Child Attachment Research Articles

Stressful life events and prenatal representations of the child

ABSTRACT Caregivers’ mental representations of their children can be assessed prenatally and are prospectively associated with later caregiving quality and caregiver–child attachment. Compared to balanced, distorted or disengaged representations are linked to insecure caregiver–child attachments. The present study explored factors (i.e. stressful life experiences and positive experiences) that may be linked to risk for distorted and disengaged representations. We used a brief version of the Prenatal Working Model of the Child Interview in a sample of 298 pregnant people (ages 19 to 45 years; M = 30.83, SD = 5.00) between gestational age 11–38 weeks (M = 23.49, SD = 5.70). A greater number of stressful events across three developmental periods (i.e., lifespan, childhood, and pregnancy) were related to increased odds of distorted, compared to balanced classification. Pregnancy stress had the largest association. Positive experiences from childhood did not buffer the association between stress and representations. Findings highlight the importance of stress on prenatal representations of one’s child.

Revisiting the childcare–attachment question: under what conditions is childcare participation associated with mother–child attachment security?

ABSTRACT Decades have passed since the controversy regarding the putative risks of childcare for mother–child attachment broke out. Yet, some uncertainty remains, as relevant studies have produced inconsistent evidence. Some have proposed that those conflicting findings may be due to the fact that the effects of childcare are conditioned on parenting. Accordingly, this study examined whether relations between childcare participation and mother–child attachment vary according to maternal sensitivity and autonomy support. In this sample of 236 mother–child dyads, there was no indication of main effects of childcare participation on attachment. There were, however, some interactive effects, such that the children who showed the least secure attachment behaviors were those who did not attend childcare and had either less sensitive or less autonomy-supportive mothers. The findings suggest that the effects of childcare on mother–child attachment are best understood in light of the parenting children receive at home.

The unanticipated side effects of an attachment intervention: Parents ask higher quality questions.

Research suggests foster children are at risk for poor language skills. One intervention, attachment and biobehavioral catch-up (ABC), was shown to successfully improve not only young foster children's attachment to their parents, but also their receptive vocabulary skills (Bernard et al., 2017; Raby et al., 2019). Given that language acquisition is intricately linked to parents' sensitive interactions with their children, we ask whether the ABC intervention also improves the quality of parents' talk addressed to children. We test whether the ABC intervention results in more conversational turns between parents and their children. Crucially, we also look within these conversational turns, assessing the number and types of questions that parents ask children. Results suggest that parents who received the ABC intervention do not have more conversational turns or ask higher numbers of questions, compared to parents who received the control intervention. Rather, parents in the ABC group ask a higher proportion of child-led and restatement questions, and a lower proportion of parent-led and pedagogical questions, compared to the control. Additionally, the higher proportion of child-led questions were related to higher parental sensitivity scores. Together, these results suggest that an intervention originally designed to improve children's socioemotional outcomes had positive benefits for the quality of conversations between parents and children. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Perceptions of the effect of parental deportation on adult intimate relationships.

Research has shown that children of undocumented Latinx parents in the United States are at greater risk for negative long-term effects on their mental health and overall well-being. Chief among these concerns are the negative effects of disrupted attachment processes, as deported parents are often taken from their families by force and required to parent from afar, if they can continue parenting at all. Despite the ubiquity of deported families, little is known about the effects of deportation on the attachment of left-behind children and the subsequent potential disruptive effect of deportation on their adult relationships. This phenomenological study aims to understand how adults who have experienced parental deportation in their childhood describe the effects of that event on their adult intimate relationships. Themes of (1) ambiguous loss; (2) inability to trust others; (3) fear of separation from loved ones; and (4) shame emerged and are discussed considering existing literature on attachment theory, immigration, and the Latinx population. Treatment implications are also discussed.

Exploring promotion factors of resilience among emergency nurses: a qualitative study in Shanghai, China

ObjectiveTo qualitatively explore the factors that enhance resilience among emergency nurses (ENs).DesignThis study is an exploratory qualitative investigation. Semistructured in-depth interviews were used for data collection, while qualitative content analysis...

