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The Importance of Infant Relationships
Relationships The primary caregiver relationship plays a vital role in the mental health of a child. The caregiver’s emotional welfare as well as life situation has a powerful effect on the quality of this relationship. Quality and formation of secure and lasting attachments are the foundation for appropriate development in children. An infant relies on the primary caregiver not only for physical sustenance but also to: Assist in learning
Regulate emotions
Interact with the world and people around them (Zero to Three Infant Mental Health Task Force, 2002). Attachment theory focuses on the importance of the primary mother figure or parental figure and normal development. Research has demonstrated that there is a link between consistency of care giving and quality of attachment (Lieberman, 2004). The emotional stability of the primary caretaker impacts the quality of attachment for an infant. Mothers who are depressed are often less able to promote and support infant self-regulation. Research has consistently found that mothers with depression are less responsive, provide less stimulation and are less attuned. Infants of depressed mothers may show a flatter affect compared to infants of non-depressed mothers (Milgrom, J., et. al, 2006). Positive attachments between mother and child have significant and lasting effects. Children who have experienced sensitivity and responsiveness from the primary caregiver as an infant have been shown to have fewer behavioral problems and a greater ability to engage in activities and explore surroundings in a way that will allow for greater competencies in the areas of cognition and social-emotional growth (Lowe, et. al., 2006). The concept of infant and mother attachment was first described by Bowlby (1969). The Strange Situation Procedure (SSP) used in a study by Ainsworth (Ainsworth, et. al., 1978) operationalized the concept. Four patterns of attachment emerged from the SSP study that are often utilized to describe infant attachment. The most common pattern of attachment observed in the study was secure attachment, followed by anxious-avoidant, anxious-resistant, and anxious disorganized. Organized attachment refers to a set of adaptive behaviors that most infants develop within the first year of life to deal with everyday stressors or traumatic events. Organized attachment incorporates strategies to deal with common life events such as illness, fear, and strange or stressful situations (Bakermans-Kranenburg, et. al., 2005). Disorganized attachment conversely refers to the absence or breakdown of an organized set of adaptive behaviors. Children who have been maltreated, children of parents with unresolved trauma or loss, marital discord, and depression, specifically bipolar depression have a higher prevalence of disorganized attachment (Bakermans-Kranenburg, et. al., 2005).
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Contributor's Note
This is part of a series on Infant Mental Health.
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