Maternal contributions to child competence in securely attached infants during the second year

Sixty-five white, middle-class children were studied at 12 and 18 months of age. At 18 months, 83% were classified as securely attached, 12% as avoidant, and 5% as ambivalent, using Ainsworth and Wittig's (1969) Strange Situation paradigm. Current maternal sensitivity during play, as measured by the Parent/Caregiver Involvement Scale, was related to child performance on the Bayley Scales of Infant Development independent of quality of attachment. Contemporaneous maternal sensitivity at 18 months shared more variance with a measure of change in Bayley performance from 12 to 18 months than did maternal sensitivity 6 months earlier. Maternal contributions to Bayley performance changed from 12 to 18 months. At 12 months, mothers' report of their satisfaction with their relationship with their infant (Parent Stress Index; Abidin, 1986) shared the most variance with Bayley performance. At 18 months, maternal sensitivity and an estimate of maternal IQ (WAIS-R short form) shared the most variance with Bayley performance. This shift from 12 to 18 months is discussed in terms of Bowlby's model of the mother-child relationship and children's internalization of maternal qualities. Mothers of secure infants reported higher esteem concerning their maternal role and scored higher on the WAIS-R than other mothers. Securely attached infants earned higher scores on the Bayley. The relationships found between quality of attachment, maternal esteem, maternal IQ, and child competence are explored.