ABSTRACT
Primary maternal preoccupation is a term coined by D. W. Winnicott to describe the mother's special mental state during the time surrounding the birth of a new infant. In terms of the primary parental preoccupations, depressed mothers reported lower levels of preoccupations, particularly the aspect relating to the building of a meaningful relationship with the infant, calling him/her by a nickname, or idealizing the child. Of particular interest in the context is theoretical and empirical work on the role of a secure attachment relationship in shaping the experience and expectancies of the infant. There are several reports that oxytocin facilitates maternal behaviour in oestrogen-primed nulliparous female rats. The body of research on early interventions underscores the importance of devising clear-cut short-term behavioural interventions for a variety of at-risk populations. In a meta-analysis of 88 intervention studies, M. J. Bakermans-Kranenburg, M. van IJzendoorn, and F. Juffer found that, overall, interventions were effective in enhancing parental sensitivity and child attachment security.
