Final answer:
The claim that children in quality child-care programs have more negative attachments to their mothers than those cared for at home is false. Attachment styles, such as secure, avoidant, and resistant, are based on the quality of caregiver-child interactions. Strong caregiver-child relationships, regardless of the living situation, are important for a child's well-being.
Step-by-step explanation:
The statement that children who attend quality child-care programs are attached to their mothers more negatively than children who are cared for at home is false. Research by Mary Ainsworth using the Strange Situation procedure highlights various types of attachment relationships between children and their caregivers, including secure attachment, avoidant attachment, and resistant attachment. These classifications are not determined by whether a child is in child-care or cared for at home, but rather by the quality of interaction and responsiveness of the caregiver to the child's needs.
For example, children with secure attachment tend to have caregivers who are sensitive and responsive, and they show healthy emotional responses such as distress during separation and happiness upon reunion. Avoidant attachment may result from caregivers who are insensitive, and such children may show little preference between a caregiver and a stranger. Resistant attachment can arise from inconsistent caregiver responsiveness, leading to clingy yet rejecting behavior in children.
Further studies on parent-child relationships after divorce reveal that a strong bond can improve a child's well-being, where boys who live or have joint arrangements with their fathers and girls with their mothers show better adjustment. Important outcomes like child well-being, the importance of the caregiver-child bond, and the role of responsive caregiving are underscored, rather than the setting in which child care takes place.