maternal sensitivity during the free play and family socioeconomic hardship interacted to predict infants’ cortisol responses to the SFP. Specifically, maternal sensitivity during this non-distressing interaction was negatively associated with cortisol responses only among infants whose mothers were experiencing relatively high socioeconomic hardship. Exploratory analyses revealed that poor maternal psychosocial wellbeing was positively associated with overall infant cortisol production during the SFP. Altogether, these findings suggest that experiences within early parent-infant attachment relationships and sources of contextual stress work together to shape infant HPA axis activity.

Stress and Coping among Parents of Preterm Infants Admitted to Neonatal Care |Units of Central Hospitals of Nepal

Background: Hospitalization in neonatal care units (NCUs) is distressing to parents. Stress and inadequate coping with the situation hinder parents' emotional health and parenting roles. The dearth of information is available about it in Nepali context. Therefore, this study was conducted to explore the stress and coping strategies of parents of PTIs in NCUs.
 Methods: The descriptive phenomenological study was conducted in NCUs of three public tertiary hospitals in Kathmandu Nepal. In-person in-depth interviews were conducted among the purposively selected 15 parents of preterm and low birth weight infants admitted to NCUs. The obtained data were analyzed using the content analysis method.
 Findings: Two themes emerged namely psychological distress and insecurity and coping with the support system. Their distress was related to the condition and progress of their PTIs, infant-parent separation, altered parenting roles, and the burden of longer hospitalization. Family, friends, other parents, and staff of NCUs were their support sources. They coped with the situation with religious faith, patience, sharing with peer parents, being close with the PTIs, and involving in PTI care.
 Conclusion: Admission of PTIs to NCUs is distressing to parents. In addition, to support from family and friends, parents valued NCU staffs' support for coping and expected more support. Opportunities for infant-parent attachment, care involvement and peer-to-peer support are their effective coping measures. Improving parental support provision in NCUs considering the stressors and effective coping measures would be praiseworthy to enhance the psychological well-being of the parents

Art at the Start: A controlled trial and close observation of parent-infant art therapy intervention.

This two-part study seeks to evidence art therapy intervention for parent-infant attachment relationships, looking at improvements to wellbeing and relationships. Study one was a controlled trial with 105 participating parent/caregivers and their infants (0-3-years), identified due to concerns about their relationship. They were quasi-randomized to attend a 12-week art therapy group or treatment as usual. Measures focused on parents' wellbeing and their perceptions of their relationship with their infant. In study 2 we analyzed video footage from the first and penultimate sessions of a sample of 37 dyads, looking for observable changes in the different channels of communication upon which attachments are predicated. The controlled trial showed intervention participants had significantly improved parental wellbeing, significant increases in attachment warmth and significant decreases in intrusion. This contrasted with the control sample who showed a significant decrease in wellbeing, stable warmth, and significant increases in intrusion. The observation study showed that there was a significant increase in the communicative behaviors from the parents to the infant which would support attachments between the first and penultimate sessions. We conclude that these results make a robust case for the inclusion of art therapy within the range of interventions available for at risk early relationships.

Actually, today was a good day, so today we're doing all right: Parental perspectives on a dyadic group art therapy intervention for parent and infant wellbeing and attachments

In this study we sought to capture the experiences of parents who had attended a parent-infant art therapy group to support their wellbeing and attachment relationships. The groups lasted 12 weeks and had a focus on using shared art making experiences to bring the dyads into positive interactions. 50 parents attended the groups with their children. We asked them to complete surveys at the end of the art therapy group and later followed up a sample of participants for in depth interviews. We analysed both of these using reflexive thematic analysis. Our organisation of themes lays out the difficulties facing parents, what enabled them to take part, the mechanisms of change within the art therapy intervention, and the outcomes parents observed. The analysis evidences the changes parents identified in how they felt themselves and how they felt about their baby, with an important shift to enjoying their role as parents, feeling more confident about their parenting, tuning in to their babies’ cues, and enjoying the emerging personalities of their babies. It highlights the potential of art therapy to support parental wellbeing and parent-infant attachment relationships.

