Child Attachment Style Research Articles

Family therapy and EMDR after child abuse and neglect: moderating effects of child attachment style and PTSD symptoms on treatment outcome

ABSTRACT Background: Effective and appropriate care and treatment for children in order to decrease the psychosocial problems that arose after experiencing child abuse and neglect (CAN) is of vital importance, given the severity of symptomatology that may develop. Objective: The purpose of the present study was to examine whether attachment style and core cluster Posttraumatic Stress Disorder symptoms acted as moderators for treatment outcomes of a new integrative treatment model for trauma and attachment. In this treatment model, family therapy is combined with EMDR and obstacles for trauma processing are tackled first. Method: we included children, ages 6–12 years, with a history of CAN, who did not respond to evidence-based trauma treatment. Target treatment outcomes were problems in attachment, posttraumatic stress symptoms, behaviour, and emotion regulation. We conducted a multiple-baseline ABC Single-Case Experimental Design (SCED). We categorized 12 participants into four groups of attachment style and core cluster PTSD symptoms: (1) non-disorganized & re-experiencing; (2) non-disorganized & avoidance/hyperarousal; (3) disorganized & re-experiencing; & (4) disorganized & avoidance/hyperarousal. We compared the four groups with each other and across time, and the interaction between groups and effect over time. We conducted non-parametric permutation tests and estimated q-values for false discovery rate control. Results: Children with a disorganized attachment style had more severe symptomatology in general, except for posttraumatic stress symptoms. The treatment appeared more effective in targeting and successfully treating children with a non-disorganized attachment style, and specifically children with a non-disorganized attachment style and re-experiencing as core cluster PTSD symptoms. Conclusion: Our study underlines the complexity of treating children who developed a complicated combination of symptomatology after CAN and calls for the continuous development of innovative interventions.

Variation in the mu-opioid receptor gene (OPRM1) moderates the influence of maternal sensitivity on child attachment

The endogenous opioid system is thought to play an important role in mother-infant attachment. In infant rhesus macaques, variation in the μ-opioid receptor gene (OPRM1) is related to differences in attachment behavior that emerges following repeated separation from the mother; specifically, infants carrying at least one copy of the minor G allele of the OPRM1 C77G polymorphism show heightened and more persistent separation distress, as well as a pattern of increased contact-seeking behavior directed towards the mother during reunions (at the expense of affiliation with other group members). Research in adult humans has also linked the minor G allele of the analogous OPRM1 A118G polymorphism with greater interpersonal sensitivity. Adopting an interactionist approach, we examined whether OPRM1 A118G genotype and maternal (in)sensitivity are associated with child attachment style, predicting that children carrying the G allele may be more likely to develop an ambivalent attachment pattern in response to less sensitive maternal care. The sample consisted of 191 mothers participating with their children (n = 223) in the Maternal Adversity, Vulnerability and Neurodevelopment (MAVAN) project, a community-based, birth cohort study of Canadian mothers and their children assessed longitudinally across the child’s development. Maternal sensitivity was coded from at-home mother-child interactions videotaped when the child was 18 months of age. Child attachment was assessed at 36 months using the Strange Situation paradigm. As predicted, G allele carriers, but not AA homozygotes, showed increasing odds of being classified as ambivalently attached with decreasing levels of maternal sensitivity. Paralleling earlier non-human animal research, this work provides support for the theory that endogenous opioids contribute to the expression of attachment behaviors in humans.

A Review on Attachment Style and Gender Double Standard

Attachment relationships have a profound effect on individuals’ cognition and psychological well-being. The presence of parental gender double standards leads to differences in children’s coping strategies and self-perceptions. This paper will discuss the definition of the three main attachment styles in children and adults, then explain the scope of gender double standard. In addition, the reasons why and how parental double gender standard would lead the children to form anxious or avoidant attachment styles will be studied in this paper. In addition, this paper will discuss why and how societal gender double standard will solidify the insecure attachment style for females. Due to there are many factors that can affect the testing, for the study of this paper the author reviewed existing experiments and analysis to study the correlation between parental gender double standard and attachment style. This study also points out some additional testing possibilities for future further studies.

