Annenin partneriyle olan bağlanma boyutunun, ebeveynlik stresinin ve duygusal ulaşılabilirliğinin çocuğun bağlanma güvenliği üzerindeki rolünün incelenmesi

The present study aims to investigate the associations between the mother's attachment with partner, parenting stress, parenting behaviours on the emotional availability, and the toddler's attachment security in low SES in Turkish sample. This study also examines the mediator role of mother's parenting stress in the relationship between the mother's attachment with partner and toddler's attachment security. Sixty-three mothers and their children between the ages of 12 to 35 months participated from the underdeveloped regions of İstanbul, representing a low SES group. The participants were visited at their home and the 2-hour mother-child dyads were video-recorded. In the last hour of the home visit, mothers filled a pack of questionnaires including a demographic form, Parenting Stress Index-Short Form (PSI-SF) and Experiences in Close Relationships-Revised (ECR-R). The toddler's attachment security in 2-hour video-recorded home visit was coded by two independent trained coders using Attachment Q-Sort (AQS), and mother's parenting behaviours in 10-min free play sessions were coded using Emotional Availability Scales (EAS). The results demonstrated that the mother's attachment avoidance with a partner and parenting stress were negatively associated to the toddler's attachment security, while the mother's sensitive and structuring behaviours were positively related to the toddler's attachment security. However, the mother's attachment anxiety with partner, mother's non-intrusiveness and non-hostility behaviours did not significantly associate with the toddler's attachment security. Contrary to my expectations, the mother's parenting stress did not significantly mediate the association between mother's attachment avoidance and toddler's attachment security. The current study expanded existing literature on low SES mothers of toddlers by showing the important role parenting stress in comparison to mothers' partner attachment. Furthermore, to my knowledge, this is the first study focusing on EAS in Turkish culture and in a disadvantaged sample. Based on findings of the present study, person tailored early interventions could be developed in regard to relevant maternal factors for toddler's attachment security. Keywords: Low SES, mother's attachment with partner, parenting stress, emotional availability, attachment security, toddlerhood