“It helps and it doesn’t help”: maternal perspectives on how the use of smartphones and tablet computers influences parent-infant attachment

As families increase their use of mobile touch screen devices (smartphones and tablet computers), there is potential for this use to influence parent-child interactions required to form a secure attachment during infancy, and thus future child developmental outcomes. Thirty families of infants (aged 9–15 months) were interviewed to explore how parents and infants use these devices, and how device use influenced parents’ thoughts, feelings and behaviours towards their infant and other family interactions. Two-thirds of infants were routinely involved in family video calls and one-third used devices for other purposes. Parent and/or child device use served to both enhance connection and increase distraction between parents and infants and between other family members. Mechanisms for these influences are discussed. The findings highlight a new opportunity for how hardware and software should be designed and used to maximise benefits and reduce detriments of device use to optimise parent-infant attachment and child development. Practitioner Summary: Many families with infants regularly use smartphones and tablet computers. This qualitative study found that how devices were used either enhanced or disrupted feelings of parent-infant attachment. Practitioners should be aware of the potential beneficial and detrimental impacts of device use among families given implications for attachment and future child development.

Clinicians’ experiences in signposting an online mental health resource to expectant mothers: a qualitative study

BackgroundPoor maternal mental well-being and a lack of secure parent-infant attachment, have been identified as important factors associated with adverse mental health outcomes later in a child’s life. Interventions designed to care for maternal mental well-being during pregnancy and early parenthood, are therefore likely to support healthy child development. Mentalization is a skill parents can practice, improving the emotional bond to the child, offering insights into their own and the child’s mental states and potentially improving parental mental well-being. Most pregnant women in Denmark schedule antenatal consultations in general practice, potentially offering a solid platform to promote web-based interventions aiming to enhance mentalization skills. Signposting towards online resources has several advantages including high accessibility, ease of distribution and cost-effectiveness. We aimed to explore the attitudes and experiences of clinicians in general practice in signposting women towards a web-intervention to increase parental mentalization skills.MethodsThe intervention was offered to pregnant women at their primary preventive antenatal consultation in Danish general practice around week eight of pregnancy, and was designed to be incorporated into the following antenatal- and pediatric consultations until the child’s second birthday. Semi-structured interviews about clinicians’ experiences with signposting the intervention were conducted with 11 general practitioners (GP), three practice midwives (MW) and one practice nurse (NR).ResultsClinicians wanted to enhance the focus on mental well-being in pregnancy and early childhood during preventive consultations. The main barriers to signposting the web-program were decreasing motivation over time, lack of financial viability and time limitations. Utilizing a psychoeducational web-intervention was generally accepted by clinicians, but ideally not carried out solely in general practice.ConclusionSignposting web-programs to improve parental mentalization skills can be welcomed by clinicians in general practice but need to be more tailored to suit the everyday workflow of the clinics. Addressing parental mentalization remains largely unchartered territory for pregnant women and clinicians alike, therefore training clinicians on the subject and its presentation should be offered.Trial registrationThe study is part of a larger project that has been approved by the Research Ethics Committee at the University of Copenhagen, Nov. 2019 (reference number 504–0111/19–5000).

Parent–Infant Attachment in Infants with Respiratory Assist Devices Hospitalized in Intensive Care Units: A Descriptive Cross-Sectional Study

Parent–Infant Attachment in Infants with Respiratory Assist Devices Hospitalized in Intensive Care Units: A Descriptive Cross-Sectional Study

Associations between postpartum pain, mood, and maternal–infant attachment and parenting outcomes

