Control and connection: Associations between maternal behavioral control and toddler attachment patterns

This study examines the association between the level of maternal behavioral control and toddlers' attachment patterns, focusing on toddlers aged 12-24 months (M = 17.18 months, SD = 3.31). The sample consisted of 60 Egyptian mother-child dyads. Maternal behavioral control-conceptualized within the framework of Interpersonal acceptance-rejection theory (IPARTheory)-was measured using the behavioral control scale, while toddlers' attachment patterns were assessed using Mary Ainsworth's Strange Situation Procedure (SSP). Results revealed significant differences in maternal behavioral control levels in toddlers with secure and insecure attachment patterns. Specifically, higher levels of maternal behavioral control were associated with insecure-resistant attachment patterns, whereas lower levels of behavioral control were associated with secure attachment patterns. No significant difference emerged between maternal behavioral control levels in toddlers with secure and avoidant attachment patterns. The findings speak to the effects of behavioral control on toddlers' perceptions of danger and, thus, their internal working models of the world and resulting attachment patterns. Study limitations and future directions of research are discussed.