ABSTRACT

This study examines child-teacher dependency in preschool as a pathway through which mother-child attachment is associated with children’s behavior problems across middle childhood. Data include direct assessments of attachment security and styles, teacher reports of child-teacher dependency, and maternal reports of behavior problems from the NICHD SECCYD (N = 769 children). Children with more secure attachments at 24 months were less likely to exhibit child-teacher dependency at 54 months. Children with ambivalent, controlling, or insecure/other attachments at 36 months had higher levels of child-teacher dependency at 54 months. Results from multi-level models showed that child-teacher dependency at 54 months was associated with higher levels of internalizing, but not externalizing, behavior problems across middle childhood. Child-teacher dependency partially mediated the association between insecure/other mother-child attachment and internalizing behaviors in middle childhood. Supporting preschool teachers to reduce child-teacher dependency may help ameliorate risk for internalizing behaviors posed by insecure/other attachment.

摘要

本研究将学龄前儿童与教师的依赖关系作为母子依恋与儿童中期行为问题相关联的途径。数据包括对依恋安全和风格的直接评估、教师对儿童教师依赖性的报告以及来自 NICHD SECCYD 的母亲对行为问题的报告（N = 769 名儿童）。在 24 个月时具有更安全依恋的儿童在 54 个月时不太可能表现出对教师的依赖。36 个月时具有矛盾、控制或不安全/其他依恋的儿童在 54 个月时对儿童教师的依赖程度较高。多层次模型的结果表明，54 个月时的儿童对教师的依赖与儿童中期更高水平的内化而非外化行为问题相关。儿童教师依赖部分介导了不安全/其他母子依恋与儿童中期内化行为之间的关联。支持学前教师减少儿童对教师的依赖可能有助于降低因不安全/其他依恋造成的内化行为的风险。