Video Post: Working Moms and Attachment Theory

I believe strongly in Attachment Theory as taught by John Bowlby and Mary Ainsworth who built upon his theory by conducting what is strangely called "The Strange Situation" because young children were put in a strange situation by the mother leaving and the researchers would watch the infants reaction WHEN THE PARENT/Caregiver RETURNED. If they cried but were comforted by their caregiver's return and would go off and play, they were secure; if they cried but could not be comforted by the caregiver but instead clung to the mother and wouldn't go play, they were anxiously attached;  if they didn't cry and barely seemed to notice when their caregiver left or returned, they were avoidantly attached.   For my video post on the subject,go to
http://youtu.be/9VuBjNUHc7A

Working Mothers and Stress

It was Mary's dream to be able to stay home with her baby, but when her husband lost his job, it was decided that she should go back to teaching. She cried and cried. Her husband could not understand her prolonged stress and bouts of depression and it stressed him.

The grandmother quit her part time job to  help take care of the baby, and drive the baby to the mother during the mother's work breaks and lunch. The grandmother learned that elementary school teachers have few breaks. Teachers are expected to be available for recess duty and on cold days, indoor recess.

Was Mary's experience unusual? A study of 700 working mothers of infants found that any protective qualities of work, such as positive perceptions of health and improved physical functioning, were reduced for mothers of young children. These mothers had greater conflicts between work and family than mothers of older children (Marshall & Tracy, 2009, p. 380)

Another study showed that mothers of infants were more likely to have maternal work stress, negative work-family spillover, and depressive symptoms (Goodman & Crouter, 2009, p 245). This led to poorer outcomes for the infant. Both studies recommend public policies that help mothers to be home with their children at tender young ages because of evidence of the long term negative effects of prolonged separation of young children from their mothers. This perhaps could be because it violates the principles of attachment theory, which have been robustly confirmed with numerous studies that infants need to establish a connection with a primary caregiver.

Mothers who need to go to work should work to find solutions, including going to their teachers' or company's unions to demand breaks throughout their workday, so that they can use a breast pump and/or visits from their baby to maintain their milk supply. Such measures could help reduce the grief, stress and depression that new mothers can feel when they must go back to work.

References

Goodman, W. B. & Crouter, A. C. (2009). Longitudinal Associations between maternal work stress, 

         negative work-family spillover, and depressive symptoms. Family Relations: Interdisciplinary 

        Journal of Applied Family Studies: July 2009, volume 58, number 3.

Marshall, N. L. & Tracy, A.L. (2009). After the baby: Work-family conflict and working mothers'     

         psychological health. Family Relations: Interdisciplinary Journal of Applied Family Studies:

         October 2009, volume 58, number 4.

Stay-at-Home Dads

My friend and his wife just recently gave birth to their first child. They both have careers so I wasn’t sure who was going to take care of the baby while they were at work. Would they put the baby in daycare? leave her with a family member or neighbor during the day? or would one of them give of their career to be with her? When asked who was going to take care of the baby, my friend said he was going to quit his job and stay home with her. I was surprised and excited for him.

Not too long after talking to him I came across an interesting article on stay at home dads and the benefits that come from it.  For those who are stay at home dads, know anyone who is, or if you just want to know about the benefits, I thought you might find this information interesting too.  The article, "Stay-at-Home Dads: At-home dads can benefit children and mother" by Patrick Tucker (2005), focuses on studies performed by Robert Frank, a professor of child development at Oakton Community College in Illinois. One of the biggest benefits of stay-at-home dads is the relationship they develop with their child. They are more involved and they become a larger part of their child’s life and a bigger influence, compared to that of a father from a traditional home (one where the father is employed outside the home and the mother stays at home). Furthermore, not only do the children have a stronger relationship with their father but they are still able to have a strong relationship with their mother. Mothers are more involved with their children when they arrive home from work, which creates a strong influence and bond. In contrast, studies show fathers that work outside the home are less likely to be involved with the children when they arrive home (Tucker, 2005).  In addition, to the benefits of the relationship with the child, when a father stays at home research showed that both labor and child care were more evenly distributed. Many of the fathers cooked, dressed/feed the children, and continued with the upkeep of the house and yard, a role more commonly associated with mothers (Tucker, 2005).

It does not seem uncommon to see the traditional family roles changing, Professor Frank said it best when he stated that “A new family structure is emerging, one in which the at-home father provides a strong but caring influence, and a mother continues to play a critical role in the child’s development. She continues to exhibit nurturing ability, and in addition brings new experiences related to working outside the home. The at-home-dad family model may serve as the catalyst that moves society beyond some gender-role stereotypes and may play a role in the future of the family as an institution (Tucker, 2005).”  I find it refreshing that a father would like to stay home to take care of their children. This helps them create a great relationship and become more involved in their child’s life.

-Laura

Tucker, Patrick (2005). Stay-at-Home Dads: At-home dads can benefit children and mother. Futurist, 39 (5),  12-13.

Welcome To Our Blog

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