Predicting Children's Behavioral Disorders Based on Mothers' Parenting Styles with the Mediation of Children's Attachment Styles

Purpose: The prevalence of behavioral disorders in children is significant and is associated with mothers' parenting styles and attachment styles. The present study aimed to predict children's behavioral disorders based on mothers' parenting styles with the mediation of children's attachment styles in the city of Isfahan. Materials and Methods: The research method is descriptive-correlational. The research population included all children aged 8 to 11 years in the city of Isfahan in 2023, from whom 310 were selected as a sample through convenience sampling. The research tools included the Baumrind Parenting Styles Questionnaire (1991), the Kappenberg et al. Attachment Styles Questionnaire (2006), and the Rutter Behavioral Problems Questionnaire (1975). Findings: The findings showed that the path coefficients for the permissive parenting style were β = 0.26, for the authoritarian style β = 0.38, and for the authoritative style β = -0.14, all significant at P ≤ 0.05. The path coefficient for attachment styles to behavioral disorders was also β = 0.47, significant at P ≤ 0.05. Conclusion: Based on the research findings, it can be concluded that children's behavioral disorders can be predicted by mothers' parenting styles and attachment styles.

The Relationship between the Attachment Styles of Children, Parenting Styles, and the Socio-Economic Status of parents

Background: Family's socio-economic status may significantly influence parenting style. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the relationship between attachment styles of 7 to 12-year-old children, parenting styles, and the socio-economic status of parents.
 Methods: This was a cross-sectional and correlational study. The study population included 7 to 12 children who studied in elementary schools of Tehran in 2021. A sample of 95 individuals were selected by random sampling method and evaluated by questionares regarding Socio-Economic status (SE) (Ghodratnama, 2013), Parenting Style (PS) (Baumrind, 1973), Kinship Center Attachment (KCA) (Halpern and Kappenberg, 2006). The information obtained from the samples was analysed by Pearson correlation coefficient through SPSS 22 software. The level of significance was considered 5%.
 Results: The sample group consisted of 100 parents of 7- to 12-year-old children in Tehran city. The results showed a significant correlation between the attachment styles of the children and parenting styles and the socio-economic (r= -.284, p<0.01) status of parents. In parenting styles there was a significant relationship between authoritive parenting style and positive adjustment (p<0.05), emotional reactivity (p<0.05), negative behaviour (p<0.01) and distancing from caregiver support (p<0.01). There was also a significant relationship between authoritarian and positive adjustment (p<0.01), negative behaviour (p<0.01), distancing from caregiver support (p<0.01). A significant relationship was observed between permissive and negative behavior (p<0.05).
 Conclusion: Both authoritative and permissive parenting styles seem to be dysfunctional. They cause different behavioural and emotional issues in children due to their attachment styles.

Comparison of Oppositional Defiant Disorder, Self-Control and Attachment Styles in Children with Addicted and Non-Addicted Parent

Comparison of Oppositional Defiant Disorder, Self-Control and Attachment Styles in Children with Addicted and Non-Addicted Parent

Child well‐being in the context of family harmony: Parental marital relationship as mediator and parent–child attachment style as moderator

AbstractExtant research in Western countries have indicated that children's well‐being may be influenced by children's own resilience, parent–child attachment, and parental marital relationship. Yet, there is very little research in Malaysia on how these factors may influence well‐being among children in middle childhood. The aim of this study, therefore, was to explore the relationships among children's self‐efficacy—a resilience factor—and well‐being, parental marital relationship, and parent–child attachment style. The study used a quantitative, cross‐sectional survey method. Participants were 955 Malay‐Malaysian children aged 11 years from intact families. They responded to a questionnaire on demographic background, self‐efficacy, well‐being, parental harmony and conflict, and parent–child attachment style. Moderated mediation analysis indicated that (i) parental harmony was a significant mediator for the relationship between children's self‐efficacy and well‐being; (ii) parental conflict was not a significant mediator for the relationship between children's self‐efficacy and well‐being; and (iii) parent–child attachment style was a significant moderator for the relationship between children's self‐efficacy and well‐being. These findings are discussed within the frameworks of optimal child development and family relationship. These findings may also inform policies such as Malaysia's Sustainable Development Goal 3 (SDG 3) and National Family Policy.

