Early maternal attachment behaviors of adolescent and adult mothers.

This comparison of observed attachment behaviors of 184 medically indigent, low-risk, inner-city adolescent and adult mothers addresses three critical questions unanswered by current research regarding the maternal attachments behaviors of adolescents. The 69 mothers aged 14 to 17 and the 36 mothers aged 18 to 19 exhibited significantly fewer maternal attachment behaviors during in-hospital infant feedings than a control group of 79 mothers aged 20 to 24. Verbal reports of adolescent and adult mothers were not reliable indicators of actual attachment behaviors. Two-way analyses of variance, statistically controlling for other background factors and amount of infant contact, did not diminish the impact of maternal age. However, rooming-in and educational levels appropriate for age both had additional independent impacts on maternal attachment scores.