Maternal Attachment Anxiety Research Articles

Pathways of Intergenerational Risk: Examining the Association Between Maternal Adverse Childhood Experiences and Child Socio-Emotional and Behavioral Concerns at 8 Years of Age.

Support has been found for the intergenerational transmission of risk from maternal adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) to child outcomes. Less research has focused on longitudinal psychosocial pathways that account for this transmission. In the current study, path analysis examined mediating pathways (i.e., maternal adult attachment insecurity, romantic relationship functioning, and maternal anxiety and depression symptoms) in the association between maternal ACEs and internalizing and externalizing concerns among their child at eight years of age. Participants included 1,994 mother-child dyads from a prospective longitudinal cohort sample. Maternal ACEs were significantly associated directly with child internalizing concerns (β = .06, p = .025) and indirectly via both maternal attachment anxiety and avoidance, lower romantic relationship functioning, and depression, (β = .002, p = .006; β = .003, p = .005, respectively). Maternal ACEs were directly associated with child externalizing concerns (β = .06, p = .018) and indirectly via both maternal attachment anxiety and avoidance, lower romantic relationship functioning, and depression, (β = .001, p = .008; β = .002, p = .010, respectively). This study identified several maternal risk factors that have implications for downstream internalizing and externalizing concerns among their children.

Associations Between Adult Attachment, Maternal Emotion Socialization and Child Behavior.

Attachment theories suggest that the adult attachment styles of mothers may influence behavior problems among their children; however, empirical studies examining the direct role of maternal adult attachment styles and the mechanisms through emotion-related parenting are scarce. This study examined the influence of maternal adult attachment styles and emotion-related parenting on child internalizing and externalizing problems. The participants were 409 mothers with children aged 4-5years. A questionnaire survey was conducted to obtain their adult attachment styles to their mothers, maternal emotion socialization, and their children's behavior problems. The results of structural equation modelling (SEM) analyses revealed that maternal adult attachment influenced child behavior problems directly and indirectly through maternal emotion socialization. (1) Maternal attachment anxiety directly affected child externalizing problems, and indirectly affected them via mothers' higher unsupportive emotion socialization (dismissing and dysfunction). Moreover, attachment anxiety influenced child internalizing problems directly, and indirectly via mothers' higher unsupportive emotion socialization (dysfunction). (2) Furthermore, attachment avoidance indirectly impacted child externalizing problems via mothers' lower supportive emotion socialization (coaching). These results suggested that maternal adult attachment styles and emotion-related parenting have important implications for the development of child behaviors. Future interventions should target parental factors to mitigate the risk of behavior problems among preschoolers.

Maternal adult attachment and mother-adolescent attachment: the chain mediating role of marital satisfaction and harsh parenting.

This study explored the relationship between maternal adult attachment and mother-adolescent attachment based on the attachment theory and spillover hypothesis of family systems theory. A survey research was conducted on 992 mothers and adolescents using a convenience sampling method. A survey research was conducted on 992 Chinese mothers and adolescents using a convenience sampling method. The results indicated that (1) maternal adult attachment avoidance and anxiety were significantly negatively related to maternal marital satisfaction and mother-adolescent attachment, and significantly positively related to maternal harsh parenting; maternal adult attachment anxiety was a significant direct predictor of mother-adolescent attachment; (2) Maternal marital satisfaction and maternal harsh parenting mediated the significant effect between maternal adult attachment and mother-adolescent attachment, specifically pathways contained three: a separate mediating effect of maternal marital satisfaction, a separate mediating effect of maternal harsh parenting, and a chain mediating effect of maternal marital satisfaction and maternal harsh parenting. The findings suggest that maternal adult attachment, marital satisfaction, and harsh parenting behaviors can have significant effects on adolescents' mother-adolescent attachment.

Associations between attachment-related variables in fifth and sixth graders and their mothers in Japan

Obtaining data from non-Western cultural contexts is essential for enhancing the cross-cultural validity of attachment theory. This study investigated the associations among maternal attachment style, maternal willingness to serve as an attachment figure, and children’s attachment security in middle childhood in Japan. Sample 1 included a nationwide web survey of 104 dyads of fifth and sixth graders and their mothers. Sample 2 included 53 dyads in an in-person questionnaire survey conducted in Kyoto. In both Samples 1 and 2, the results revealed (1) negative Spearman’s rank correlation coefficients between maternal attachment anxiety and children’s attachment security, (2) positive Pearson’s product-moment correlation coefficients between maternal willingness to serve as an attachment figure and children’s attachment security, and (3) negative Pearson’s product-moment correlation coefficients between maternal attachment anxiety and maternal willingness to serve as an attachment figure. Our data could enhance the cross-cultural validity of attachment in fifth and sixth graders, and suggest that the influence of maternal attachment styles on parental responsiveness changes in middle childhood.