Using randomized controlled trials to ask questions regarding developmental psychopathology: A tribute to Dante Cicchetti.

Dante Cicchetti, the architect of developmental psychopathology, has influenced so many of us in profound ways. One of his many contributions was in demonstrating the power of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) to study the effects of Child-Parent Psychotherapy (CPP). These RCTs have shed light on causal mechanisms in development. Following Cicchetti and colleagues' work, we designed a brief home visiting program, Attachment and Biobehavioral Catch-up (ABC), to help parents respond in sensitive, nurturing ways, so as to enhance children's attachment and self-regulatory capabilities. In the current study, we assessed adolescents' reports of the closeness of their relationships with their mothers 12 years after their mothers completed the intervention. A total of 142 adolescents participated (47 randomized to ABC, 45 randomized to a control intervention, and 50 from a low-risk comparison group). Adolescents whose mothers had been randomized to ABC reported closer relationships with their mothers than adolescents randomized to the control condition, with significant differences seen on approval, support, companionship, and emotional support subscales. Consistent with Cicchetti et al.'s work, these results provide powerful evidence of the long-term effects of an early parenting intervention.

The impact of out-of-home care on brain development: a brief review of the neuroscientific evidence informing our understanding of children's attachment outcomes.

Researchers interested in the effects of early experiences of caregiving adversity have employed neuroscientific methods to illuminate whether and how such environmental input impacts on brain development, and whether and how such impacts underpin poor socioemotional outcomes in this population. Evidence is compelling in documenting negative effects on the individual's neurodevelopment following exposure to adverse or disadvantaged environments such as institutionalization or maltreatment. Neuroimaging research focused specifically on attachment-relevant processing of socioemotional stimuli and attachment outcomes among children looked-after is scarcer, but largely consistent. This review begins by summarizing the key general brain structural and functional alterations associated with caregiving deprivation. Then, neuroscientific evidence that is more directly relevant for understanding these children's attachment outcomes, both by employing social stimuli and by correlating children's neural markers with their attachment profiles, is reviewed. Brief interpretations of findings are suggested, and key limitations and gaps in the literature identified.

Contributions and Challenges of Psychodynamic Play Therapy- With Foster Children and Their Many Parents

This article describes the important contributions provided by the psychodynamic approach to the psychotherapy and treatment of children in foster care. It was written in consideration of the dearth of literature about foster care of children in Israel. Foster care comprises transient substitute parenting, whose aim is to provide a family experience with benevolent parental figures to foster children whose parents were unable to raise them, and to provide for these children have experienced extensive cumulative trauma during their childhood. Removing a child from their home inevitably adds an additional traumatic experience, and their adjustment to foster care is dependent on their past and particularly, their past history of attachments. Internal models of attachment figures who were experienced as neglectful or abusive, impede the attachment of children to new benevolent attachment figures. The characteristics of the therapeutic encounter with foster children are illustrated by means of a clinical case. Difficulty in establishing a trusting relationship, absence of playfulness, deep deprivation of primary needs, traumatic reenactments and an interal world sated with destruction and loss, manifested in the play and in the therapeutic relationship. Reflective observation of the transference processes and those of the countertransferences and projective identifications opened an avenue to explore and rehabilitate the internalized representations of the childr treated and contributed to the expansion of the emotional capacities of the therapist to contain the difficult experiences. The therapeutic sessions with children in foster care challenge therapists with their intense emergent emotions. Consequently, it is important to provide parallel accompanying supervision to therapists as this enhances the containment of their internal worlds and supports their capacities to consider therapeutic interventions and to contain the relationships that develop. In the parallel process the therapists who facilitate the expression of the needs and feelings of the child in the process, provide essential support to the child in connecting to themselves to their latent hopefulness and their inner resources. By means of the benevolent therapeutic presence and encounter that is experienced, a corrective internalization may be acquired by the child, in contrast to the experiences of arbitrariness, instability and loss that were experienced in their pasts.

