ERIC Number: EJ1142160
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2016
Pages: 8
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-2192-001X
EISSN: N/A
Maternal Adult Attachment Interview (AAI) Collected during Pregnancy Predicts Reflective Functioning in AAIs from Their First-Born Children 17 Years Later
Steele, Howard; Perez, Alejandra; Segal, Francesca; Steele, Miriam
International Journal of Developmental Science, v10 n3-4 p117-124 2016
This paper reports on the longitudinal links between first-time mothers (N = 48) Adult Attachment Interviews (AAIs), provided during pregnancy, and their first-born children's AAIs, provided at age 16 years. The AAIs from the adolescents were scored for reflective functioning (RF), and this was found to be significantly linked to whether their mothers' AAI were appraised as free-autonomous/secure as opposed to insecure-dismissing. Discussion concerns the unique influence of mothers upon their first-born children's development of reflective functioning skills, including the understanding of mind and emotion. Fathers, for whom AAIs were also available, appeared to have no influence on this process. RF scores from the adolescents did not differ as a function of either the previously observed infant-mother attachment or the infant-father attachment.
Descriptors: Mothers, Attachment Behavior, Interviews, Adults, Pregnancy, Adolescents, Scores, Parent Influence, Child Development, Reflection, Emotional Response, Fathers, Parent Child Relationship, Longitudinal Studies, Foreign Countries, Birth Order
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: United Kingdom (London)
Identifiers - Assessments and Surveys: Adult Attachment Interview
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A