Abstract

VERISSIMO, Manuela; ALVES, Sara; MONTEIRO, Lígia  and  OLIVEIRA, Carla. Maternal separation anxiety and the quality of preschooler's psychosocial adaptation. Psic., Saúde & Doenças [online]. 2003, vol.4, n.2, pp.221-229. ISSN 1645-0086.

Several studies seem to indicate maternal separation anxiety as an important factor that influences the child psychosocial adaptation and consequently child social development. The purpose of the present study is to understand and analyse the relationship between the maternal separation anxiety and the quality of preschooler's psychosocial adaptation. This study included 168 children with ages between 3 and 4 years old. The Maternal Separation Anxiety Scale was administered to their mothers, allowing to identify the maternal feelings and attitudes concerning separation. Teachers filled out the Preschoolers Psychosocial Adaptation questionnaire in order to obtain information related to children psychosocial adaptation. The results indicated that maternal separation anxiety influences the quality of child psychosocial adaptation. Mothers with high maternal separation anxiety have children that used behaviors that reveled a low social competence. With this study we hope have contributed to a better understanding of the relationship between maternal separation anxiety and child psychosocial adaptation and also alert to the importance of the implantation of more effective and early preventive strategies.

Keywords : Maternal separation anxiety; Psychosocial adaptation.

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