Association between Spousal Relationship Quality and Mother-child Attachment Styles among Mothers in Blended Families in Selected Churches in Nairobi County, Kenya

Abstract

Dysfunctional spousal relation can significantly affect the mother child attachment within a family setup. This in turn leads to emotional insecurity, behavioral issues in children, and strained family dynamics that may hinder healthy child development. This research sought to investigate the influence of spousal relationships on mother-child attachment for both biological and step-children within blended families in Nairobi County, Kenya. Both attachment theory by J. Bowlby (1950) and structural family theory by Salvador Minuchin (1960) were used. A quantitative cross-sectional research design was employed with a sample of 170 mothers. A structured self-administered questionnaire was used to collect quantitative data on the study objectives Participants signed an informed consent before participation and the research adhered to ethical guidelines on confidentiality and anonymity. The study used descriptive statistics to summarize and interpret data. Pearson correlation coefficient was used to determine the relationship between spousal relationships and mother-child attachment. SPSS version 27 was used to analyze data. The findings established a high-quality spousal relationship, a high level of mother-child closeness depicting secure attachment and moderate level of mother-child conflict. There was a weak positive relationship between quality of spousal relationship and mother child closeness, and a weak negative relationship between quality of spousal relationship and mother child conflict, p<0.05. The study concluded that spousal relationship was positively associated with secure mother-child attachment. The study recommends implementation of therapeutic intervention strategies geared towards enhancing secure parental attachment and reducing insecure attachment within blended families and further research in the area of blended families.