Observational Study Of Mother-Child Attachment

Observational Study of a Child Behavior

Observation Details

Question – Observe an infant, child or young person in an appropriate social context. You are also required to describe the interaction between the infant, child or young person’s observed behaviours and their environment ?

The current study will be highlighting the observational study that has been studied while observing a young mother and her infant baby. The main center of this observational study is to understand the attachment between mother and her first child. As per Beelmann & Schmidt-Denter (2009), attachment or affection is a relationship which is linked with the child need for safety, security and protection. Thus, the main goal will be monitoring and observing the communication between mother and child. Moreover, the social constructive perspective will be used for understanding the relationship between them. It has been found that attachment in the early phase can have profound effect in having relationship with the child later. Therefore, it can be termed as internal working model. On the other hand, Emanuel (2014) proposed that a secure base concept which is relating with the emotional place is a state where a child can access the outer world and can get back where she/he will be greeted. Therefore, the particular concept can be explained in context to mother and child under the observational study. The specific interaction between the two will be discussed along with attachment theory.

Rita a 22 years old stays with her mother, Maria who is 52 years old. On 23^rd December 2015, Rita gave birth to her child, Allyson and her father Ricky 27 year old stays separately. On the other hand, it was observed that Rita enrolled herself for Family Nurse Partnership Programme when she was only 20 weeks pregnant. FNP has been taken so that Rita can remember that she has to visit to doctors for continuous approx 2 years. On the other hand all needed support can be received for enhancing the future health of child and mother and better well-being. In order to carry my observational study in more effective way, I sought consent from Rita so that I can observe her and her child growth and behavior. On the other hand, I submitted child observation consent to Rita which mentioned that no harm will be done to them either emotionally or professionally.

During my first observation, I prepared post-natal questionnaire to understand the feelings and thoughts of Rita regarding the growth of the baby (Refer to Appendix). I found that response of Rita was overwhelming which showed a deep attachment with the small baby. She was very happy to share her experience of having first child. On the other hand, it observed that baby was healthy and naughty. The child is almost 4 weeks old and was very much attached with her mother. Moreover, the child was pampered by her granny and sometimes child feels irritated and starts crying. As per my observation, I observed that Rita was confident enough and believed her ability that she can take good care of her child. On the other hand, Rita was able to provide all the necessary requirements and needs to her infant child. Rita handled her baby with most care and made sure no problem is caused to the baby. During the observation process, desire of Allyson was well recognized by her mother, Rita. The baby does some rooting action whenever she requires feed and this need was met by Rita every time. Moreover, at the time of feeding, Rita communicated with her baby in a soft tone and rubbed the baby face in a gentle manner and relaxing way. On the other hand, Allyson gives response to her mother by gazing continuously and intensely. According to Hosdurga & Finlay (2010), the mutual stare among the infant child and mother induce feelings and points interpersonal affair. Therefore, the baby can become socially co-operative by the response given by the mother.

Observation Findings

In the next observation, I found that Allyson did not cry when her mother was trying to soothe her in order to make her sleep. Allyson was feeling relaxed and tired free in the arms of her mother. On the other hand, the baby starts crying if she is kept on the bed and she wanted to be in the arms of her mother. Therefore, her mother kept in arms till the baby is asleep. Fonagy (2004) proposes that initial attachment bonding leads to a learning affect regulation. Apart from that, it has been observed that when Allyson was held by her grandmother, she was seen crying and upset but when is held back again by her mother, she was instantly calm. Therefore, it can be pointed out that Allyson was able to identify the appearance, touch, smell and voice of her mother. Thus, it can be regarded as the evidence for secure base development Bowlby & King (2004). On the other hand, Allyson attempted to communicate with her mother by opening and closing her mouth and opening eyes. It showed that she was attempting to talk with Rita. Nilsen et al. (2015) stated the particular behavior as social releaser which means that infant can be able to distinguish among adults.

