It is widely accepted that culture is a contextual factor that can affect mother–infant attachment. Cultural beliefs are translated into child-rearing patterns that influence maternal responsiveness to infant attachment behaviours and could thus affect sensitive caregiving that lies at the heart of secure attachment. This article reports on the findings of a study that explored the influence of culture on maternal caregiving behaviours in the multi-cultural South African context. Data were collected by means of semi-structured interviews conducted with participants from three study samples to ascertain their perceptions of socio-cultural influences on attachment. Two samples consisted of mothers and mental health professionals, respectively, who represented different South African cultures (Xhosa, Sotho, Zulu, Coloured, Indian and White). The third sample consisted of experts in the field of attachment. The research findings indicate that culture could influence maternal caregiving behaviours. Although all the participants valued good caregiving, some maternal responses to infant attachment behaviours varied among participants from different cultures. The research emphasises the importance of considering local contexts in understanding attachment and maternal sensitivity.

中文翻译：

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文化对母亲依恋行为的影响：南非案例研究

人们普遍认为，文化是影响母婴依恋的背景因素。文化信仰被转化为育儿模式，影响母亲对婴儿依恋行为的反应，从而影响作为安全依恋核心的敏感照顾。本文报道了一项研究的结果，该研究探讨了在多元文化的南非背景下文化对母亲照顾行为的影响。通过对来自三个研究样本的参与者进行的半结构化访谈收集数据，以确定他们对社会文化对依恋影响的看法。两个样本分别由代表不同南非文化（科萨、索托、祖鲁、彩色、印度和白人）的母亲和心理健康专业人员组成。第三个样本由依恋领域的专家组成。研究结果表明，文化可能会影响产妇的照顾行为。尽管所有参与者都重视良好的照顾，但来自不同文化背景的参与者对婴儿依恋行为的一些母亲反应各不相同。该研究强调了在理解依恋和母性敏感性方面考虑当地环境的重要性。