Interactional Synchrony and Nurturance in Autonomous and Non-autonomous Caregivers
Date
2013-05
Authors
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Journal ISSN
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Publisher
University of Delaware
Abstract
This thesis examines the relationship between adult attachment state of mind
and observed ratings of parent sensitivity during periods of child distress. Although
sensitive responsiveness in every day interaction is an essential part of building the
attachment relationship, the way parents respond to infants during times when they are
distressed may represent an especially important part of attachment development.
Parents’ adult attachment state of mind is the strongest predictor of attachment in
mother-child dyads (van Ijzendoorn, 1995). In the current study, a group of mothers
from a high-risk sample were evaluated for sensitivity to distress using a 5-point scale
during two stressful events, including the Strange Situation (Ainsworth, 1978) and a
child finger prick episode. The results of this study showed that caregivers with
autonomous states of mind were more sensitive than non-autonomous mothers during
the finger prick, but were not significantly different from non-autonomous mothers in
sensitivity during the Strange Situation. This finding is important because it suggests
that maternal responsiveness and sensitivity are related to adult attachment state of
mind, such that mothers with autonomous state of mind are more sensitive than nonautonomous
mothers during situations in which their children are experiencing pain.