INGRESO FAMILIAR Y VARIABLES PSICOLÓGICAS ASOCIADAS A LA POBREZA COMO PREDICTORES DE LA CALIDAD DE LA REPRESENTACIÓN DEL APEGO EN NIÑOS PREESCOLARES EN CHILE 1 HOUSEHOLD INCOME AND PSYCHOLOGICAL VARIABLES ASSOCIATED WITH POVERTY AS PREDICTORS OF ATTACHMENT REPRESENTATION'S QUALITY IN PRESCHOOL CHILDREN IN CHILE

The aim of this study is to propose a predictive model to identify the means by which income can affect the quality of infant attachment representations through its effect on parental psychological variables. The sample consists of 42 families of low socioeconomic status, medium and high. We evaluated the monthly family income per person, the level of financial worry, the level of depression and stress of parents, and the quality of the representation of attachment in first born children of each family. To explore the relationship between variables simple and multiple linear regressions was performed. The results show that the income predicts the quality of infant attachment through the mother's financial worries and level of depression affecting her level of stress. These findings are discussed from attachment theory and the literature on the effect of poverty on child development.