Abstract (eng)
This study investigated whether the child´s attachment history has an effect on the extent of physical contact between child and caregiver, on the controlling behavior by the caregiver and the positive exchange between child and its caregiver. Furthermore, according to the attachment history, potential effects of the child´s sex and age as well as the caregiver-child-ratio to those behavioral variables should be revealed. For the calculation of physical contact in phase 1 data from 72 children were used. To analyze the controlling behavior (phase 3) and the positive exchange (phase 3), data were drawn from 71 children. Results showed, that attachment history did not distinguish between the children, neither on the extent of physical contact nor on the frequency of the controlling behavior by the caregiver or the positive exchange with the caregiver. However, significant interactions between attachment history and child´s sex were found for caregiver´s controlling behavior and positive exchange. Less securely attached boys, compared to less securely attached girls, more frequently experienced controlling behavior by the caregiver and positive exchange with the caregiver. Additionally, trends of interactions between the attachment history and the other variables were found.
Results indicate, that boys with a less secure attachment history are, in general, more often involved in interactions with their caregiver. Therefore, caregivers should try to initiate more interactions, especially more positive exchange, with less securely attached girls.