Intergenerational Transmission of Attachment : Japanese Mother-Child Dyads

Abstract

The purpose of the present study was to examine intergenerational transmission of attachment between 50 Japanese mothers and their preschool-age children. The mothers' present state of mind with respect to attachment was assessed using the Adult Attachment Interview (AAI); their children's level of attachment security was measured using the Attachment Q-set (AQS). The results indicated that the children of secure mothers had the highest security scores on the AQS, while the children of unresolved mothers had the lowest AQS scores. Moreover, secure mothers' children were likely to interact positively with their mothers as well as with strangers, and their emotion regulation was positively organized. In contrast, the children of unresolved mothers acted negatively with their mothers and with strangers, and their behavior was disorganized. Children of dismissing and preoccupied mothers did not show marked differences. The present study is the first non-Western sample documenting empirically the association between the AAI and the AQS. Future research should ascertain the validity of the AAI and the AQS with Japanese samples, and should examine the role of familial/social influences on the development of attachment.