The study evaluated the effect of motherhood in adolescence on emotional availability in mother-infant interaction, considering maternal attachment Internal Working Models. Participants were 50 adolescent mother-infant dyads (maternal age range = 15-21 years olds) and 50 adult mother-infant dyads (maternal age range = 25-40 years olds). At infant 3 months, mother-infant interaction was video-recorded and coded with the Emotional Availability Scales and the Adult Attachment Interview was administered to the mothers. Analysis showed that adolescent mothers were less sensitive, more intrusive and hostile and less adequate in scaffolding their infant’s orientation towards objects than adult mothers; infants of adolescent mothers were less involved and responsive towards their mothers than infants of adult mothers. No interaction effect between maternal age and maternal attachment on maternal and infant emotional availability was found. The results suggest that early motherhood is an important risk factor for the quality of the emotional availability of mother and infant at three months, showing with respect to other studies that the poor involvement and the low responsiveness of the infant is also correlated to young maternal age in that period.

Lo studio ha valutato l'effetto della maternità in adolescenza sulla disponibilità emotiva nelle interazioni madre-bambino, considerando la qualità dei Modelli Operativi Interni di attaccamento della madre. Hanno preso parte alla ricerca 50 diadi con madri adolescenti-bambino (et. della madre = 15-21 anni) e 50 diadi con madri adulte-bambino (et. della madre = 25-40 anni). A 3 mesi di vita del bambino, le interazioni diadiche sono state videoregistrate e codificate con l'Emotional Availability Scales e l'Adult Attachment Interview . stata somministrata alle madri. Le analisi hanno mostrato che le madri adolescenti erano meno sensibili, pi. intrusive e ostili e avevano una minore capacità di strutturazione dell'attività di gioco del bambino rispetto alle madri adulte. I bambini di madri adolescenti erano meno coinvolti e responsivi nelle interazioni con le loro madri rispetto ai bambini di madri adulte. Non . stato trovato un effetto di interazione tra l'et. e l'attaccamento materno rispetto alla disponibilità emotiva di madre e bambino. I risultati indicano che la maternità in età precoce è un importante fattore di rischio per la qualità della disponibilità emotiva di madre e bambino a 3 mesi, evidenziando rispetto ad altri studi come anche lo scarso coinvolgimento e la bassa responsività del bambino appaiono correlate precocemente alla giovane età materna.

Ierardi, E., Gazzotti, S., Albizzati, A., Riva Crugnola, C. (2018). Emotional availability and maternal attachment in adolescent and adult mother-infant dyads at three months. PSICOLOGIA CLINICA DELLO SVILUPPO, 22(1), 93-113 [10.1449/89587].

Emotional availability and maternal attachment in adolescent and adult mother-infant dyads at three months

Ierardi, E
;
Gazzotti, S;Albizzati, A;Riva Crugnola, C
2018

Abstract

The study evaluated the effect of motherhood in adolescence on emotional availability in mother-infant interaction, considering maternal attachment Internal Working Models. Participants were 50 adolescent mother-infant dyads (maternal age range = 15-21 years olds) and 50 adult mother-infant dyads (maternal age range = 25-40 years olds). At infant 3 months, mother-infant interaction was video-recorded and coded with the Emotional Availability Scales and the Adult Attachment Interview was administered to the mothers. Analysis showed that adolescent mothers were less sensitive, more intrusive and hostile and less adequate in scaffolding their infant’s orientation towards objects than adult mothers; infants of adolescent mothers were less involved and responsive towards their mothers than infants of adult mothers. No interaction effect between maternal age and maternal attachment on maternal and infant emotional availability was found. The results suggest that early motherhood is an important risk factor for the quality of the emotional availability of mother and infant at three months, showing with respect to other studies that the poor involvement and the low responsiveness of the infant is also correlated to young maternal age in that period.
Articolo in rivista - Articolo scientifico
Adolescent mother; Early motherhood; Emotional availability; Maternal attachment; Mother-infant interaction;
Adolescent mother; Early motherhood; Emotional availability; Maternal attachment; Mother-infant interaction; Developmental and Educational Psychology; Clinical Psychology
Italian
2018
22
1
93
113
none
Ierardi, E., Gazzotti, S., Albizzati, A., Riva Crugnola, C. (2018). Emotional availability and maternal attachment in adolescent and adult mother-infant dyads at three months. PSICOLOGIA CLINICA DELLO SVILUPPO, 22(1), 93-113 [10.1449/89587].
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/10281/198906
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