Pain and depression are interrelated, and worse postpartum pain has been associated with postpartum depression. It remains unclear whether improved pain and mood after delivery can also improve maternal parenting. Few studies have examined relationships between postpartum pain and negative mood (anxiety or depression) or their effects on parent–infant relationship outcomes. The purpose of this study was to explore the relationships between postpartum pain, mood, parent–infant attachment, parenting self-efficacy, and infant development. This was a prospective longitudinal observational pilot study of nulliparous women enrolled at the third trimester and presenting for labor and delivery at term gestation. Baseline third trimester assessments included validated inventories of pain (the brief pain inventory, BPI), depression (the Edinburgh postnatal depression screen, EPDS), anxiety (the state trait anxiety inventory, STAI), multidimensional scale of perceived social support (perceived social support scale, MSPSS) and perceived stress scale (PSS). Demographic and labor characteristics were recorded. At 6 weeks and 3 months postpartum, self-reported assessments included EPDS, STAI, BPI, maternal parent infant attachment scale (MPAS), and perceived maternal parenting self-efficacy (PMP-SE). Child development outcomes were assessed at 6 weeks and 3 months using the Ages and Stages Questionnaire (ASQ). Univariable linear regression assessed the relationships between pain and parenting outcomes (MPAS and PMP-SE), including potential interactions between pain and mood for parenting outcomes. Generalized linear modeling was used to explore the relationships between postpartum pain, parenting outcomes, and child development outcomes. Of 187 subjects, 87 had complete data on parent–infant attachment and parenting self-efficacy data at 3 months. Lower "pain right now" scores (BPI) on postpartum day 1 was associated with higher maternal–infant attachment (MPAS) at 6 weeks postpartum (Estimate − 1.8, 95% CI − 3.4 to − 0.2, P < 0.03) but not at 3 months (Estimate 0.23 95% CI − 1.1 to 1.6, P = 0.7). Higher depression (EPDS) scores at 6 weeks were also associated with lower MPAS scores at 6 weeks (Estimate − 1.24, 95% CI − 2.07 to − 0.40, P = 0.004). However, there was no evidence that the relationship between pain and MPAS varied by depression score at 6 weeks (P = 0.42). Pain scores at baseline, six weeks, or three months did not correlate with parenting outcomes (MPAS, PMP-SE) at six weeks or three months. Results of the generalized linear modeling revealed relationships between pain, age, anxiety (STAI), and depression (EPDS) predictors, and the outcomes of parenting (MPAS, PMP-SE) and gross motor and personal–social (ASQ) aspects of infant development. There is a pattern of association between worse postpartum pain, anxiety, and depression with worse parenting outcomes. Depression and pain may also affect infant development, but future work is required to replicate and characterize these potential relationships.

Psychosocial Difficulties Experienced By Parents Of Babies Treated In A Neonatal Intensive Care Unit During The Coronavirus Pandemic

AimThis study had two objectives: (1) to investigate the psychosocial difficulties experienced by parents of babies treated in a neonatal intensive care unit during the coronavirus pandemic and (2) to determine parent-infant attachment. Materials and MethodsThis study adopted phenomenology, a qualitative research design in order to answer the research questions design. The sample consisted of 20 parents of babies treated in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) of a City Hospital in Turkey between July and August 2021. Participation was voluntary. Data were collected using a sociodemographic characteristics questionnaire and a semi-structured qualitative interview form. Each participant was interviewed face to face. Each interview was recorded and transcribed. The data were analyzed using content analysis. ResultsParticipants had a mean age of 32.2 ± 3.61 years and at least secondary school degrees. Babies were admitted to the NICU for congenital anomalies (n = 3) or preterm birth (n = 7). Participants experienced anxiety, worry, and loneliness and produced less milk because they could not see and touch their babies. Their greatest source of support was their spouses. ConclusionParents of babies treated in the NICU during the COVID-19 pandemic experience anxiety, sadness, unhappiness, and loneliness. The preventive measures against the pandemic affect parents psychosocially. Healthcare professionals should plan and implement care practices and establish effective communication with parents to identify their physiological, psychological, and social needs and help them produce breastmilk and bond with their babies.

Multi-Trajectories of Conduct Problems, Hyperactivity/Inattention, and Peer Problems Across Childhood: Results from the Growing Up in Scotland Birth Cohort

Using a person-centred approach, this study inspected multi-trajectories of conduct problems, hyperactivity/inattention and peer problems, and associated risk factors for group membership. The sample included 3,578 children (50.8% males) from a population birth cohort in Scotland (Growing Up in Scotland). The parental version of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) was used when children were 4, 5, 6, 7, and 10 years old. Antecedent factors at the perinatal, child, and family levels were collected using parental reports, observation, and standardised assessments at 10, 24, and 36 months. A group-based multi-trajectory analysis was employed. Findings showed that a six-group model best fit the data. Identified groups included non-engagers, normative, decreasing externalising/low peer problems, low externalising/moderate peer problems, moderate externalising/increasing peer problems and multimorbid moderate-high chronic. Findings suggest multimorbidity between externalising behaviours and peer problems in the more elevated groups. Two common protective factors emerged across all groups: caregiver mental health and parent-infant attachment. Identified risk factors were specific to group membership. Risk factors for the most elevated group included single-parent status, social deprivation, previous neonatal intensive care unit admission, child sex, whilst children’s expressive language was a protective factor. Taken together, findings contribute to the emerging literature modelling trajectories of externalising behaviours and peer problems simultaneously and have important practical implications for prevention of problems in childhood, by identifying targets at the perinatal, child, and family levels.

