Investigation of the relations between preschoolers attachment representations with maternal sensitivity, mind-mindedness and children's temperament

This study has two purposes. The first purpose is, testing the model in which maternal sensitivity mediates the link between maternal mind-mindedness and attachment representations of preschool children. The other purpose of this study is testing the model in which temperament moderates the link between maternal sensitivity and attachment representations of preschool children. Participants of this study are 35 children, ages between 4-6 and their mothers. For obtaining the data, home-observations were made and Maternal Behaviour Q-sort was used to asses the maternal sensitivity. Additionaly Toy Story Competition Task (TSCT), The Short Temperament Scale for Children (STSC) and Maternal Mind-mindedness Interviev were used to asses children's secure attachment representations, temperament and mother's mind-minedness. The result of the study revealed that there is a strong relation between maternal sensitivity and attachment security. Maternal sensitivity significantly predicted attachment representations of preschool children. Similarly, a strong negative relationship found between maternal sensitivity and attachment anxiety. The mediation model of the research was non-significant, with this result the prediction power of mind-minedness and maternal sensitivity over attachment security couldn't be tested. However, the results of the study supported the moderator model of temperamen and showed that reactivity significantly moderates the relation between maternal sensitivity and attachment representations of preschool children. These results are going to be considered at the discussion part.