Relationship between Attachment Styles and Delinquent Behaviour among Adolescents in Foster Care Centers in Nairobi Kenya

The purpose of this study was to examine attachment styles and delinquent behaviours of children brought up in foster care centers in Njiru Ward, Kasarani Sub-County, Nairobi County, Kenya. The study was guided by the following research questions: What are the attachment styles and delinquent behavior patterns among foster children in Njiru Ward? What is the relationship between attachment styles and delinquency among foster children in Njiru Ward, Kasarani Sub-County? This study was informed by the Attachment Theory, Sub-culture and differential opportunity theories. A descriptive cross-sectional survey research design was used in this study. The target population included 19 foster care centers in Njiru Ward, with a total population of 1,117 and a sample of 336 (318 children, caretakers, and 6 directors) was selected for the study. Proportionate random sampling technique was used to select the children whereas purposive sampling was used for selecting the caretakers and directors in the foster care centers. The data was collected using questionnaires. Quantitative and qualitative approaches of analysis were used in the study. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used in analysing quantitative data. The study established that there was a statistical significant relationship between attachment styles and delinquent behaviour among children in foster homes in Njiru Ward. The study recommends assessment of attachment styles in children with delinquent problems to aid in understanding and establishing holistic correctional measures.

Attachment styles in children. Attachment Styles in the Family of Origin (ASFO)

Over the past few decades, the role of attachment in human life has been analyzed by many scientists. Attachment is one of the most basic motives of human behavior to provide a sense of security. Increasingly, the importance and impact of the attachment style shaped in childhood on interpersonal relationships in adulthood are emphasized. The child’s attachment to the parent is a prototype for later relationships with the spouse or other people from the immediate environment.
 Authors of the article present a new research method - Attachment Styles in the Family of Origin (ASFO) - which can be helpful in determining the attachment style formed during childhood (up to the age of 12). The questionnaire consists of 4 scales measuring 4 attachment styles: safe style, anxious-ambivalent style, avoidant style and rejecting style.

The Child Attachment Style Interview (Child-ASI) and depression: Preliminary findings

Background:Childhood familial trauma is a major contributor to psychological disorder. One of its key impacts is insecure attachment style, which impedes the development of close relationships. Trauma-related vulnerability is important to assess in primary school but there is a gap in age-appropriate measurement tools. This paper outlines the development of the Child Attachment Style Interview (Child-ASI) suitable for 6 to 11-year olds. This can be utilised on-site to identify damaging effects of trauma experience at an early stage.Method:The Child-ASI was developed from an existing adolescent/adult measure and tested on a sample of children in primary school (N=42) together with a subsample of those in care (N=20). A checklist of life events and the Mood and Feeling Questionnaire (MFQ) for depression was also administered.Results:Acceptable inter-rater reliability was found (K=0.84 for overall attachment style). A factor analysis of subscales produced the expected five factors for classification. Rates of insecure styles (38 per cent in school and 90 per cent in care) were consistent with other studies and related to separation from parent and depression. Logistic regression showed insecure attachment style and negative life events provided the best model for depression.Conclusion:Preliminary findings indicate the Child-ASI provides an effective way of assessing attachment style in children. Its use is for more intensive investigation of trauma-related interpersonal problems, administered by trained teachers. It is less intrusive than direct trauma assessments and fits with the policy need to identify vulnerability for mental health issues in schools.

Borderline personality disorders: from the developmental theory of the "self" and mentalizing to "systems"

In the last fifty years the thinking around borderline personality disorder (BPD) shifted from an intra-psychic to a psychoanalytically oriented relational model. The latter described the difficulties associated with this presentation as arising from a disorganisation of the "self" structure in the context of an early caregiving relationship. The concept of inaccurate, or inconsistent "social biofeedback parental affect mirroring" has been pivotal to explain the characteristic failure to mentalize and the interpersonal difficulties associated with a diagnosis of BPD. Nevertheless, far from being the result of a sole linear relationship, these difficulties appear linked to communicative and emotional feedback loops that are reminiscent of cybernetic principles. Furthermore, recent claims have suggested that the communication feedback loops characteristic of the carer–child attachment style represent nothing less that the communication styles of the wider social environment in which the dyad is located. These claims have recently prompted a further shift from mentalizing to epistemic trust and epistemic vigilance, hence departing from a relational model towards a more systemic one. The difficulties associated with BPD are now suggested to be linked to a disorder of social learning, impacted by the rigid nature of the person's information-processing systems. This article reviews this journey.