Further, in the observation phase, I observed that Allyson was behaving differently when her mat was changed and she made cooing noise and also smiled at Rita. On the other side, Rita used exaggerated intonation and talked in soft manner as a response. Therefore, it can be considered as motherese (Miller, 2010). Moreover, it can be presented that Allyson became more responsive towards her mother. She makes some noise whenever she is in need of something such as hungry. On the other hand, Allyson was able to differentiate herself with other people (Hosdurga & Finlay, 2010). It can also be observed that, Rita was able to understand the cues of her child more than her mother. Therefore, when Allyson went to sleep then Rita gets some relaxation.

On the other hand, whenever, Allyson was happy she moved her legs and arms and makes sweet noise. Moreover, she shakes her legs in marching action and gives continuous smile. According to Riddall-Leech (2009), when baby smiles, it shows an instinctive behavior which reflects that baby is well taken care by people and defines social releaser. On the same day, Rita weighed her child in order to know whether she has pull on the weight and the anxiousness on the face of Rita can be clearly seen. When, Allyson was being weight, she was enjoying all the process and was literally happy. She was jumping and making sounds which brought smile on the face of her mother and also on my face. After the weighing session was complete, Rita was pleased to know to that her baby is healthy and has a normal body weight. Apart from that when the nappy of Allyson was being changed by Rita; she was smiling a lot and clapping her hand. The response of the baby was in a turn-taking way towards the mother (Bowlby & King, 2004). On the other hand, Beelmann & Schmidt-Denter (2009) mentioned that behavior and feelings of mother towards their child are impacted by her own earlier experiences or say personal experiences. Therefore, it be mentioned that early attachment relationships are regarded as internalized which occur again in life in various context with number of people. Rita also showed an anxious attachment to her daughter as her mother once showed towards Rita. Fonagy (2004) proposed that an anxious attached child may not be able to attain confidence or may not be able to master their surrounding if they are bound by attachment. Therefore, child starts to develop prospects of their parent’s likely feedbacks to desire or distress in order to receive contact and it can be considered as internal working models (Miller, 2010).

Discussion

During my observation period, I studied the development phase of Allyson and I found that whenever someone speaks she keep on gazing on their lips and movement of lips. Therefore, this gaze can help the child to move her lips in coming days and after certain months she will be able to speak. On the other hand, when any toys are placed in front of her she gets excited. The toys like monkey beating drums, ball, etc gave her the pleasure and she was completely involved into toys. Therefore, when Allyson plays with toys, it provided a chance to Rita to get relax and take some rest. It was observed that when it comes to play with toys, Allyson completely jelled with unknown person and when there are no toys she starts crying and search for her mother. Apart from that, during observation time, I also discovered that when Allyson was full she moved her face left and right as a sign of dislike and also it pointed that she does not want to eat anymore. Therefore, Rita recognized such behavior of Allyson and stopped feeding further. On the other hand, when she puts her finger in her mouth and starts sucking, her mother knows that she is hungry. Whenever, Rita feed Allyson, she looks into the eyes of her mother. Moreover, Allyson hardly goes in the arms of her grandmother. Therefore, it depicts that baby is more connected with her mother. On the other side, when an effort was done to communicate with Allyson, she hides her face into her mother’s chest as if she is feeling shy. Therefore, Rita holds her daughter more securely for reassuring Allyson. According to Riddall-Leech (2009), considered holding as one of the prime function of good mother. The mother has to make an attempt to make child response towards other reaction. For instance, if someone is saying hello, the mother can hold the hand of child and shake her hand softly to bid hello. Therefore, it can help in building confidence in child and future growth.

As per Hosdurga & Finlay (2010), from a view of social constructionist perspective the mother has to consider all the social, historical and cultural elements towards a child development. Apart from that, (Nilsen et al. (2015) argues that the particular perspective can lead to blame which can be directed to mother if any problem is caused during the child development phase. Therefore, attachment theory can be effective in for understanding the role of mother in relation of her child. Thus, Rita was able to provide good care to her kid and provided all the need requirements on time.

