Multiple predictors of mother-child attachment and peer competency during the preschool years

Margaret Emily Walls, Purdue University

Abstract

This longitudinal study investigated attachment by Q-sort methodology at infant age 14-months and age 4 years among 33 mostly white and middle-class mother-child pairs. Goal One of the study investigated attachment security in infancy and at age 4, as joint predictors of peer competency in the preschool setting and of children's self-perceived peer acceptance. Goal Two investigated multiple contributors to mother-preschool child attachment security, including mother-infant attachment security, extroversion, and family relationship variables of mothers' relationship history to their own mothers and mothers' marital quality. Goal Three investigated relations between mother-preschool child attachment security and the child temperament dimension extroversion, as predictors of peer competency in the preschool setting. In the preliminary analyses gender was found to be significantly positively correlated to mother-infant attachment security. Therefore, gender was included as an Independent Variable in the analyses where mother-infant attachment security was an Independent Variable. Mother-infant attachment security and mother-preschool child attachment security significantly predicted teachers' ratings of preschool peer competency. Mother-preschool attachment security was found to mediate the effects of mother-infant attachment security on preschool peer competency. Gender was not found to be a significant predictor of preschool peer competency. Attachment security in infancy, and the child temperament dimension of extroversion were found to significantly predict mother-preschool child attachment security. In addition, extroversion was found to mediate the effects of mother-infant attachment on mother preschool child attachment security. Neither gender nor family relationship variables were found to be significant predictors of mother-preschool child attachment security. Of mother-infant attachment security and extroversion as predictors of preschool peer competency, only mother-infant attachment security significantly predicted preschool peer competency. The results are discussed in terms of a transactional model of exogenous and endogenous predictors of mother-preschool child attachment security and preschool peer competency.

Degree

Ph.D.

Advisors

Melson, Purdue University.

Subject Area

Families & family life|Personal relationships|Sociology|Developmental psychology|Social psychology

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