Leiden University Student Repository

Geest, Isabella van der (2023)

De relatie tussen prenatale gehechtheid en risicostatus van de moeder en agressie bij een kind van 20 maanden

Master thesis | Education and Child Studies (MSc)

Background: previous research showed the relationship between the risk status of the mother and child aggression. Attachment has also been related to child aggression and this includes prenatal attachment. If prenatal attachment moderates the relationship between risk status and child aggression, an intervention could be implemented to improve the prenatal attachment in order to prevent or reduce aggression by the child. Research question: Does prenatal attachment moderate the relationship between the risk status of the mother and the aggression of 20-month-old children? Methods: Maternal risk status and prenatal attachment were assessed during pregnancy and aggression was assessed when the children were 20 months old. The mothers were divided into two groups, one group consisted of high risk mothers and the other of low risk mothers (based on criteria by the World Health Organization and a weighted count of the number of risk factors). The mothers completed the Maternal Antenatal...Show moreBackground: previous research showed the relationship between the risk status of the mother and child aggression. Attachment has also been related to child aggression and this includes prenatal attachment. If prenatal attachment moderates the relationship between risk status and child aggression, an intervention could be implemented to improve the prenatal attachment in order to prevent or reduce aggression by the child. Research question: Does prenatal attachment moderate the relationship between the risk status of the mother and the aggression of 20-month-old children? Methods: Maternal risk status and prenatal attachment were assessed during pregnancy and aggression was assessed when the children were 20 months old. The mothers were divided into two groups, one group consisted of high risk mothers and the other of low risk mothers (based on criteria by the World Health Organization and a weighted count of the number of risk factors). The mothers completed the Maternal Antenatal Attachment Scale (MAAS) during the first assessment (pregnancy) and the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) during the 4th assessment when the children were approximately 20 months old. Analyses of variance were used to examine whether prenatal attachment moderated the association between risk status and child aggression. Results: The risk status of the mother predicted the aggression of the 20-month-old child. There also was a significant relationship between prenatal attachment and risk status. There were no significant relations between prenatal attachment and aggression. Lastly, prenatal attachment did not moderate the relation between the risk status of the mother and the aggression of the child. Conclusion: The results of this study confirm the relation between the risk status of the mother and the aggression of the 20-month-old child. An intervention could be introduced when a mother is categorized as high risk. Further research is needed to see which factors could moderate the relationship between the risk status of the mother and the aggression of the child.Show less

Author

Geest, Isabella van der

Faculty

Faculty of Social & Behavioural Sciences

Specialisation

orthopedagogiek

Supervisors

Huijbregts, S.C.J.

ECTS Credits

20

Language

nl