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Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin
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Labor, Delivery, and Early Parenthood

An Attachment Theory Perspective

Carol L. Wilson

Franklin & Marshall College, Lancaster, Pennsylvania, carol.wilson{at}fandm.edu

W. Steven Rholes

Texas A&M University, College Station

Jeffry A. Simpson

University of Minnesota, Twin Cities Campus

Sisi Tran

University of Minnesota, Twin Cities Campus

Having a baby is a powerful experience that, according to attachment theory, should activate the attachment system and elicit attachment needs and motives. The current study investigated first-time parents' perceptions of and responses to events surrounding labor and delivery and early parenthood. Couples expecting their first child completed measures of attachment orientations and questionnaires assessing key aspects of the experience of labor, delivery, and early parenthood. Attachment anxiety and avoidance significantly predicted individuals' perceptions of themselves and their partners, reactions to their partners' behavior, and emotional responses to their infants. Jealousy of the infant, perceptions of support given to or received from partners, and feelings of closeness to the infant were all associated with attachment orientations in theoretically meaningful ways.

Key Words: attachment orientations • working models; parenthood • marriage • jealousy

Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, Vol. 33, No. 4, 505-518 (2007)
DOI: 10.1177/0146167206296952
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