The modulators of maternal separation anxiety were examined in a longitudinal study with
97 mothers of infants from 3 to 9 months of age. The objective of the study was to examine
the joint contribution of the mother's attachment concerns as related to her husband
together with the perception of the infant's temperament to her concerns over separation
from her child. Maternal worries about separation from 3-month-old infants predicted
maternal separation anxiety when infants were 9 months old. Mother's attachment to her
husband and her perception of her child's temperament further predicted maternal
separation anxiety at 9 months over and above the worries at 3 months. Mothers who feared
dependent relationships with their husbands experienced high levels of maternal separation
anxiety. This tendency was particularly marked when the infant was perceived as adaptable
at 3 months. In addition, secure mothers, namely, mothers low in fear of abandonment and
in fear of being dependent, increased their maternal separation anxiety as a function of their
infant's perceived unadaptability.