Riddell, Rebecca2018-11-212018-11-212018-08-102018-11-21http://hdl.handle.net/10315/35544The current study aimed to systematically review and meta-analyze concurrent and longitudinal associations between maternal depression and anxiety symptoms and mother-child attachment during early childhood (aged 2 to 7 years) as assessed using the coding systems by Cassidy and Marvin (1992) and Main and Cassidy (1988). The review was pre-registered with PROSPERO and followed PRISMA guidelines. A total of 7,969 records were screened and 20 articles were deemed as eligible for inclusion in the review. Studies were reviewed using qualitative synthesis techniques and meta-analysis. Results indicated that higher levels of maternal depressive symptoms were consistently associated with disorganized/controlling child attachment behaviours. No significant association was found between maternal anxiety symptoms and child attachment. These results suggest that maternal depressive symptoms may confer risk for disorganized/controlling attachment during early childhood. Implications for research and clinical practice are discussed.enAuthor owns copyright, except where explicitly noted. Please contact the author directly with licensing requests.Developmental psychologyElectronic Thesis or Dissertation2018-11-21Parent-child attachmentMaternal mental healthDepressionAnxietySystematic reviewMeta-analysisEarly childhoodPreschoolKindergarten