Insecure Attachment In Children Research Articles

Parental representations after preterm birth: a narrative review.

Preterm birth accounts for nearly 15 million births annually worldwide and constitutes a considerable risk factor for atypical development. This birth context is a source of stress for the parents and often leads to an early separation between their child and them. Research on the influence of the birth status on the infant's attachment style has shown no systematic link between preterm birth and the development of insecure attachment in children born preterm. This has opened up research perspectives in understanding the role of environmental factors. A literature review was conducted to present an overview of the current findings on parental representations (PR), particularly maternal ones, and their role in the context of preterm birth. PR quality appears to be associated with specific dyadic interaction patterns, thus exposing vulnerability factors. Studies exploring PR have pointed out the importance of considering parental mental elaboration mechanisms and contextual moderators in supporting socio-emotional development among children born preterm. We discussed the challenges of investigating PR in the context of preterm birth for future studies and emphasized the need for research studies to be conducted according to a developmental and non-deterministic perspective. This narrative review also aimed to highlight the importance of family centered care interventions in the context of a public policy focused on the child's "First 1,000 days" of life.

A combination of maternal and paternal features discriminates between children with secure and insecure attachment style

Child-caregiver attachment security has been associated with positive developmental outcomes. However, many aspects related to the parenting environment, besides attachment organization, should be considered in the prediction of offspring’s attachment. We aimed at building an ecological classification model of child attachment based on many variables related to the individual and dyadic features of both parents. Having recruited 150 families, we fed a stepwise logistic regression analysis, aimed at discriminating between secure and insecure child attachment. This contained information regarding parental stress, parental avoidance and anxiety in romantic relationships, quality of the romantic relationship and parental involvement. Paternal responsibility, paternal perception of the quality of the romantic relationship and maternal attachment avoidance were the most discriminative variables in the model (all p<.05). Findings support the importance of not limiting investigations to maternal factors, but rather making the investigation of attachment-related factors broader by assessing maternal, paternal and dyadic features.

From Early Micro-Temporal Interaction Patterns to Child Cortisol Levels: Toward the Role of Interactive Reparation and Infant Attachment in a Longitudinal Study.

Parental mental disorders increase the risk for insecure attachment in children. However, the quality of caregiver–infant interaction plays a key role in the development of infant attachment. Dyadic interaction is frequently investigated via global scales which are too rough to uncover micro-temporal mechanisms. Prior research found that the latency to reparation of uncoordinated dyadic states is associated with infant behavioral and neuroendocrine regulation. We investigated the hypothesis that this interactive mechanism is critical in predicting secure vs. insecure attachment quality in infancy. We also assessed the predictive quality of infant attachment regarding neuroendocrine reactivity later in childhood. A subsample of N = 58 dyads (n = 22 mothers with anxiety disorders, n = 36 controls) from a larger study were analyzed. At 3–8 months postpartum, maternal anxiety disorders were diagnosed via a structured clinical interview as well as dyadic interaction during the Face-to-Face-Still-Face (FFSF) was observed and coded on a micro-temporal scale. Infant attachment quality was assessed with the strange situation paradigm at 12–24 months of age. In an overlapping subsample of N = 39 (n = 13 mothers with anxiety disorder; n = 26 controls), we assessed child cortisol reactivity at 5 to 6 years of age. Generalized linear modeling revealed that longer latencies to interactive reparation during the reunion episode of the FFSF as well as maternal diagnosis at 3–8 months of age predict insecure attachment in children aged 12–24 months. Cox regressions demonstrated that dyads with infants who developed insecure attachment at 12–24 months of age were 48% less likely to achieve an interactive reparation at 3–8 months of age. Mixed models revealed that compared to securely attached children, children who had developed an insecure attachment at 12–24 months of age had an increased cortisol reactivity at 5 to 6 years of age during free play. The results confirm the hypothesis that the development of attachment is affected by experienced micro-temporal interactive patterns besides diagnostic categories. They also showed that infants of mothers with postpartum anxiety disorders have a more than fivefold increased risk of developing an insecure attachment than the infants of the control group. Moreover, results imply that these patterns may influence neurohormonal regulation even in preschool aged children.

