Adult attachment styles, early relationships, antenatal attachment, and perceptions of infant temperament: A study of first-time mothers

We explored the relative contributions of first-time mothers' romantic attachment styles and early relations with their own mothers to the prediction of infant temperamental difficulty. A mediating role for mother's attachment to the unborn baby was assumed. In a prospective longitudinal study of 115 mothers of healthy babies, a structural model was delineated according to a conception of maternally reported infant temperament as a reflection of basic aspects of the mother's personality and mother-infant relationships. Mothers' experiences with their own mothers as supportive and nonintrusive differentiated between securely and insecurely attached participants. Security of attachment was found to facilitate antenatal attachment and perceptions of the 4-month-old infant as easier. Findings indicate that the effects of the mothers' romantic attachment styles on their perceptions of temperamental difficulty are mediated by their antenatal attachment. Moreover, the pattern of findings obtained suggests a link among mothers' history of relationships, romantic attachment styles, and caregiving characteristics that is congruent with evolutionary theoretical assumptions.