How does attachment state of mind affect the nurse-woman caregiving relationship?
- Publication Type:
- Thesis
- Issue Date:
- 2022
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A sensitive and responsive nurse-client caregiving relationship is a fundamental component of nurse-client interactions, and research has found that quality care is linked to positive client outcomes. This theory-building case study research used attachment theory to examine the attachment states of mind of 12 child and family health nurses and their caregiving to 13 women in an Australian Residential Parenting Service.
The data collected in this theory-building case study were the Adult Attachment Interview used to classify the child and family health nurses and women’s attachment state of mind, a short semi-structured interview called the Nurse-Client Caregiving Relationship Interview administered to understand the caregiving and care-receiving relationship, the Adverse Childhood Experiences questionnaire and demographic data.
Results showed that this sample had higher frequencies than a normative community sample of insecure attachment classifications. This included a higher frequency of unresolved/cannot classify sorts, not generally found in community samples. In addition, there was higher exposure than community norms to Adverse Childhood Experiences in some categories of the Adverse Childhood Experiences questionnaire.
Results also showed that insecure attachment states of mind were associated with less sensitive and responsive nurse caregiving. A secure state of mind was associated with more sensitive and responsive nurse caregiving. An unresolved/cannot classify state of mind was associated with nursing care lacking a coherent caregiving strategy.
These case studies have drawn attention to the potential influences of unresolved childhood trauma on CFH nurses' and women's attachment states of mind and the effects on caregiving and care-receiving relationships. Secure, Insecure and unresolved/cannot classify states of mind have the potential to either enrich or disrupt the nurse-client caregiving relationships.
Limitations include a small, purposive sample that is not representative and open to selection bias. Other limitations were that all the women had English as their first language, all were Caucasian except one Aboriginal woman, and all had at least 12 years of education.
Larger sample sizes may be more instructive in future studies. This would enable a deeper understanding of how nurses’ attachment state of mind affects the nurse-client caregiving and care-receiving relationship.
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