Differential effects of maternal- and paternal-adolescent attachments on friendship security and intimacy.

The present study examined the differential contributions of adolescent-reported maternal and paternal attachment anxiety and avoidance on friendship security and intimacy. Participants were 776 Canadian adolescents between the ages of 13 and 19 years (M=15.18, SD=1.58) who provided ratings of their perceived attachment avoidance and anxiety towards their mothers and fathers and responded to measures of friendship security and intimacy. Findings showed that maternal and paternal attachment avoidance and not anxiety negatively predicted friendship security. Moreover, maternal attachment avoidance was negatively associated with friendship intimacy. Multigroup analyses showed that security was negatively predicted by maternal anxious attachment for junior high school boys and girls. Additionally, paternal avoidant attachment was negatively associated with friendship intimacy for junior high school boys and girls. These findings highlight the unique effects associated with maternal and paternal attachment on specific friendship features and underscore the importance of the role of fathers in adolescence.

Using fNIRS to study Mother-Child Brain-to-Brain Synchrony in Typical and Atypical Contexts

A potential avenue of investigating the caregiver-infant relationship lies in caregiver-infant synchrony, which refers to the coordinated interplay of behavioural and physiological signals reflecting the bi-directional attunement of one individual to the other’s psychophysiological, cognitive, emotional and behavioural state. Here, we aim to study how early naturalistic caregiver-infant interactions give raise to caregiver-infant attachment, which influences physiological and psychological processes by modulating brain sensitivity. Furthermore, we aim to study how caregiver-infant bond shapes neural pathways involved in socio-emotional regulation in typical and atypical contexts. We present new evidence from fNIRS hyperscanning studies, where we measured simultaneous caregiver (mothers, N=30 and fathers N=38) and child brain activity (N=70). From the mother-child hyperscanning study (Azhari et al., 2019; 2020; 2021), we have found that higher levels of parenting stress are correlated to lower mother-child brain-to-brain synchrony, especially in the areas of the medial left prefrontal cortex. Additionally, maternal anxious attachment (Azhari et al., 2020a) also correlated in lower mother-child synchrony in the frontal and medial left prefrontal regions. These areas contain structures implicated in the inference of mental states and social cognition, highlighting the role of psychological factors such as parenting stress and attachment style in the influence of caregiver-infant bond formation during naturalistic interactions. From the combined mother- and father-child free play sessions (Azhari et al., 2020b), behavioural data revealed that parenting stress and caregivers’ recall of their past bonding experiences their own parents interact with each other to influence the eventual quality of dyadic interaction with their child. Disclosure No significant relationships.

Attachment insecurity partially mediates the relationship between childhood trauma and depression severity in bipolar disorder.

BackgroundChildhood trauma is associated with greater depression severity among individuals with bipolar disorder. However, the mechanisms that explain the link between childhood trauma and depression severity in bipolar disorder remain poorly understood. The mediational role of attachment insecurity in childhood and adulthood was assessed in the current study.MethodsParticipants with bipolar disorder (N = 143) completed measures of childhood trauma (Childhood Trauma Questionnaire), attachment insecurity (Experiences in Close Relationships Scale) and depression severity (Hamilton Depression Rating Scale) as part of the Prechter Longitudinal Study of Bipolar Disorder. A sequential mediation model was tested using path analysis: the direct and indirect effects of childhood trauma on depression severity with attachment insecurity (attachment anxiety and avoidance) in childhood (mother and father) and adulthood (partner) as mediators were estimated.ResultsThe final path model demonstrated an excellent fit to the data (comparative fit index = 0.996; root mean square error of approximation = 0.021 [90% confidence interval = 0.000–0.073]). Supporting the hypothesised sequential mediation model, maternal attachment anxiety in childhood and romantic attachment avoidance in adulthood partially mediated the relationship between childhood trauma and depression severity; this effect accounted for 12% of the total effect of childhood trauma on depression severity.ConclusionAttachment insecurity in childhood and adulthood form part of the complex mechanism informing why people with bipolar disorder who have a history of childhood trauma experience greater depression severity. Addressing attachment insecurity represents a valuable psychotherapeutic treatment target for bipolar disorder.

Factors Influencing Adolescent Anxiety: The Roles of Mothers, Teachers and Peers.

Grounded in social–ecological system theory, the present study tested the mediating effects of maternal psychological flexibility and mother–adolescent attachment on the relationship between maternal adult attachment and adolescent anxiety as well as the moderating effects of teacher support and peer support on the relationship between mother–adolescent attachment and adolescent anxiety. In total, 1139 Chinese mothers and adolescents completed a set of questionnaires, including the Experiences in Close Relationships Scale, Parental Psychological Flexibility Questionnaire, Inventory of Parent and Peer Attachment, Trait Anxiety Inventory, and Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support. The results revealed that maternal adult attachment had a positive impact on adolescent anxiety. The relationship between maternal adult attachment and adolescent anxiety was chain mediated by maternal psychological flexibility and mother–adolescent attachment. In addition, teacher support and peer support had moderating effects on the relationship between mother–adolescent attachment and adolescent anxiety. These findings support the systematic social ecosystem perspective and highlight the differences in the effects of different maternal adult attachment styles, teacher support, and peer support on adolescent anxiety.