During my observation period, I was able to notice a strong bonding between Allyson and Rita and both was happy with each other. Allyson was more connected with her mother and less connected with her grandmother. The baby reacted well with her mother and also gave responses to her mother by making noise or clasping her hands. The feeling that I felt inside me was awesome and I could feel the emotion that was going through Rita. It was a point when I felt like crying when Allyson was holding tightly to her mother and was sleeping in her arms. It was so protective feeling. Apart from that, the behavior of Allyson depended on her mood when she was not feeling to have milk she just throws out of her mouth and starts crying. It made the mother angry but she was not able to show her emotion at that point of time as it would have made child upset. The relationship between mother and daughter showed to have patience and bonding can only be generated if a person feels secure under someone. Therefore, it was a great experience and feeling to me. Whenever, a child needs anything she makes noise or starts crying and mother understood that they her child require food. Therefore, both mother and daughter was deeply attached with each other.

Conclusion

In the whole observation study, the attachment theory was the main focus as development theory in relation to child. According to Bowlby & King (2004) attachment theory is an emotional bond that unites one people to another over time. The attachment has helped Rita in bringing growth to her daughter. The child responded equally to her mother than any other person. The mother was very close to her child and baby was positive in her response towards her mother. Apart from attachment theory, the behaviorist theory can be suitably fit into the observation study. As the mind of the child is like a blank slate which is shaped by the surrounding environment therefore, the baby behaved in her own way and as per her mood (Miller, 2010). The attachment theory most fit to this particular observational study. The theory helped in understanding the link between a mother and a daughter and the interaction between them. The child was feeling more secure with her mother than any other person. Apart from that, Hosdurga & Finlay (2010) mentioned that some kid may have subconscious psychological trait in regards to their parents as being loving and available and can also relate to complementary model as support and love. Therefore, the positive anticipation of bonding can referred as secure attachment. Thus, it can be advantage for a child to have secure growth. Moreover, Emanuel (2014) discussed that a kid can develop a sense of secure attachment to one and insecure attachment to other. The sensitivity of parents towards the requirements of the kid can be a main determinant whether child will develop secure attachment or insecure attachment (Hosdurga & Finlay, 2010). It has been found that the ability of parents in delivering the secure attachment is mostly impacted by the care that they may have gained from their parents. Therefore, it was seen in the case of Rita and Allyson that Rita held her baby liker her mother was used to hold her. Therefore, a primary attachment was developed by Allyson as due care and regular support was provided by her mother. Moreover, the child can build confidence in order to explore his/her environment and form sense of self-esteem (Beelmann & Schmidt-Denter, 2009). Therefore, this would help in the growth and development of child and be a happy and confident adult. On the other hand, if the child does not have healthy attachment then the kid may not be confident enough that the care provider will meet their needs.

During the observational placement, I was able to manage my professional role as well as student role. I did not let my professional role to affect my personal life. Moreover, I was able to realize that I have developed some personal skills on some level too. For instance, how to have a bonding with child or other people around and it helped in my personal growth. On the other hand, I discovered that an interaction skill is important to build a strong bonding. Therefore, if the interaction is positive from the two sides then it can lead to formation mutual bonding and sense of care and love. Apart from that, the observational study helped me to learn the way of treating a child and understand the behavior of a child. If secure attachment has to be made with the kid then a sense of care has to be generated in the child. Moreover, the requirement of the kid has to be made in right time. On the other hand, professional and personal life has to be kept separate. Therefore, this would help me to perform my duties in most productive and efficient manner. Moreover, I have seen that when Allyson dislike the cereals and was spitting out of her mouth then Rita controlled her emotion and did not get panic or angry. Therefore, this situation also encourage to not to get panic and control emotion so that kid does not get frightened. Therefore, the observation study was a learning process for me that would help me in my future career and achieving professional development growth. On the other side, time was one of the main factors in whole observation study. I have seen that Rita was giving meal and also medicine to her child on time so that her child remains fit. Therefore, to be a successful people, management of time is very useful. Therefore, I will see that I do my work on schedule time that can increase my efficiency and personal growth.

