Mothers' perceptions of their bonding process with their first children
Item
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Title
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Mothers' perceptions of their bonding process with their first children
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Identifier
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d_2009_2013:fc322820dc96:10491
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identifier
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10664
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Creator
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McConnaughy, Susan,
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Contributor
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Darrell P. Wheeler
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Date
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2010
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Language
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English
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Publisher
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City University of New York.
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Subject
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Social work | Individual & family studies | attachment | maternal attachment | maternal bond | parental attachment
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Abstract
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The child's attachment to the parent has been thoroughly studied over the past six decades with rich findings that have guided the child development field. However, the mother's bond to her child has received scant attention, even from attachment researchers (George & Solomon, 1999). When parents have been studied, it has been primarily to determine how they facilitate their children's attachment to them.;The current study was proposed to articulate aspects of maternal bonding that are not well-articulated in the current literature and to provide a framework for intervention in early parent-child relationships. There was a strong rationale for using qualitative research methodology because it was not possible to verify or disprove theory at this time. This is a theory-driven qualitative study which has the primary purpose of improving our understanding of how maternal bonding happens.;In this study, twelve first-time mothers were interviewed twice in individual sixty minute sessions when their children were three years old. A standardized open-ended interview guide was used to steer the mothers through questions about their bonding experiences from pregnancy to the present.;The primary limitations of the study derived from the small sample size and the homogeneity of the sample. Still some illuminating findings were made. (a) About half of the mothers reported that they bonded immediately at first contact with their babies or during pregnancy, while another half of the mothers reported that they bonded gradually over the first two years. (b) Nearly all of the mothers (n=10) experienced fear or panic at first contact with the newborn regarding taking on the responsibility of sustaining the life of the child. (c) Mothers cited different types of relatedness as leading to a bond or as evidence of the bond. (d) Most of the mothers (n=10) reported that there was a point in time in which they understood that they were "fully bonded": when they felt they were fully giving themselves to the child and would forever.;This research could make direct contributions to social work practice in parent education and counseling; clinical assessment and intervention; program design and evaluation; and child welfare policy.
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Type
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dissertation
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Source
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2009_2013.csv
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degree
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Ph.D.
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Program
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Social Welfare
