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Maternal attachment to handicapped infants and the relationship to social support
Author(s) -
Capuzzi Cecelia
Publication year - 1989
Publication title -
research in nursing and health
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.836
H-Index - 85
eISSN - 1098-240X
pISSN - 0160-6891
DOI - 10.1002/nur.4770120306
Subject(s) - social support , developmental psychology , psychology , longitudinal study , attachment theory , infant development , longitudinal data , clinical psychology , medicine , demography , social psychology , pathology , sociology
Abstract The parent–infant attachment of 36 mothers with and without a handicapped infant was compared. A prospective, longitudinal design was employed with data collection at 1, 6, and 12 months postpartum. There were significant differences in attachment at 1 month, with mothers of handicapped infants exhibiting fewer attachment behaviors; there were no differences at 6 or 12 months. When the effects of the mother's prenatal social support were partialed out, there were no longer significant differences between the two groups, suggesting that social support buffers the effects of having a handicapped infant on attachment.