Remarkable high frequency of insecure attachment in children with ADHD persists in a three-year follow-up

Background Studies have pointed to a complicated and mutual relationship between attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and attachment. In an observational follow-up study conducted in 2015 60 children from 7 years to 12 years recently diagnosed with ADHD were included and assessed according to attachment representation showing 85% of the children to be insecurely attached. Aim The aim of this study was to investigate the stability of this remarkably high frequency of insecure attachment in the same cohort of children. Methods Children previously assessed using the child attachment interview (CAI) when diagnosed with ADHD were contacted three years later for a follow-up CAI assessment. Results At follow-up, 31 children participated in the CAI-interviews. Since their diagnosis with ADHD, the children had received treatment as usual. The CAI-interviews showed a continued high rate of insecure attachment with 90% of the children classifying as insecurely attached compared to expected 38% in the normal population. Of these, the majority of children (77%) were classified as dismissing. Conclusion Our findings suggest that targeting ADHD-symptoms with our current treatment strategies does not in itself improve attachment security. Attachment security may in turn be a factor of importance when evaluating general functioning and prognosis.

Връзката между родителската рефлексивна функция, привързаността и развитието на психопатология при децата

This article presents a theoretical overview of the relationship between parental reflective function, attachment style and the development of child psychopathology. The concept of parental reflective function was developed by Peter Fonaghi and his colleagues. Reflexive functioning is defined as the ability to imagine our mental states, emotions and desires, as well as those of others. The ability to interpret and integrate past relational experience is seen as a high capacity for parental reflection. Central constructs in the theory of attachment are: the sensitive response of the mother, the internal working models and representations, the quality of attachment and the sense of security. In the process of developing attachment, the child builds Internal working models, which are formed on the basis of real relationships and participate in building representations of relationships. Arieta Slade and her colleagues believe that higher levels of reflective functioning are associated with secure attachment in children and conversely lower levels of reflective functioning are associated with insecure attachment in children, such as mothers of children who resist and are disorganized, they have the lowest levels of reflective functioning. Low levels of reflective functioning allow the baby's adaptive mechanisms to be distorted and to develop the pathological ways of interaction with the parent.

The μ-opioid receptor gene A118G polymorphism is associated with insecure attachment in children with disruptive mood regulation disorder and their mothers.

BackgroundThe A118G single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) of the μ‐opioid receptor gene, with high expression of the A allele and low expression of the G allele, has been associated with emotional/behavioral dysregulation and depressive disorders and is recognized as a mediator of affiliative behavior. No study has thus far investigated this SNP in school‐age children with disruptive mood regulation disorder (DMDD). This study compared a sample of healthy children and their mothers with a sample of children with DMDD and their mothers, evaluating whether insecure attachment and psychopathological symptoms are associated with A allele‐ or G allele‐carrying mothers and children and whether caregiving capacities are associated with A allele‐ or G allele‐carrying mothers.MethodsFor evaluation of their psychopathological symptoms and attachment styles, mothers filled out the CBCL/6‐18, the SCL‐90‐R, and the ECR. To evaluate the types of relationship children were experiencing with their mothers, children filled out the ECR‐revised child version and the PBI. Genotypic analyses were conducted on DNA samples obtained by buccal swabbing from children and mothers.ResultsAn insecure attachment style was more frequent in mothers and children carrying the G allele (G/G + A/G genotypes). In the clinical sample, G allele‐carrying children scored higher than homozygous A/A ones on the subscales of Withdrawal and Conduct Problems. G‐carrying mothers showed higher interpersonal sensitivity, depression, hostility, and paranoid ideation and provided less care than A/A mothers.ConclusionsThis study offers new insights into the associations between the A118G SNP of the μ‐opioid receptor gene and emotional/behavioral functioning, attachment style in children, and psychopathology and caregiving ability in mothers.

Depression, Alcohol Abuse, and Alcoholism in One versus Two Parents and the Implications for Child Attachment and Self-Regulation in Infancy through Adolescence.

This study's purpose was to determine whether the influence of combined parental disorders can cause greater frequency in the occurrence of insecure child attachment and dysfunctions in self-regulation as opposed to the influence of one parent having a disorder. The research design is a quantitative meta-analysis that combined effects from 10 studies to establish differences in the frequency of occurrence for insecure child attachment and dysfunctions in self-regulation through an examination of Cohen's d. Global analysis of Cohen's effect (d) indicated that children being reared by two disordered parents had higher frequency in occurrence of insecure attachment and self-regulation dysfunction than those children reared by only one disordered parent. By addressing the issues surrounding the child population where both parents are disordered, children would have a better chance at healthy development by way of interventions that minimize the occurrence of child psychopathology and foster improvements in the social and overall human condition.

Beyond Meta-Analysis: A Plea for a Family Systems View of Attachment

De Wolff and van Ijzendoorn's (1997) meta-analysis of parental antecedents of infant attachment focuses almost entirely on maternal behavior. I argue here that although the meta-analysis method makes an important contribution to summarizing research studies, it limits the conceptual understanding of attachment to simple causal models, and ignores family systems models that could illuminate our understanding of the development of secure and insecure attachment in children.