Page 4 - The First 60 Days Magazine

From:
Science Says... Science Daily

January 23, 2018

Parental sensitivity strong predictor

of healthy infant-parent attachment

From an evolutionary perspective, babies attach to their
parents for survival. A baby who is securely attached,
experiences her parent as a safe haven and secure base.
When a baby experiences stress, pain or other negative
emotions, she will seek the support of a parent and will
allow herself to be soothed. Moreover, a baby who is
securely attached will feel free to observe and explore an
environment in the vicinity of a parent. 'There are strong
differences in the quality of attachment between children,
and these differences have in turn shown to be extremely
important for understanding differences in the
development and mental health of people', says Moniek
Zeegers, a PhD researcher at the UvA's department of Child
Development and Education. 'Children who feel securely
attached are, among other things, better at regulating their
emotions, have higher self-esteem and exhibit less
emotional and behavioural problems."
The researchers used a meta-analysis to test whether a link
exists between parents' tendency to read the thoughts and
feelings of their baby and secure infant-parent attachment.
The researchers also examined whether there is a On the basis of the meta-analysis, the researchers
connection between parents' tendency to read the feelings
of their baby and sensitive parenting behaviour. conclude that parents who frequently and adequately
mentalize are better placed to appropriately react to a
baby's behaviour, which in turn predicts a higher
There are various reasons for misinterpreting a baby's
signals, such as a general difficulty in accepting that a baby chance for secure attachment. A parent's ability to be
has negative feelings, parental stress, or overestimating a attuned to the baby's mind thus proves to be a strong
baby's skills. Moreover, the ability to mentalize also reveals predictor for a positive start to a child's development.
the extent to which a parent is attached to his or her own
parent. A parent who is insecurely attached has an
increased risk of having difficulties with reading other Story Source:
people's minds 1. Moniek A. J. Zeegers, Cristina Colonnesi, Geert-Jan J. M. Stams, Elizabeth
Meins. Mind matters: A meta-analysis on parental mentalization and
sensitivity as predictors of infant–parent attachment.. Psychological Bulletin,
2017; 143 (12): 1245 DOI: 10.1037/bul0000114
.

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