Effect of Attachment and Child Health (ATTACHTM) Parenting Program on Parent-Infant Attachment, Parental Reflective Function, and Parental Depression.

High-risk families exposed to toxic stressors such as family violence, depression, addiction, and poverty, have shown greater difficulty in parenting young children. In this study, we examined the effectiveness of ATTACHTM, a 10–12 session manualized one-on-one parental Reflective Function (RF)-based parenting program designed for high-risk families. Outcomes of parent-child attachment and parental RF were assessed via the Strange Situation Procedure (SSP) and Reflective Function Scale (RFS), respectively. The protective role of ATTACHTM on parental depression was also assessed. Data were available from caregivers and their children < 6 years of age who participated in five pilot randomized control trials (RCTs) and quasi-experimental studies (QES; n = 40). Compared with the control group, caregivers who received the ATTACHTM-program demonstrated a greater likelihood of secure attachment with their children (p = 0.004) and higher parental RF [self (p = 0.004), child (p = 0.001), overall (p = 0.002)] in RCTs. A significant improvement in parental RF (p = 0.000) was also observed in the QES within ATTACHTM group analysis. As attachment security increased, receiving the ATTACHTM program may be protective for depressed caregivers. Results demonstrated the promise of ATTACHTM for high-risk parents and their young children.

Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation Approaches to Premature Infants in Neonatal Intensive Care Units

In addition to medical care and intervention, physiotherapy and rehabilitation practices are used for the health of premature babies in the neonatal intensive care unit. Thus, it is aimed to reach physiological stability of the premature baby, to maintain growth and development, to minimize the risk of complications due to preterm birth, and to support neuromotor and behavioral development. As a member of the interdisciplinary team in the neonatal intensive care unit, the neonatal physiotherapist plays an active role in family education and environmental regulations, as well as planning the physiotherapy program that includes pulmonary and neuromuscular physiotherapy applications customized according to the gestational age and needs of the baby. With physiotherapy approaches, the health of the premature baby is supported in terms of neuromotor and behavioral development, while contributing to parent-infant attachment. In this review, physiotherapy and rehabilitation approaches applied to premature babies in the neonatal intensive care unit are described.

Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation Approaches to Premature Infants in Neonatal Intensive Care Units

In addition to medical care and intervention, physiotherapy and rehabilitation practices are used for the health of premature babies in the neonatal intensive care unit. Thus, it is aimed to reach physiological stability of the premature baby, to maintain growth and development, to minimize the risk of complications due to preterm birth, and to support neuromotor and behavioral development. As a member of the interdisciplinary team in the neonatal intensive care unit, the neonatal physiotherapist plays an active role in family education and environmental regulations, as well as planning the physiotherapy program that includes pulmonary and neuromuscular physiotherapy applications customized according to the gestational age and needs of the baby. With physiotherapy approaches, the health of the premature baby is supported in terms of neuromotor and behavioral development, while contributing to parent-infant attachment. In this review, physiotherapy and rehabilitation approaches applied to premature babies in the neonatal intensive care unit are described.

The impact of family-centered care interventions on neonatal and parental outcomes in a Turkish hospital

