Mental representations of attachment: Implications for health-promoting behavior and perceived stress

The purposes of this descriptive study were: (1) to assess the mental representation of attachment in new mothers (n = 50), and to investigate the stability of attachment classifications over the transition to motherhood (a 2;Assessment instruments included the Adult Attachment Interview (AAI) (George, Kaplan & Main, 1985), the Health Promotion Lifestyle Profile (HPLP) (Walker, Sechrist, & Pender, 1987), the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) (Cohen, Kamarck, & Mermelstein, 1983), and the Social Readjustment Rating Scale (SRRS) (Holmes & Rahe, 1967).;Findings revealed the following distribution of attachment classifications: 66% Secure, 14% Dismissing, and 20% Preoccupied. In the test-retest group, 71% of subjects were classified in the same attachment category. Possible reasons for stability and change in classifications are explored. Regarding measurement of health promotion behaviors, a mean total HPLP score of 131.18, S.D. = 21.8 was found (n = 50). When secure and insecure groups and their HPLP scores were analyzed, the secure group had higher means in total scores and on each subscale, reaching statistical significance in health responsibility and interpersonal support. In an analysis of HPLP scores and PSS scores, a negative relationship emerged, indicating that more routine positive health promoting behavior is associated with lower perception of stress. A statistical model using HPLP scores as the dependent variable demonstrated that a significant proportion of the variance in scores (33%) could be accounted for by AAI scores and PSS scores. This finding suggests that health promotion behavior may be, at least in part, an unconscious process, guided by the internal working model.;This study explored reasons for change in attachment classification and investigated the association between perceived stress, health promoting behavior and mental representation of attachment. Future studies are needed to further refine these relationships.