The Mother–Infant Relationship and Infant Attachment in a South African Peri-Urban Settlement
Abstract
A sample of 147 mother-infant dyads was recruited from a peri-urban settlement outside Cape Town and seen at 2- and 18-months postpartum. At 18 months, 61.9% of the infants were rated as securely attached (B); 4.1% as avoidant (A); 8.2% as resistant (C); and 25.8% disorganized (D). Postpartum depression at 2 months, and indices of poor parenting at both 2 and 18 months, were associated with insecure infant attachment. The critical 2-month predictor variables for insecure infant attachment were maternal intrusiveness and maternal remoteness, and early maternal depression. When concurrent maternal sensitivity was considered, the quality of the early mother-infant relationship remained important, but maternal depression was no longer predictive. Cross-cultural differences and consistencies in the development of attachment are discussed.
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Maternal PPD at 2 months was associated with insecure infant attachment at 2 and 18 months.
“maternal PPD at 2 months was associated with insecure infant attachment at 2 and 18 months.127”
From Consequences of maternal postpartum depression: A systematic review of maternal and infant outcomes (2019) · cites this paper as [127]
When concurrent maternal sensitivity was considered, the quality of the early mother-infant relationship remained important, although maternal depression was no longer predictive.
“when concurrent maternal sensitivity was considered, the quality of the early mother–infant relationship remained important, although maternal depression was no longer predictive.”
From Consequences of maternal postpartum depression: A systematic review of maternal and infant outcomes (2019) · cites this paper as [127]
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- Authors
- Tomlinson, M., Cooper, P., & Murray, L.
- Affiliations
- University of Cape Town (ZA)
- University of Reading (GB)
- Corresponding author
- Tomlinson, Mark
- Venue
- Child Development
- Publisher
- Oxford University Press (OUP)
- Published
- 2005-09-01
- Volume
- 76
- Issue
- 5
- Pages
- 1044-1054
- ISSN
- 0009-3920 (ISSN-L)
- 1467-8624
- OpenAlex
- W2049060098
- Cited by
- 254
- References
- 47
- Citations by year
- 2026: 4 · 2025: 10 · 2024: 13 · 2023: 8 · 2022: 4 · 2021: 15 · 2020: 18 · 2019: 12 · 2018: 10 · 2017: 20 · 2016: 25 · 2015: 21 · 2014: 12 · 2013: 16 · 2012: 13
- FWCI
- 5.35
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Licence
- Locations
- Child Development (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- CentAUR (University of Reading) (acceptedVersion)
- Funders
- Wellcome Trust
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Attachment and Relationship Dynamics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Maternal Mental Health During Pregnancy and Postpartum
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Psychoanalysis and Psychopathology Research
- Keywords
- mother-infant relationship, infant attachment, insecure attachment, postpartum depression, parenting quality, maternal intrusiveness, maternal sensitivity, peri-urban settlements, South Africa
- MeSH terms
- Adult, Depression, Female, Follow-Up Studies, Humans, Infant, Maternal Behavior, Mother-Child Relations, Object Attachment, South Africa, Urban Population
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