Assessment of attachment patterns in preterm children

Se presentan resultados preliminares de una investigación en curso que se realiza en un centro público de salud de la ciudad de La Banda, provincia de Santiago del Estero, que propone evaluar la incidencia de la prematuridad en el estilo de apego del niño. Se evalúan niños nacidos prematuros y nacidos a término entre 12 y 24 meses. Se parte de la idea de que características de la prematuridad, tales como la internación en neonatología y las manifestaciones conductuales y emocionales diferentes a las de niños nacidos a término, pueden introducir diferencias en el apego. La muestra estuvo integrada por 30 díadas madre-bebé correspondientes a dos grupos: (A) compuesto por díadas madre-bebé prematuro, y (B) de control, compuesto por díadas madre-bebé no prematuro. Para evaluar el apego, se utilizó la escala Procedimiento Argentino de la Situación Extraña (Rodríguez y Oiberman, 2013) y se recopiló información sociodemográfica de determinadas variables que pudieran estar asociadas a la calidad del apego de los infantes con sus madres (edad materna, estado civil, trabajo materno, género del niño y tiempo de internación del niño). Los resultados muestran que no existen diferencias con significación estadística entre los grupos estudiados en la calidad del apego. Se encontró relación entre el tiempo de internación y la distribución de apego, siendo que a mayor frecuencia de apego seguro, menor tiempo de internación del niño. Este estudio es uno de los primeros en analizar la distribución del apego en infantes nacidos prematuros en Sudamérica.

RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN ATTACHMENT PARENTING PRACTICE AND ATTACHMENT STYLES AMONG EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION PUPILS IN KADUNA METROPOLIS, NIGERIA

The study investigated the relationship between attachment parenting practice and attachment styles of pupils in early childhood education in Kaduna metropolis, Nigeria. The study had three objectives; three hypotheses were formulated and tested. The population for the study was 451 early childhood education pupils out of which 83 pupils were studied; 39 males (47%) while 44 females (53 %). Correlation type of survey was employed in the conduct of the research. The instruments used in collecting data were parenting practices and child attachment style checklists. The attachment style checklist was administered by the research assistants on the sampled pupils while the parenting practices checklist was administered to the parents of the sampled pupils. Pearson Product Moment Correlation (PPMC) was the statistical tool used in analyzing the data collected. Results of the analyses indicated significant correlation existed between attachment parenting practice and secure attachment style (p = .003), but there was no significant correlation between attachment parenting practice and ambivalent attachment style (p = .212) as well as between attachment parenting practice and ambivalent attachment style (p =. 081. Based on the findings of this study, it was recommended that parents and caregivers should employ best parenting practices like attachment parenting so that the child grows up in secure environment and develop secure attachment style among others.

The role of child-keyworker attachment in burnout among Saudi residential staff.

Research on the impact of the keyworker-child relationship on residential staff is scarce. This longitudinal study investigated the potential moderating effects of child and keyworker attachment styles on the link between child behavioural problems and staff burnout and the moderating effects of child attachment style on the link between keyworker attachment style and keyworker burnout. Participants included 261 children and 59 residential child care workers, from 5 orphanages in Saudi Arabia. Five self-report measures were utilised: The Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire, the Security Scale, the Coping Strategies Questionnaire, the Maslach Burnout Inventory and the Experiences in Close Relationships Questionnaire. Keyworkers caring for relatively non-avoidant children and those with an avoidant attachment style themselves experienced relatively high burnout a year later. Relatively high burnout was also reported by avoidant keyworkers who cared for avoidant and generally insecure children, while anxiously attached keyworkers reported relatively high burnout when they cared for children with any type of insecure attachment style. The present findings highlight essential interpersonal processes involved in the development of burnout in residential child care workers and call for the employment of attachment-focused interventions as measures of burnout prevention.

