STABILITY AND TRANSMISSION OF ATTACHMENT ACROSS 3 GENERATIONS

Stability of adult attachment and transmission of attachment across 3 generations were examined in a longitudinal study of 96 infants, mothe rs, and maternal grandmothers. The Adult Attachment Interview (AAI) wa s used to assess attachment in mothers (during pregnancy and when infa nts were 11 months old) and grandmothers (any time during the study). The Strange Situation (SS) was used to assess attachment in infants at 12 months. Both the 3- and 4-category classification systems of the A AI and SS were used. Mothers' AAI classifications were stable over 12 months in 90% (3-category) and 77% (4-category) of mothers. Mothers' A AI classifications during pregnancy predicted infants' SS classificati ons in 81% (3-category) and 68% (4-category) of cases, and grandmother s' AAI classifications in 75% (3-category) and 49% (4-category) of cas es. Using log-linear analysis, we show that a simple parent-to-child m odel accounts for transmission of attachment.