Nonmaternal care hours and temperament predict infants’ proximity-seeking behavior and attachment subgroups

UMEMURA, Tomotaka and Deborah JACOBVITZ. Nonmaternal care hours and temperament predict infants’ proximity-seeking behavior and attachment subgroups. Infant Behavior and Development. 2014, vol. 37, No 3, p. 352-365. ISSN 0163-6383. doi:10.1016/j.infbeh.2014.05.007.

Basic information

• Original name: Nonmaternal care hours and temperament predict infants’ proximity-seeking behavior and attachment subgroups
• Authors: UMEMURA, Tomotaka (392 Japan, guarantor, belonging to the institution) and Deborah JACOBVITZ (840 United States of America).
• Edition: Infant Behavior and Development, 2014, 0163-6383.

Other information

• Original language: English
• Type of outcome: Article in a journal
• Field of Study: 50100 5.1 Psychology and cognitive sciences
• Country of publisher: United States of America
• Confidentiality degree: is not subject to a state or trade secret
• WWW: URL
• Impact factor: Impact factor: 1.349
• RIV identification code: RIV/00216224:14230/14:00076055
• Organization unit: Faculty of Social Studies
• Doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.infbeh.2014.05.007
• UT WoS: 000339702900011
• Keywords in English: Attachment; Nonmaternal care; Proximity-seeking behavior; Temperament; The Strange Situation
• Tags: International impact, Reviewed

Abstract

Using the NICHD Early Childcare dataset (N = 1,281), this study examined whether infant temperament and the amount of time infants spend in nonmaternal care independently predict 1) the likelihood that they seek comfort from their mother when needed and 2) placement in a particular subgroup of infant-mother attachment patterns. Mothers reported the number of hours their infant spent in nonmaternal care each month and their infant’s difficulty adapting to novel stimuli at 6 months. The degree to which 15-month-old infants seek comfort from their mother during reunion episodes in the Strange Situation was observed using two behavioral scales (“proximity seeking” and “contact maintaining”). Their average score forms the outcome variable of “proximity-seeking behavior.” The other outcome variables were the subgroups of infant-mother attachment patterns: two subgroups for insecure babies (resistant and avoidant) and four subgroups for secure babies (B1, B2, B3, and B4). Easy adaptability to novel stimuli and long hours of nonmaternal care independently predicted a low level of proximity-seeking behavior. These predictors also increased the likelihood of an insecure infant being classified as avoidant (vs. resistant). A secure infant with these same predictors was most likely to be classified as B1, followed by B2, and then B3, with B4 being the least likely classification. Although previous studies using the NICHD dataset found that hours of nonmaternal care had no main effect on infants' attachment security (vs. insecurity), this study demonstrates that hours of nonmaternal care predict the subcategories of infant-mother attachment.

Links

• EE2.3.30.0037, research and development project: Name: Zaměstnáním nejlepších mladých vědců k rozvoji mezinárodní spolupráce