INFLUENCE OF MATERNAL ATTACHMENT AND THE CAPACITY FOR EMPATHY ON PERCEPTION OF SOCIAL SUPPORT AMONG PREGNANT MINORITY WOMEN.
Contributors: Adelphi University.
Published: 1989
Number of pages: 294
Subjects: Health Sciences, Nursing.; Psychology, Developmental.; Psychology, Personality.
Description: Based upon theories of attachment and the role of empathy for development of a woman's sense of self (Bowlby, 1958; Jordan, 1983), a lifespan model was tested wherein social support was conceptualized as a developmental and interactive process. A woman's attachment with her mother was postulated to foster her capacity for empathy which then influences perception of support.

The model predicted that maternal care (MC) would positively affect the empathic concern (EC) and perspective taking (PT) components of empathy. Empathic concern was defined as an affective capacity to symmetrically feel with others, while perspective taking reflects a cognitive ability to differentiate the self. Personal distress (PD), a third empathy dimension, reflects the affective experience of anxiety in response to the distress of others. It was hypothesized that this empathy component would be augmented by maternal overprotection (OP). It was also predicted that EC and PT would positively affect social support availability (SSA) and satisfaction (SSS) whereas PD would have a negative effect. The Parental Bonding Instrument (Parker, Tupling and Brown, 1979), Interpersonal Reactivity Index (Davis, 1980), and Social Support Questionnaire; Brief Measure (Sarason, Sarason, Shearin & Pearce, 1987) were used to test the variables. Path analysis determined whether the model was consistent with data obtained from a sample of 164 pregnant black and Hispanic women.

Most of the hypothesized paths were supported. The major finding was that perspective taking linked maternal attachment to perception of social support. Availability of support enhanced satisfaction with support while maternal overprotection strongly augmented personal distress. The theoretical relationships between attachment, empathic concern and social support variables were not substantiated. This negative finding was explained by an analysis demonstrating that the EC subscale may not have been a valid measure of this affective component of empathy.

Women experiencing discontinuity in childhood caretaking rated their mothers as less caring and more overprotective than women who did not. Those women who perceived crisis during pregnancy rated their mothers similarly and also perceived less social support. It was suggested that such women may employ crisis as a means for obtaining needed support. The results underscore the importance of assessing childhood experiences and individual characteristics of a pregnant woman's sense of self in understanding her perception of support. The model provides a framework for studying how social support operates and for planning clinical interventions.
Notes: Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 51-02, Section: B, page: 0665.

Thesis (PH.D.)--ADELPHI UNIVERSITY, 1989.

School code: 0001.