With Laura: Attachment and the Healing Potential of Substitute Caregivers within Cross-Cultural Child Welfare Practice

Secure attachment has been consistently associated with positive outcomes for children. The complex and intergenerational trauma resulting from colonialism that Aboriginal people in Canada have suffered may threaten the development of secure attachment. Using a case example drawn from social work practice, this paper proposes that Aboriginal children who are insecurely attached and traumatized present particular treatment needs. There is little prior research addressing the treatment needs of insecurely attached Aboriginal children in out-of-home care. Further, in provincial and territorial child welfare agencies Aboriginal children are overwhelmingly in the substitute care of non-Aboriginal caregivers. This paper looks to attachment theory for a treatment approach within these cross-cultural relationships. Attachment theory has shown that the attachment styles of children can be reliably predicted at a rate of 75 percent by looking to those of their caregivers. Additionally, children have been shown to be capable of developing multiple attachment styles in response to the attachment styles of the adults with whom they are in caregiving relationships. Thus, given the stronginfluence of caregiver attachment on the attachment styles of children, it is compelling to look at the potential impact of the attachment styles of substitute caregivers on the children in their care. This paper proposes that in provincial or territorial child welfare it may be necessary to promote substitute caregivers who are securely attached and to acknowledge the context of trauma within which these children and caregivers are striving for well-being.

Role of attachment style in prediction of behavior of 3 to 6-year-old children.

Efficient communication with children is the basis of pediatric dentistry and is a prerequisite for provision of pediatric dental care. Prediction of the behavior of children and their reaction to therapeutic procedures is a challenge for many pediatric dentists. This study aimed to assess the attachment styles of children to predict their behavior during a dental visit. The participants included 117 healthy children aged 3 to 6years presented to the Department of Pediatric Dentistry, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, in 2017-2018. A postgraduate dental student examined the children. The parents were requested to fill out the Kinship Center attachment questionnaire (KCAQ) regarding their children, while waiting in the waiting room. The children who met the inclusion criteria in the first visit were scheduled for a dental procedure in the second visit. Another postgraduate student of pediatric dentistry assessed the behavior of children during the dental procedure according to the designed questionnaire and based on the Frankl scale. A third examiner along with the second examiner evaluated the behavior of children on a random basis to determine the inter-examiner agreement. Data were analyzed using the Chi-squared test, t test, Pearson's correlation coefficient, and linear regression. The results showed that 67.5% of the children were cooperative, including 54.7% of boys. The mean age of children was 5.1 ± 0.95years. Also, 80.3% of children had secure and 19.7% had insecure attachment styles (11.97% insecure avoidant and 7.69% insecure ambivalent). A significant association existed between the insecure ambivalent attachment style and child-dentist communication. A significant inverse correlation was also noted between the total score of the questionnaire and parent-child separation in dental office. The current findings revealed no significant difference in the attachment styles of cooperative and uncooperative children. Significant associations only existed between the insecure ambivalent attachment style and child-dentist communication, and also between mother-child separation and secure attachment style. Thus, the children's behavior in dental office cannot be predicted based on their attachment style.

Measurement of heart rate variability and cognitive abilities based on attachment styles in children with chronic medical conditions

Recognizing the biopsychosocial dimensions of chronic medical conditions in children and preparing them to adapt to medical processes is one of the most significant issues in the field of health psychology. The aim of this study was to measure heart rate variability and cognitive abilities based on attachment style in children with chronic medical conditions. To this end, 45 children aged 12–15 years who had received a diagnosis of a chronic medical disease and were matched with the inclusion/exclusion criteria, were entered the study using available sampling method. These children were assigned to three groups of secure, avoidance and anxiety attachment style based on the Collins and Reid Attachment Scale. These groups had been demographically homogeneous. Then heart rate variability and cognitive abilities were measured. One-way ANOVA results showed a significant difference between the three groups in the heart rate variability and cognitive abilities. Post hoc test showed that children with secure attachment style had higher efficiency in heart rate variability and cognitive abilities. These results indicate that attachment style is one of the factors influencing the health status of children with chronic medical illness. These findings highlight the importance of paying attention to psychological factors, especially attachment and its role in the health status of children with chronic medical conditions.

