Study of the influence of infant-mother attachment on the development of cognition and behavior in toddler age

Objective To explore the influence of infant-mother attachment on the development of cognition and behavior in toddler age.Methods The subjects included 118toddlers,whose infant-mother attachment were already assessed with Ainsworth's Strange Situation Strategy.The 118toddlers were assessed for their cognition development with Bayley Scales of Infant Development-II,as well as their behavior problems with Achenbach's Child Behavior Checklist.Results In toddler age,the mean mental development index(MDI)was 102.9±12.6for the securely attached infants,while it was 97.5 ±14.8for the insecurely attached infants.This difference was statistically significant(t=3.322,P0.05);9.0% of the securely attached infants was detected to have behavior problems,while 22.5%of the insecurely attached infants was detected to have behavior problems.This difference was also statistically significant(χ2=4.127,P0.05).Conclusion Secure infant-mother attachment is related to better cognitive development and less behavior problems in toddler age.