This Article Full Text (PDF) References Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Saved Citations Download to citation manager Request Permissions Request Reprints Add to My Marked Citations Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Citing Articles via Scopus Google Scholar Articles by Meredith, P. Articles by Noller, P. Search for Related Content Social Bookmarking                         What's this?

Attachment and Infant Difficultness in Postnatal Depression

University of Queensland, Australia

Patricia Noller

University of Queensland, Australia

This project investigated the relationship between attachment style and postnatal depression. In a sample of mothers with infants, those identifying themselves as depressed reported a more preoccupied attachment style by comparison with their nondepressed counterparts. Maternal attachment style was not related to perceived infant characteristics or to the reported mother-child relationship. Postnatal depression, however, was related to both perceived infant characteristics and the reported mother-child relationship. Although postnatal depression was not significantly related to marital quality, a trend did emerge between attachment style and marital quality. These findings suggest that further research is warranted to clarify the relationship between attachment style and postnatal depression.

Key Words: postnatal depression • attachment • child factors • marital relationship • mother-child relationship

Journal of Family Issues, Vol. 24, No. 5, 668-686 (2003)
DOI: 10.1177/0192513X03252783


CiteULike    Complore    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    Twitter    What's this?