Self-reported attachment styles in children with and without attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

Self-reported attachment styles in children with and without attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

Relationship Between Childhood Emotional Abuse and Self-Esteem: A Dual Mediation Model of Attachment

We tested the hypothesis that childhood emotional abuse would be positively associated with fearful attachment, whereas it would be negatively associated with secure attachment and self-esteem, with attachment mediating the linkage between childhood emotional abuse and self-esteem. Chinese college students (N = 554) completed measures of childhood emotional abuse, secure/fearful attachment, and self-esteem. Dual mediation analysis based on 5,000 bootstrap samples showed that childhood emotional abuse affected self-esteem through both secure attachment and fearful attachment, with the indirect effect through secure attachment being stronger relative to that through fearful attachment. However, the direct effect of childhood emotional abuse on self-esteem was nonsignificant. The association patterns among childhood emotional abuse, secure/fearful attachment, and self-esteem show the need for more focus on developing children's secure attachment style to shape their positive self-esteem later in life.

S34. DEVELOPMENTAL TRAJECTORIES OF PSYCHOTIC EXPERIENCES AND THEORY OF MIND IN 11-YEAR-OLD OFFSPRING OF PARENTS WITH SCHIZOPHRENIA OR BIPOLAR DISORDER

BackgroundThe study is a part of the Danish High Risk and Resilience Study, Via 11 and aims to explore the developmental trajectories of psychotic experiences (PEs) and theory of mind in children born to parents with schizophrenia or bipolar disorder. In a cross sectional perspective we also aim to explore possible associations between PEs and social cognitive deficits, particularly hyper-theory-of-mind. We also wish to explore the significance of other potential risk factors for PEs such as cognitive biases, adverse life events, and insecure attachment styles. Earlier studies have shown that PEs during childhood are predictive of later psychotic disorders, especially if they persist over time. We expect the possible risk factors to have a cumulative effect.MethodsThe Danish High Risk and Resilience Study, Via 11, is the first follow-up of a cohort of 522 children and their parents. The cohort consists of children where one or both parents have been diagnosed with a schizophrenia spectrum disorder (N=202), children where one or both parents have been diagnosed with bipolar affective disorder (N=120) and children where neither of the parents have been diagnosed with these disorders (N=200). The children and their parents were assessed with a comprehensive assessment battery e.g. social- and neurocognitive tests and diagnostic interviews when the children were seven years old, and they will now be re-assessed for the first time at age 11. Data for this study is currently being collected as a part of the Via 11. Psychotic experiences will be assessed on the Scale of Prodromal Symptoms based on K-SADS interviews and with the Magical Thinking Questionnaire. Social cognitive skills will be assessed with Frith-Happé Animated Triangles and Theory-of-Mind Storybook Frederik. Cognitive bias i.e. jumping to conclusions will be assessed with the Beads task. Adverse life events will be assessed with the K-SADS interviews, the Child Trauma Screening Questionnaire, and with a questionnaire about bullying based on the Olweus Bully/Victim Questionnaire. Measures of neurocognitive and attentional deficits will also be included. Child attachment style was assessed with the Story Stem Assessment Protocol and emotion recognition with the ERT from Cantab.Hypotheses:-Age seven: Children in the two high risk groups will be have higher rates of insecure or disorganized attachment styles compared with children in the control group. We expect insecure and disorganized attachment to be associated with poorer social cognition (theory of mind and emotion recognition) and with worse general psychopathology and PEs.-Age 11: We expect children born to parents with schizophrenia spectrum disorders to report higher frequencies of PEs than children born to parents without these disorders. We expect children with PEs to have higher levels of general psychopathology and poorer levels of daily functioning than children without PEs. We expect children in the two high risk groups to have poorer theory of mind than children in the control group.-Age 11: We expect PEs to be associated with poor social cognition, particularly hyper theory-of-mind, higher rates of cognitive bias, adverse life events, neurocognitive and attentional impairments, and to be predicted by insecure and disorganized attachment styles.ResultsThe data collection started in March 2017. Results from the 11-year-follow-up are expected in 2020.DiscussionExamining PEs over time during childhood is important since it may improve our ability to identify children who are at a particularly high risk of developing psychotic disorders and other psychopathology later in life and thus to identify a particularly vulnerable subgroup towards whom early interventions should be targeted.