References

Conclusion

It can be concluded from the whole observation study that Tavistock model was greatly in place. The observation was done on a small child who is 4 weeks older. The child behaved differently in different situations. The child that is Allyson was very much in touch with her mother than her grandmother. Rita, Allyson mother, was present all the time to provide all the needs of her child and due to that a secure attachment was build among them. Allyson was seen enjoying herself by moving her leg, clapping hand whenever she is in happy mood which pleased her mother and brought smile on her face. Therefore, a strong boning was built between them. Rita was taking full care of her child, provided meal on time, changed nappy, etc. The whole observation process was a great experience on my part. By the end of the day, I was also able to have a little bonding with Allyson. I was able to make certain interaction with the baby as well. The main development theory that was applied in this study was attachment theory which showed an interaction of child with her mother. The child responded in her own to her mother. Therefore, it would be effective in building confidence in the child and will help in growth of the child. On the other hand, my professional role was enhanced by observing Rita and Allyson that gave me valuable insight towards the attachment theory. Moreover, the internal working model also helped me understand the impact of anxious attachment. Therefore, the whole study provided me different dimensions to analyze the situation. I develop a sense of growth inside me as a person and also at professional level. The attachment and interaction can help in building strong relationship that can be effective for the future growth and development. Therefore, parenting has to be superior as it will help in developing mental health of the child. I was lucky enough to observe such relationship and reaction of child in different occasions. Therefore, the observation placement can be helpful for my future career and growth.

References

Beelmann, W., & Schmidt-Denter, U. (2009). Mother-Child Interaction Following Marital Separation. European Psychologist, 14(4), 307-319. doi:10.1027/1016-9040.14.4.307

Bowlby, R., & King, P. (2004). Fifty years of attachment theory. London: Karnac on behalf of the Winnicott Clinic of Psychotherapy.

Emanuel, L. (2014). Young child observation: a development in the theory and method of infant observation. Infant Observation, 17(1), 81-86. doi:10.1080/13698036.2014.895487

Fonagy, P. (2004). Attachment theory and psychoanalysis. London: Karnac.

Hosdurga, S., & Finlay, F. (2010). Child protection experience and training: a regional study of international junior paediatricians. Child Abuse Rev., 19(5), 369-375. doi:10.1002/car.1130

Hosdurga, S., & Finlay, F. (2010). Child protection experience and training: a regional study of international junior paediatricians. Child Abuse Rev., 19(5), 369-375. doi:10.1002/car.1130

Miller, B. (2010). Young child live discussion. Infant Observation, 13(1), 95-96. doi:10.1080/13698031003607095

Nilsen, T., Handegard, B., Eisemann, M., & Kvernmo, S. (2015). Evaluating change in symptomatic and functional level of children and youth with emotional disorders: a naturalistic observation study. European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry. doi:10.1007/s00787-014-0671-3

Riddall-Leech, S. (2009). Observation techniques: Written. Child Care, 6(3). doi:10.12968/chca.2009.6.3.39440

I would be obliged if you could answer these question as per convenience. It will help me to understand your emotions and feelings and thoughts on becoming a mom.

1. How do you react when you found that you are pregnant?
2. What feelings or emotions arise in you when you are mother now of a girl child?
3. Do you had any physical health issues at the time pregnancy and if yes, how you feel at that time?
4. Were you facing any stress or emotional health issues at the time of pregnancy?
5. How you managed your difficult feelings during pregnancy period?
6. What you imagined about your daughter that what she will be like in first 3-4 days?
7. What qualities do you wish that your daughter should have when she grows up?
8. At what age, do you want to send your daughter to school?