Association between mothers' attachment styles and parenting stress among Japanese mothers with toddlers aged 18 months

2020 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 18K17606
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Early-Career Scientists
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Review Section: Basic Section 58080:Gerontological nursing and community health nursing-related
• Research Institution: Nagasaki University
• Principal Investigator: KIT Ayano 長崎大学, 医歯薬学総合研究科(保健学科), 助教 (70789320)
• Project Period (FY): 2018-04-01 – 2021-03-31
• Keywords: 育児不安 / アタッチメントスタイル / 内的作業モデル / 1歳6ヶ月児

Outline of Final Research Achievements

One of the factors of child abuse is the possession of a high level of parenting stress. It is the important issue in terms of the public health point of view. This paper explores the association between a mothers’ attachment style and parenting stress among Japanese mothers with toddlers aged 18 months old. We conducted a cross-sectional study in A city, Japan. Public health nurses distributed an anonymous, self-reported questionnaire to 1,399 mothers who attended a health check-up for their infants. Of 1,399 mothers, 529 mothers responded to the survey (37.8%). In multiple logistic regression analysis, ambivalently attached mothers had significantly higher parenting stress than securely attached ones, but avoidantly attached ones did not have significantly higher parenting stress than securely attached ones.

Free Research Field

公衆衛生看護学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

人生の早期に形成された愛着は生涯において変化しにくく、育児期の母親のアタッチメントスタイルは妊娠期においても同様の型が示される可能性が示唆される。妊娠期から保健師が母親のアタッチメントスタイルを何らかの方法で把握することで育児期のリスクファクターを捉えることができ、予防的支援に繋げることが可能となる。今回の研究で両価型の母親において有意に育児不安が高いということが明らかになり、育児支援の対象者として両価型のアタッチメントスタイルを持つ者も考慮していかなければならないことを提示できたことは意義がある。