Relationships between Maternal Attachment Style, Marital Conflict, Caring Behavior and Child Behavior Problems

어머니 애착유형과 결혼갈등, 자녀양육행동 및 아동행동문제와의 관계

This study examined how the attachment styles of married mothers influence their marital conflicts and caring behavior and the behavior problems of their children. Subjects were 60 mothers and their 60 elementary school children. Data were analyzed with correlation, multiple analysis of variance and path analysis. Mothers with unstable attachment styles had more children with behavior problems and they had more serious marital conflicts. Mother's with preoccupied attachment styles experienced more marital conflict than all other styles. Seriousness of marital conflict was related to negative caring behavior and negative caring behavior was related to behavior problems in children. There were direct paths between the attachment style of mothers and both externalized and internalized behavior problems of children in the clinical group.