How Do Secure Mother-Child Attachments Predict Good Friendships?
Published: Feb. 17, 2009 Source: Nancy McElwain, (217) 244-7168, mcelwn@illinois.eduURBANA – Preschool children who are securely attached to their mothers form closer friendships in the early grade-school years for a number of reasons, according to a new University of Illinois study published in Child Development. “In a secure, emotionally open mother-child relationship, children develop a more positive, less biased understanding of others, which then promotes more positive friendships during the early school years,” said Nancy McElwain, a U of I assistant professor of human and community development and lead author of the study. Scientists have known about the link between attachment and friendship quality, but they haven’t understood the reasons it exists, she added. The study included 1,071 children from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development. Researchers assessed mother-child attachment at age three. They also as