AimThis study aimed to improve nurses’ attitudes towards parental engagement and to examine the impact of implementing nursing interventions related to family-centred care on neonatal and parental outcomes in a university hospital in Turkey. MethodsA quasi-experimental, nonequivalent, and post-test research design was used. Using convenience sampling, the study was completed with 128 preterm infants and their parents, including 64 in the experimental group and 64 in the control group at a neonatal intensive care unit of a university hospital. The control group data were collected from medical records and parents before practising family-centred nursing interventions developed for the experimental group. In addition, nurses were given a four hour training session aimed to improve their attitudes towards parental participation in care, with the nurses’ attitudes measured before, immediately after, and one month after the training. The experimental group data were collected from medical records and parents after 10 nursing interventions based on family-centred care supported by managers began to be implemented by trained nurses in the neonatal intensive care unit. The Parent-Preterm Infant Characteristics Form, Maternal Attachment Inventory, Empowerment of Parents in the Intensive Care-Neonatology (EMPATHIC-N), and Parental Engagement Attitude Scale were used for the data collection. FindingsWhile nurses’ scores of attitudes toward parental participation obtained immediately after and one month after the training were higher than those before the training, the scores one month after were lower compared to those immediately after. The results indicated that discharge weight gain of infants in the experimental group were significantly higher than those in the control group and that there was no significant difference between the groups in length of stay at neonatal intensive care unit. The maternal attachment and satisfaction scores of the parents in the experimental group were significantly higher than those in the control group. ConclusionImplementing family-centred nursing care interventions, developed based on unit needs and supported by managers, with trained neonatal intensive care nurses positively impacted parent-infant attachment, parent satisfaction, and infant weight gain.

P505. Infant-Parent Attachment and Psychotic Symptoms: The Neurodevelopmental Origins of Psychosis

Early-life adversities are robustly associated with subsequent psychosis, but the underlying mechanisms are not known. One potential mediator often hypothesized is the infant-parent attachment relationship, because it is established early in development, representing the child’s stress-response strategy and the mental image of the self and others. To date, research on infant attachment and psychosis is almost non-existent.

Enhancing Maternal-Infant Attachment in a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit During the Pandemic Prevention Period

Parent-infant attachment is affected by parent-infant interaction. The limitations on related visitations during the COVID-19 pandemic suspended the opportunity to engage in kangaroo care (skin-to-skin contact) activities. These changes impacted parent-infant attachment in the neonatal intensive care unit. After investigation, the score of premature infant-parent attachment was found to be only 64.6 points during the period in which visitation limitations were in effect. To enhance maternal-premature infant attachment during the pandemic period by 10% (from an average score of 64.6 to 71.1). This project involved nurses playing audio files provided by mothers to their premature infants, and recording a video and taking pictures of the infants during this process. This project used a cloud platform as bidirectional pipelines. Furthermore, emotional support and caring information were provided to the mothers via expressive arts therapy and phone interviews. After the intervention, the premature infant-parent attachment score rose to 74.4 from the pre-intervention score of 64.6. During pandemic control periods, traditional modes of care aimed at building infant-parent attachment are not applicable. The intervention project used was found to be an effective alternative approach to increasing maternal-premature infant attachment. Breaking the restrictions of time and place, this project applies family-centered care, and may provide a reference for developing software, hardware, and communication equipment for other care units related to newborns.

Major depression as a predictor of the intergenerational transmission of attachment security: Findings from a pregnancy cohort study.

Understanding the relationship between attachment and mental health has an important role in informing management of perinatal mental disorders and for infant mental health. It has been suggested that experiences of attachment are transmitted from one generation to the next. Maternal sensitivity has been proposed as a mediator, although findings have not been as strong as hypothesised. A meta-analysis suggested that this intergenerational transmission of attachment may vary across populations with lower concordance between parent and infant attachment classifications in clinical compared to community samples. However, no previous study has examined major depression and adult attachment in pregnancy as predictors of infant-parent attachment classification at 12 months postpartum. Data were obtained on 52 first-time mothers recruited in early pregnancy, which included 22 women who met diagnostic criteria for current major depression using the Structured Clinical Interview for the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. The Adult Attachment Interview was also administered before 20 weeks of pregnancy. A history of early trauma was measured using the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire and maternal sensitivity was measured at 6 months postpartum using the observational measure of the Emotional Availability Scales. Infant-parent attachment was measured using the Strange Situation Procedure at 12 months. Overall, we found no significant association between the Adult Attachment Interview and the Strange Situation Procedure classifications. However, a combination of maternal non-autonomous attachment on the Adult Attachment Interview and major depression was a significant predictor of insecure attachment on the Strange Situation Procedure. We did not find that maternal sensitivity mediated parental and infant attachment security in this sample. While previous meta-analyses identified lower concordance in clinical samples, our findings suggest women with major depression and non-autonomous attachment have a greater concordance with insecure attachment on the Strange Situation Procedure. These findings can guide future research and suggest a focus on depression in pregnancy may be important for subsequent infant attachment.