Evaluating the impact of attachment and trauma training for children’s social care teams

Embedding attachment- and trauma-informed knowledge and skills throughout the services that support children and families who have experienced developmental trauma is vital to meeting the needs of this population. The current pilot study provides provisional data regarding the impact of training delivered by the Gwent Attachment Service to increase awareness and use of attachment- and trauma-informed working across social care teams within Gwent. The training package comprised two-days’ training plus six skill development sessions (SDS) delivered to 274 staff within 21 social care teams within Gwent. Staff self-rated their knowledge of, confidence in, and worries about working in an attachment- and trauma-informed way at three time points; pre-training, post-training and post-skill sessions. Statistical analyses revealed significant increases in staff knowledge and confidence pre-post training, plus a significant decrease in worries pre-post training. Whilst a significant decrease in knowledge and confidence, and significant increase in worries was seen between post-training to post-SDS, the final post-SDS ratings remained significantly improved compared to pre-training. Whilst preliminary given the current study limitations, such findings suggest that the current training and SDS programme successfully improved and maintained knowledge, confidence and level of worry regarding attachment- and trauma-informed working. They also demonstrate the feasibility of National Health Service-based teams delivering such training to improve the service offered to children and families affected by developmental trauma, in keeping with the values of prudent healthcare and taking a whole-systems approach to addressing the needs of this population.

The Impact of Family Functionality on Internet Addiction in Left-Behind Children

This study explores the influence of two aspects of family functionality, namely parent-child attachment and parental discipline, on internet addiction in left-behind children. It investigates the relationship between parent-child attachment, parental discipline, and internet addiction in left-behind children, in order to provide recommendations for the creation of a positive family environment for these children and the maintenance of their psychological well-being. The study employed cluster sampling, with fifth and sixth-grade students from two rural primary schools in Qingdao, Shandong Province, as participants for a three-month investigation. It is concluded that there is a negative correlation between family functionality and internet addiction in left-behind children. The research reveals that parent-child attachment and parental discipline directly impact the psychological health and developmental environment of left-behind children, which imposes an indirect influence on the likelihood of internet addiction in these children. Therefore, greater parental education on the psychological well-being of left-behind children, along with positive care and supervision, contributes to a high-quality developmental environment, reduces the incidence of internet addiction and facilitates the positive growth and development of children.

Parental pathological narcissism and child depression: the indirect effects of child attachment and perspective taking

Parental pathological narcissism and child depression: the indirect effects of child attachment and perspective taking

Antidote to Developmental Trauma: A Report on Findings from the “Adoption and Attachment Representations” Study

ABSTRACT This paper is a summary of findings from the “Adoption and Attachment Representations” study which was a collaboration between the Anna Freud Centre, Great Ormond Street, and Coram that focused on the nature and development of parent and child attachment representations in an adoption context. The study began with Adult Attachment Interview assessments of both mothers and fathers who would go on to adopt a group of 58 previously maltreated children aged four to eight years. There was also a comparison group of 42 children, also aged four to eight years but who had been adopted in their infancy. The children were assessed early in their adoptive placement, with the Story Stem Assessment Profile in order to focus on their attachment representations along with a range of cognitive and psychological functioning assessments. The parents were interviewed using the Parent Development Interview to access their attachment representations of their children. These assessments were repeated one year and two years later with subsequent follow-ups in early adolescence and a recently completed phase in the adoptees’ adulthood. The study is unique in exploring aspects of intergenerational patterns of attachment in nonbiologically related parents and children in a longitudinal design. The findings suggest that parental attachment states of mind are associated with their children’s attachment representations and the “intervention” of adoption is powerful with “late placed” children adopting more secure themes in their story stem narratives over time while also retaining some less optimal features such as avoidance and disorganization. The paper makes links with previous developmental and psychoanalytic work in the field of adoption and explores the potential policy implications of the study.

