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Cited by 334Attachment and Relationship DynamicsChild and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional DevelopmentEarly Childhood Education and Development

Transition to child care: associations with infant–mother attachment, infant negative emotion and cortisol elevations

Ahnert, Lieselotte, Gunnar, Megan R, Lamb, Michael E, Barthel, Martina·2004·Child Development
DOI 10.1111/j.1467-8624.2004.00698.x
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Abstract

Seventy 15-month-old infants were studied at home before starting child care, during adaptation (mothers present) and separation (first 9 days without mothers) phases, and 5 months later. Security of infant–mother attachment was assessed before and 3 months after child care began. In the separation phase, salivary cortisol rose over the first 60 min following the mothers' departures to levels that were 75% to 100% higher than at home. Compared with insecure infants, secure infants had markedly lower cortisol levels during the adaptation phase and higher fuss and cry levels during the separation phase, and their fuss and cry levels were significantly correlated with their cortisol levels. Attachments remained secure or became secure if mothers spent more days adapting their children to child care.

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Crossref · 10.1111/j.1467-8624.2004.00698.x

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  • Secure attachment to parents buffers HPA activation.

    “Secure attachment to parents buffers HPA activation (Ahnert et al., 2004; Nachmias et al., 1996)”

    From The Adaptive Calibration Model of stress responsivity (2011) · cites this paper as Ahnert et al., 2004

  • Avoidant infants may not react with HPA activation to brief separations, but they can still mount intense HPA responses to family conflict, punishment, or longer separation episodes.

    “Even if avoidant infants do not react with HPA activation to brief separations (section 4.1), they can still mount intense HPA responses to family conflict, punishment, or even longer separation episodes (as found by Ahnert et al., 2004)”

    From The Adaptive Calibration Model of stress responsivity (2011) · cites this paper as Ahnert et al., 2004

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Authors
Ahnert, L., Gunnar, M. R., Lamb, M. E., & Barthel, M.
Affiliations
  • Freie Universität Berlin (DE)
  • University of Minnesota (US)
  • National Institutes of Health (US)
ORCID
Venue
Child Development
Publisher
Oxford University Press (OUP)
Published
2004-05-01
Volume
75
Issue
3
Pages
639-650
ISSN
  • 0009-3920 (ISSN-L)
  • 1467-8624
DOI
10.1111/j.1467-8624.2004.00698.x
OpenAlex
W2136352610
Cited by
334
References
77
Citations by year
2026: 4 · 2025: 7 · 2024: 10 · 2023: 9 · 2022: 17 · 2021: 13 · 2020: 20 · 2019: 23 · 2018: 16 · 2017: 21 · 2016: 20 · 2015: 24 · 2014: 15 · 2013: 21 · 2012: 21
FWCI
11.10
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Licence
Locations
  • Child Development (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Attachment and Relationship Dynamics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Child and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional Development
  • Social Sciences › Education › Early Childhood Education and Development
Keywords
infant-mother attachment, attachment security, cortisol, maternal separation, salivary cortisol
MeSH terms
Adaptation, Psychological, Affect, Child, Child Care, Crying, Female, Humans, Hydrocortisone, Infant, Mother-Child Relations, Object Attachment, Saliva

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