Infant Attachment to Mother and Child Caretaker in an East African Community
Child rearing among the Gusii of Kenya is distinctive in that (a) infants are routinely cared for by both mothers and child caretakers, and (b) infant-mother interaction is primarily limited to activities which provide for the infant's physical needs, whereas infant-caretaker interaction is pri...
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Veröffentlicht in: | International journal of behavioral development 1986-12, Vol.9 (4), p.455-469 |
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Format: | Artikel |
Sprache: | eng |
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Zusammenfassung: | Child rearing among the Gusii of Kenya is distinctive in that (a) infants are
routinely cared for by both mothers and child caretakers, and (b) infant-mother
interaction is primarily limited to activities which provide for the infant's
physical needs, whereas infant-caretaker interaction is primarily limited to play
and social activities. In this study a separation/reunion paradigm and Ainsworth
classification procedures were used to assess security of attachment in a sample of
Gusii infants 8 to 27 months of age. The proportion of infants classified as
securely attached to mother and caretaker was 61% and 54%, respectively. Although
the establishment of a secure relationship was not affected by differences between
infant-mother and infant-caretaker activities, correlates of attachment security
were specific to each. Whereas attachment to mother was related to nutritional
status, attachment to the caretaker was related to Bayley MDI performance. These
findings suggest that the pervasive association between security of attachment and
infant functioning in American studies is a reflection of the diversity of
activities in which infants and mothers engage. |
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ISSN: | 0165-0254 1464-0651 |
DOI: | 10.1177/016502548600900404 |