Maternal State of Mind: How Does It Impact the Ability to Flexibly Adjust to Siblings\u27 Needs?

PURPOSE: To investigate the impact of maternal state of mind on the ability to adapt interactive behavior and perceptions of attachment behaviour across siblings. RESULTS: Maternal sensitivity and perceptions of siblings’ attachment behavior were highly correlated across children of non-Autonomous mothers, but not Autonomous mothers. Non- Autonomous mothers behaved similarly on eight domains of interactive behaviour, while Autonomous mothers behaved similarly on only two. CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that maternal state of mind is implicated in the ability to flexibly adapt interactive style and relationship-specific attachment perceptions across siblings