Attachment in Surinam-Dutch Families: A Contribution to the Cross-Cultural Study of Attachment

A study on attachment in indigenous Dutch families and in families who came to the Netherlands from Surinam-a former Dutch colony in South America is described. Sixty-five mothers and their infants participated, including 26 mothers who had immigrated from Surinam. Attachment behaviours and maternal responsiveness were recorded in the Strange Situation and in free play. The Infant Characteristics Questionnaire, and a questionnaire on child-rearing attitudes were completed. In the Surinam-Dutch group, maternal responsiveness was related to quality of attachment, although the Surinam-Dutch mothers scored significantly lower on the responsiveness scale than the Dutch mothers. The attachment classification distribution of the Surinam-Dutch dyads did not significantly differ from Dutch or global distributions. However, Surinam-Dutch mothers appeared to be more anxious about child-rearing than Dutch mothers. Surinam-Dutch mothers who had recently arrived in Holland tended to show less responsiveness, and were more anxious about child-rearing than Surinam-Dutch mothers who had immigrated several years ago. These data may reflect strains that arise from the transition from one culture to another.