Death Awareness, Maternal Separation Anxiety, and Attachment Style Among First-Time Mothers—A Terror Management Perspective

Abstract

Two studies explored the interplay between death awareness, attachment style, and maternal separation anxiety among first-time mothers of infants aged 3–12 months. In Study 1 (N = 60), a higher accessibility of death-related thoughts was found following induction of thoughts about separation from the infant. In Study 2 (N = 100), a mortality salience induction led to higher maternal separation anxiety. Contrary to expectations, these findings were not moderated by mother's attachment style. The results are explained in terms of Terror Management Theory, and demonstrate its applicability to maternal emotions and cognitions.

This research was conducted as a part of the M.A. dissertation carried out at the School of Social Work, Bar-Ilan University, by Liat Katz–Ben-Ami, under the supervision of Orit Taubman–Ben-Ari.