Evaluations and orientations in mother–child narratives as a function of attachment security: A longitudinal investigation

Abstract

The present study examined the socialisation of children’s narrative ability across the preschool period, exploring the association between children’s and mothers’ narrative style and children’s attachment security. Fifty-six children and their mothers engaged in past event memory conversations about everyday shared past experiences when the children were aged 19, 25, 32, 40, and 51 months. At 19 months, mothers completed the Attachment Q-Set (Version 3.0) as a measure of children’s attachment security. Importantly, the results showed different patterns of narrative use and socialisation as a function of children’s attachment security. Specifically, securely attached children and their mothers used more evaluations over time, had a more consistent narrative style, and had more bidirectional influences. We clarify the narrative socialisation process and discuss the link between attachment and narrative.