Changes in children’s attachment security to mother and father after the birth of a sibling: Risk and resilience in the family

Abstract

Changes in children’s attachment security to mother and father were examined for 230 firstborn children (M = 31.17 months), their mothers and fathers participating in a longitudinal investigation starting in the last trimester of the mothers’ pregnancy and 1, 4, 8, and 12 months after the birth of an infant sibling. Both parents completed the Attachment Q-set at prenatal, 4, and 12 months. Growth mixture models revealed four latent classes in which children’s attachments were (a) both secure with a modest decline to both parents (68.3%); (b) more secure with father than mother with a steep decline for both (12.6%); (c) both insecure with no change (10%); and (d) more secure with mother than father with a modest increase for both (9.1%). Multi-group latent growth curve analyses revealed that parenting and coparenting differed across families. Children had lower externalizing behavior problems in families with two secure attachments than in families with one secure attachment, either to mother or to father, who, in turn, had fewer problems than children with two insecure attachments. Findings underscore the strengths of a family systems framework to understand attachment relationships with multiple caregivers and the family risks and protective factors that covary with children’s behavioral adjustment after the birth of a sibling.

Maternal and paternal sensitivity: Key determinants of child attachment security examined through meta-analysis.

“…Thus, some caregivers and children may show increases or decreases in sensitivity and attachment security over time. Caregiver sensitivity and attachment security may decrease due to caregiver’s experiencing acute circumstances (e.g., hospitalization), life events (e.g., onset of mental distress and child maltreatment), and/or changes in family circumstances (e.g., new sibling; parental divorce; Barnes & Theule, 2019; Cyr et al, 2010; Moss et al, 2005; Vaughn et al, 1979; Volling et al, 2023). Nonetheless, the weakening of effect size over time could also be due to positive change, where caregiver sensitivity improves over time, possibly due to the caregiver’s mental health improving and/or family stress decreasing.…”

Will I love my second baby as much as my first? Prevalence and psychosocial correlates of maternal‐fetal relationship anxiety for second‐time mothers

“…One of the benefits of a longitudinal study with multiple time points is that we could also consider how long MFRA predicted mothers’ sentiments about bonding with their infants in the months following the birth. We know from prior reports emanating from this research program that the first month after the birth of a second child sees increases in maternal stress, more externalizing behavior problems for firstborns, and a decrease in mothers’ efficacy at disciplining their first child (Volling et al., 2017; 2019; 2021). But, by 4 months, most parents and children have adapted to the transition and have settled into new routines as a family of four.…”

Mother of One to Mother of Two: A Textual Analysis of Second-Time Mothers’ Posts on the BabyCenter LLC Website

“…Recent research suggests that most children experience a minor period of adjustment in the first months after birth but adapt shortly thereafter ( Volling et al, 2017 ). Parents (both mothers and fathers) are able to maintain strong coparenting relationships after the birth of a second baby ( Kuo et al, 2017 ) and in some instances, the mother-child and father-child relationships actually improve after the birth of the second baby ( Volling et al, 2021 ). On-line communities may present an efficient avenue for providing mothers and fathers with factual information to help ease any anxieties about the transition to second-time parenthood and offer parents the support necessary to become a family of four.…”