Maternal representations of their child and their child's attachment security: A longitudinal study from pregnancy to 6 years of age

2014 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 25885010
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Research Activity Start-up
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Research Field: Educational psychology
• Research Institution: Yamagata University
• Principal Investigator: MOTOSHIMA Yuko 山形大学, 地域教育文化学部, 講師 (10711294)
• Project Period (FY): 2013-08-30 – 2015-03-31
• Keywords: 子ども表象 / アタッチメント / 縦断研究

Outline of Final Research Achievements

The purpose of this study was to examine the relation between prenatal maternal representations of the child and subsequent child's attachment security. We used the Working Model of the Child Interview to assess mothers’ representations of their unborn infants during the third trimester of pregnancy and the Attachment Q-set to measure their child’s attachment security. Results showed that the children of mothers with balanced representations during pregnancy were more securely attached than the children of mothers with disengaged or distorted representations at 18 months, but there were no significant difference between the children of mothers with balanced representations and the children of mothers with unbalanced representations at 6 years. Further researches will be needed for examing the longer effects of maternal representations during pregnancy on child's attachment development.

Free Research Field

発達心理学