Abstract Despite a plethora of research on parenting and infant attachment, much less is known about the contributions
of parenting to preschool attachment, particularly within different racial groups. This study seeks to build
on the extant literature by evaluating whether similar associations between parenting and attachment can be observed
in African American and Caucasian families, and whether race moderates them. Seventy-four primary caregivers
and their preschool children (51% African American, 49% Caucasian, 46% male) from similar urban, low income
backgrounds participated in two visits four weeks apart when children were between four and five years of age.
Attachment was scored from videotapes of the Strange Situation paradigm using the preschool classification system
developed by Cassidy, Marvin, and the MacArthur Working Group. Parenting was assessed using a multi-method,
multi-context approach: in the child’s home, in the laboratory, and via parent-report. Seventy-three percent of the
children were classified as securely attached. Warm, responsive parenting behavior (but not race) predicted attachment.
Although parents of African American and Caucasian children demonstrated some significant differences in
parenting behaviors, race did not moderate the relationship between parenting and child attachment. These findings
highlight the direct role that parenting plays over and above race in determining attachment security during the preschool
period.