Parent–child attachment and mental health among college students: the mediating role of security and the moderating role of problematic smartphone use

Parent–child attachment and mental health among college students: the mediating role of security and the moderating role of problematic smartphone use

Quantifying the Quality of Parent-Child Interaction Through Machine-Learning Based Audio and Video Analysis: Towards a Vision of AI-assisted Coaching Support for Social Workers

Attachment is the emotional bonding between a child and a caregiver. Whether or not there is a secure attachment in early childhood has a profound life-long impact on the child. In recent years, attachment-based interventions have been developed and implemented, especially with families from low socioeconomic backgrounds. One important aspect of the program is to assess the quality of parent-child interactions through audio/video recorded at home while parent-child dyads were engaged in semi-structured interaction tasks, such as “three-bag-assessment.” The current practice relies on human coders to rate the videos, which is a time-consuming process. Using a dataset of 220 video recordings of parent-child dyads collected at home as part of an attachment-based intervention program, we prototype a machine learning approach based on human body keypoints extracted from the posture analysis tool OpenPose and voice activity features derived from audio recordings. The results show that there are potential values in using machine learning to improve the coding efficiency of parent-child interactions. When further developed and improved, this kind of model may contribute to a new vision of AI-assisted parenting coaching support to make evidence-based interventions accessible and affordable at a large scale to children and families.

Childhood trauma histories in men and women assessed by the childhood attachment and relational trauma screen (CARTS) and the global psychotrauma screen (GPS): Results from the global collaboration on traumatic stress (GC-TS)

BackgroundWhether there are biological sex differences in rates of childhood trauma exposure perpetrated by female versus male biological parents remains largely unknown. Moreover, the relative risk posed by various vulnerability factors for transdiagnostic mental health outcomes among females vs. males in adulthood has received insufficient attention. ObjectiveTo compare biological sex differences in the long-term impact of childhood abuse and neglect on transdiagnostic mental health outcomes, especially comparing the outcomes of childhood maltreatment perpetrated by biological mothers vs. fathers. Participants and setting3129 participants (2784 female [89 %]) were recruited online, the majority (82 %) of whom endorsed having a childhood trauma history and a high number of mental health problems. MethodsOnline surveys were administered. Specifically, the Childhood Attachment and Relational Trauma Screen (CARTS) was completed as a relationally-contextualized screening measure of both positive and traumatic-neglectful experiences during childhood, comparing severity of perpetration by male vs. female biological parents. Further, the Global Psychotrauma Screen (GPS) was completed to assess the relative risk of five vulnerability factors, including childhood abuse and neglect, for long-term transdiagnostic mental health outcomes. Statistical analyses elucidate group differences between males and females primarily by way of t-tests and associated effect sizes (Cohen's d). ResultsBiological sex differences were shown for childhood maltreatment perpetration by male vs. female biological parents, wherein responses to CARTS showed that females reported that their biological mothers exhibited less positivity (d = 0.21), less attachment security (d = 0.22), more negative feelings toward them (d = 0.28), were more emotionally abusive (d = 0.17), and held more negative relational beliefs about them (d = 0.24). Comparably, males reported that their biological fathers were more physically abusive (d = 0.15) and that they held more negative relational beliefs toward their fathers (d = 0.25). Risk factors including having a history of childhood trauma and neglect were associated with transdiagnostic mental health problems among both females (d = 0.57) and males (d = 0.46), with other risk factors evidencing similar results. ConclusionsChildhood trauma and neglect is a risk factor for transdiagnostic mental health outcomes among both females and males, although the two biological sexes may exhibit different levels of risk of being maltreated by female and male biological parents. Specifically, females reported having more emotionally abusive biological mothers, while males reported having more physically abusive biological fathers.

Exploring the Impact of Attachment to School Counselors on Moral Emotion Development in Slow Learners: A Case Study in Central Java Inclusive Schools

Emotion becomes an integral part that derives children's moral behavior. Moral emotion controls moral transgression by making children aware of the consequences of their actions. However, not all children can control their emotions, e.g., slow learners. The slow learners in this study are students in inclusive schools in Central Java. Their status as inclusive students resulted in feelings of alienation, even bullying. One factor affecting moral emotions is children's attachment to attachment figures, including school counselors. This study aims to determine the attachment pattern between slow learners and school counselors in developing moral emotions. This research used a qualitative method with a case study approach. Data was collected by interviews, direct observations, focused group discussions (FGD), and documentation. The results showed that the level of slow learners‘ attachment security was affected by school counselors‘ affection, responsiveness, sensitivity, and availability, both physically and emotionally. Higher security slow learners demonstrated higher trust and disclosure, and are emotionally attached to school counselors compared to those with lower security. On the other hand, attachment is associated with moral emotions of shame, guilt, and righteous anger but is not significantly associated with empathy. The findings are expected to increase awareness of school counselors in showing support and affection toward slow learners in inclusive schools, especially while providing services to fulfill guidance and counseling functions of understanding, development, and prevention.

