The role of sociodemographic risk and maternal behavior in the prediction of infant attachment disorganization

ABSTRACT

Predictors of infant attachment disorganization were examined among 203 primiparous mothers (52% European American, 48% African American) and their infants (104 female). The Strange Situation Procedure was administered at one year. Global maternal insensitivity and overtly negative maternal behavior were observed during distress-eliciting tasks when infants were six months and one year old. Mothers reported on their demographics to yield a measure of sociodemographic risk (i.e., age, education, income-to-needs). Overtly negative maternal behavior was positively associated with the infant attachment disorganization rating scale score, but did not predict being classified as disorganized. Global maternal insensitivity was associated with higher attachment disorganization, both the rating and the classification, when sociodemographic risk was high but not when sociodemographic risk was low. The pattern of results did not vary by maternal race. The results provide some support for the view that negative maternal behavior and the combination of sociodemographic risk and global maternal insensitivity play a role in the development of infant attachment disorganization.

KEYWORDS:

• Attachment
• disorganized attachment
• maternal behavior
• maternal sensitivity
• sociodemographic risk

Acknowledgements

We are grateful to the participants for their time and Dr. Regan Burney and project staff for their dedication.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This project was supported by [grant number R01HD058578]. The contents of this manuscript are the sole responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute for Child Health and Human Development.