INFORMATION TO USERS This manuscript has been reproduced from the microfilm master. UMI films the text directly from the original or copy submitted. Thus, some thesis and dissertation copies are in typewriter face, while others may be from any type of computer printer. The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. Broken or indistinct print, colored or poor quality illustrations and photographs, print bleedthrough, substandard margins, and improper alignment can adversely affect reproduction. In the unlikely event that the author did not send UMI a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if unauthorized copyright material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. Oversize materials (e.g., maps, drawings, charts) are reproduced by sectioning the original, beginning at the upper left-hand corner and continuing from left to right in equal sections with small overlaps. Each original is also photographed in one exposure and is included in reduced form at the back of the book. Photographs included in the original manuscript have been reproduced xerographically in this copy. Higher quality 6" x 9" black and white photographic prints are available for any photographs or illustrations appearing in this copy for an additional charge. Contact UMI directly to order. University Microfilms International A Bell & Howell Information Company 300 North Zeeb Road. Ann Arbor. Ml 48106-1346 USA 313/761-4700 800/521-0600 Order Number 9316189 Adult attachment representations and maternal separation anxiety in mothers of firstborn infants Lutz, Wilma Jean Vargo, Ph.D. The Ohio State University, 1993 UMI 300 N. ZeebRd. Ann Arbor, MI 48106 ADULT ATTACHMENT REPRESENTATIONS AND MATERNAL SEPARATION ANXIETY IN MOTHERS OF FIRSTBORN INFANTS DISSERTATION Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate School of The Ohio State University By Wilma Jean Vargo Lutz, B. S. N., M. S. The Ohio State University 1993 Dissertation Committee: Approved Ellen Hock Kimberlee Whaley Adviser Human Ecology Andrew Schwebel Department of Family Relations and Human Development ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The author first acknowledges and expresses her gratitude to the women who participated in this study. Their openness in relating information about early family experiences and sharing feelings about becoming and being a mother for the first time provided the foundation necessary and important to the successful completion of this project. Next, the author expresses sincere appreciation to her adviser and mentor, Ellen Hock. Her enduring belief in the author instilled confidence and provided a "secure base" in order to proceed during the most difficult moments of the doctoral program and to successfully complete this study. Her guidance and support throughout the development, implementation, and final completion of this dissertation were invaluable. Special thanks are given to members of the author's dissertation committee, Kim Whaley and Andrew Schwebel, for their helpful suggestions and assistance with the study. Special recognition and thanks are also given to Carol George for her assistance in learning to administer The Adult Attachment Interview, to Mary Main and Erik Hesse for their assistance in learning to use The Adult Attachment Rating and Classification Systems, and to R. Rogers Kobak and Holland Cole Detke for their assistance in learning to use the Adult Attachment Interview Q.-set. The author extends a sincere thank you to Mary Beth Schirtzinger who helped administer some of the attachment interviews and provided interrater reliability for an newly designed interview used in this study. The writer also expresses her appreciation to all of the people who assisted with transcription of the attachment interviews, and is especially indebted to Redonda Engle and Jane Chapman for their persistence and continuing concern with the accuracy of the transcripts. Special appreciation is also extended to Ed Wojniak who provided the second Qrsort ratings for the attachment interviews. The author extends a very special thank you to her father, Mr. William Vargo, to Aaron, Holly, Erica, Christin and Alison Vargo, and to Mrs. Jane Lutz for their love and encouragement throughout her doctoral program. Very special thanks are also given to Benjamin, Zachary, and Oscar for their love, their unique approach to data analysis, and their vitality and tenacity for play. Finally, the author extends deepest appreciation to her husband, Phil, for his continuous proof-reading efforts, numerous trips to the computer center, and assistance in checking over 23,000 pieces of coded data. His love and support made this all possible. iii VITA 1970 ................................................................... B. S. N.f The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio 1970-1971 ........................................................ Staff nurse, University Hospitals Columbus, Ohio 1972 ................................................................... M. S., The Ohio State University Columbus, Ohio 1973 .....................................................................Instructor of Nursing, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio 1973-1974 .......................................................... Nursing Coordinator, Nisonger Center for Developmental Disabilities, Columbus, Ohio 1974-1975 ...........................................................Nursing Consultant, Willson Children's Center, Columbus, Ohio 1976-1977 .......................................................... Instructor of Nursing, Capital University, Columbus, Ohio 1977-1980 .......................................................... Assistant Professor of Nursing, Capital University, Columbus, Ohio 1980-1989 ...........................................................Associate Professor of Nursing Capital University, Columbus, Ohio (Tenured in 1982) 1989-1991 .......................................................... Professor of Nursing, Capital University, Columbus, Ohio 1980-1983 ...........................................................Family Nurse Practitioner, Community Health & Nursing Service, Columbus, Ohio iv 1981, 1986, 1991 ................................................ Certification as a Family Nurse Practitioner awarded by the American Nurses' Association 1987-present...................................................... Research associate, Department of Family Relations & Human Development, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio PUBLICATIONS Lutz, W. J. (1978). Community mental health and retardation. In J. Curry and K. Peppe (Eds.), Mental retardation: Nursing approaches to care. St. Louis: Mosby. Chickerella, B. and Lutz, W. J. (1981). "Professional nurturance: Preceptorships for baccalaureate nursing students," The American loumal of Nursing .81(1). 107-109. (Article was reprinted in Nursing in transition ed. by T. A. Duespohl, Rockville, MD: Aspen Systems Corporation, 1983) Lutz, W. J. (1986). "Helping children and their families cope with painful procedures," loumal of Pediatric Nursing. 1(1), 24-32. Lutz, W. (1987). Assessment of the child's health status. In J. Servonsky and S. Opas (Eds.), Nursing Management of Children (pp. 66-109). Monterey, CA: Jones-Bartlett. Hock, E., Schirtzinger, M. B. & Lutz, W. (1992). Dimensions of family relationships associated with depression in mothers of young children. Psychology of Women Quarterly. 16. 229-241. FIELDS OF STUDY Major Field: Human Ecology Family Relations and Human Development Ellen Hock, Ph. D. (Adviser) Minor Field: Counseling Psychology Samuel Osipow, Ph. D. (Adviser) v TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGMENTS.............................................................................................. ii VITA.......................................................................................................................... iv LIST OF TABLES..........................................................................................................viii CHAPTER PAGE I. INTRODUCTION AND NATURE OF THE PROBLEM.................................... 1 II. THEORETICAL FOUNDATIONS OF THE STUDY.......................................... 7 Attachment theory .............................................................................. 7 Maternal separation anxiety .............................................................. 15 III. REVIEW OF THE RESEARCH LITERATURE.................................................. 19 Adult attachment .................................................................................. 19 Maternal separation anxiety .............................................................. 39 Mothers' perceptions of their infants ............................................... 43 Sum m ary ................................................................................................ 45 Research questions .............................................................................. 47 IV. METHODOLOGY........................................................................................... 50 Design .................................................................................................... 50 Sample selection .................................................................................. 50 Procedures ............................................................................................ 51 Measures ...............................................................................................