Quality of attachment as a predictor of maternal visitation to young hospitalized children

Jane R. Robinson*, Jane L. Rankin, Dennis Drotar

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalReview articlepeer-review

6 Scopus citations

Abstract

Tested a comprehensive model of factors predicting maternal visitation with hospitalized children. Subjects were 86 mothers who completed the Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, a 12-item attachment measure derived from the Waters and Deane Attachment Q-sort, and a demographic questionnaire. Children were 10 months to 4 years old (37 female, 49 male) and hospitalized for acute nonsurgical illness. Hierarchical regression analyses indicated that, of the subset of variables tested (SES, number of children at home, gender, age, number of previous hospitalizations, state anxiety, and security of attachment), quality of attachment was the only significant predictor of maternal visitation rate. Mothers who reported that their children displayed insecure attachment behaviors maintained a significantly lower rate of visitation than mothers who reported that their children displayed secure attachment behaviors. Results of this study highlight the importance of understanding parent-child attachment in predicting maternal visitation when a child is hospitalized.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)401-417
Number of pages17
JournalJournal of pediatric psychology
Volume21
Issue number3
DOIs
StatePublished - 1996

Keywords

  • attachment
  • maternal visitation rate
  • separation distress

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Developmental and Educational Psychology
  • Pediatrics, Perinatology, and Child Health

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