Early childhood attachment stability to mothers, fathers, and both parents as a network: associations with parents' well-being, marital relationship, and child behavior problems

ABSTRACT This study examines the stability of child attachment to mothers and fathers separately, and to both parents as a network between the infancy and preschool periods using a sample of 143 biparental families and their children (73 boys) recruited from the general population. Attachment was assessed at 15 months with the Strange Situation Procedure (SSP) and at 45 months with the Preschool Attachment Classification Coding System (PACS). First, results show no stability in attachment to mothers, to fathers, or to both parents as a network. Second, parents’ mental health, life satisfaction, marital satisfaction, and child externalizing behavior are associated with attachment stability. Taken altogether, group comparisons reveal that children with a stable secure attachment to both parents as a network have parents with higher levels of well-being and exhibit less problem behaviors than children with 1) a stable secure attachment to one parent and an unstable attachment to the other parent (from secure to insecure or from insecure to secure), or 2) who never had a stable secure attachment to either parent. This study highlights the significance of attachment to both parents as a network over time as it is associated with developmental outcomes.

The effectiveness of the SATIR approach on parent-child attachment among adolescent mothers: a before-after study

Background Mother–child attachment is influenced by various factors, particularly social norms. It’s crucial to consider the impact of cultural contexts and societal expectations on parent-child attachment. Objective The study investigated the influence of counseling based on SATIR’s theory on parent-child attachment in Iranian adolescent mothers. Methods The study adopts a before-after design. It involves 33 adolescent mothers and their husbands. They received 6 sessions of counseling based on SATIR’s approach. Data were collected using the Maternal Postnatal Attachment Scale (MPAS) in the pretest, post-test, and 6 weeks after the end of the counseling sessions. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and repeated measures ANOVA at a 95% confidence level. Results The mean total score of the MPAS was 68.75 ± 7.7 in the pretest, 75.17 ± 6.44 in the post-test, and 77.75 ± 6.12 in the follow-up period which has increased over time (p = 0.001). The repeated measures ANOVA demonstrated the effectiveness of the intervention in enhancing overall attachment scores (59%) and the subscales of ‘quality of attachment’ by 56%, ‘absence of hostility’ by 21%, and ‘pleasure in interaction’ by 27%. Conclusion The study shows that using the SATIR approach effectively improves mother-child attachment in adolescent mothers after giving birth. Also, involving spouses in postpartum counseling programs seems to be a helpful strategy, indicating it should be taken into account by professionals in this area.

Psychometric evaluation of the Parental Reflective Functioning Questionnaire in Polish mothers.

Parental reflective functioning (PRF) refers to a parent's capacity to reflect on and understand the inner mental states of their child, their own mental states with regard to their child, and how these mental states may influence their behavior and interactions. This capacity has been shown to foster secure attachment in children and their socio-emotional development. The present study examined the psychometric properties of the Polish translation of the Parental Reflective Functioning Questionnaire (PRFQ), a brief screening measure of PRF, in a large community sample of Polish mothers of children aged 0-5 years (N = 979). Confirmatory factor analysis supported the hypothesized three-factor structure of the PRFQ, which consists of three subscales: prementalizing modes, certainty about mental states, and interest and curiosity in mental states. However, item loadings suggested that the 15-item version fitted the data better than the original 18-item version. These three PRFQ subscales exhibited satisfactory and moderate six-month test-retest reliability. They also correlated in theoretically expected ways with several criterion measures such as maternal attachment, maternal parenting stress, parental role restriction, depression severity, and borderline symptoms. In conclusion, this study is the first to provide preliminary evidence for the reliability and validity of the PRFQ as a measure of parental reflective functioning in Polish mothers.

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.