A two-generation study: The transmission of attachment and young adults’ depression, anxiety, and social media addiction

Social media use is on the rise among young adults (YA) and evidence suggests a positive association between social media addiction (SMA) and the psychological symptoms of depression and anxiety globally. However, the contribution of attachment and its transgenerational influence on YAs’ SMA and psychological symptoms have not been widely explored. Thus, we examined how parental reports of attachment (anxiety and avoidance) can directly and through YAs’ attachment predict YAs’ SMA, depression and anxiety symptoms. A sample of 375 YAs (MAge = 21.22) and their parents completed the Emotions in Close Relationships-Revised Questionnaire (Fraley et al., 2000), and the Brief Symptom Inventory (Deragotis, 1992). The SMA Scale (Sahin, 2018) was responded to by only YAs. We tested the pattern of associations in a path model. Parental attachment anxiety predicted YAs’ attachment anxiety and only paternal attachment avoidance predicted YAs’ attachment avoidance. YAs’ attachment anxiety and avoidance predicted their depression and anxiety. However, YAs’ attachment anxiety uniquely predicted their SMA. Both parents’ attachment anxiety indirectly predicted the link between YAs’ attachment anxiety and depression, but only paternal attachment avoidance indirectly predicted the association between YAs’ attachment avoidance and depression. Furthermore, paternal attachment avoidance indirectly predicted the association between YAs’ attachment avoidance and anxiety symptoms. Maternal attachment anxiety indirectly predicted SMA via YAs’ attachment anxiety. While parental anxiety and paternal avoidance may impact YAs’ symptoms, YAs’ and maternal attachment anxiety can shape SMA. The findings about the differential role of attachment in YAs’ psychological symptoms and SMA can facilitate further research and interventions.

Non-physiological and Physiological Delivery Method: Comparison of Maternal Attachment Behaviors and Anxiety.

Introduction: Attachment is a stable connection or emotional knot between two individuals as one of the parties tries to maintain this connection. Delivery time as a turning point between two stages of attachment is very important.Methods: In a descriptive–analytical study based on specific inclusion criteria, 262 pregnant women were selected in the age range of 15-45 years old and the gestational age of 37 to 42 weeks who were candidates for physiological or non-physiological delivery. After obtaining written consent forms, the demographic information questionnaire was given to the participants. One hour after delivery, the attachment questionnaire was completed by the researcher in the postpartum ward. Also, the Spielberg anxiety inventory was completed up to 1 hour after delivery. Independent sample t test was used to compare the results between the two groups. Data were analyzed by SPSS software version 21.Results: The participants in the physiological delivery group showed more positive attachment behaviors in comparison with the other group. In all three dimensions of attachment (emotional, contiguous, and caring behavior), physiological delivery showed higher scores than the other group. Also in non-physiological delivery group, the participants had experienced higher levels of anxiety and the differences between the groups were not significant.Conclusion: Results of the current study indicated that mothers engaged in physiological delivery had higher scores in mother to child attachment behaviors. It means they are more successful than the non-physiological delivery group in getting attached to their babies.

Mother-child interactions among children with visual impairment: Addressing maternal attachment style, depression-anxiety symptoms, and child's behavioral problems.

The birth of a visually impaired child leads to stress, disappointment, and medical challenges for the family due to the economic and financial costs, unmet expectations of other family members, and social embarrassment-isolation of the family from society. In these families, mothers are exposed to the stressors more often than other family members, because, in most families, they are the primary caregivers. In this study, we examined the relationship between maternal attachment styles, maternal depression and anxiety levels, and behavioral problems of children with visual impairment. This is a case-control study. In the study group, there were 35 children with visual impairment, and in the control group, there were 31 healthy children. All mothers completed adult attachment style dimensions scales, beck depression, and anxiety inventories, and the aberrant behaviour checklist. Our results demonstrated that children with visual impairment have higher levels of behavior problems including irritability, stereotypic behavior, and inappropriate speech when compared with healthy controls. Contrary to our expectations depression and anxiety, scores of mothers were similar, also, there was not a difference in terms of maternal attachment types. Interestingly, there was a positive relationship between secure attachment and depression among mothers of the visual impairment group. In other words, securely attached mothers were more depressive. On the other hand, there was a positive relationship between anxious/ambivalent attachment and the child's irritability. The relationship between maternal depression and secure attachment could be a consequence of higher maternal sensitivity due to a child's impairment and should be evaluated in future studies.

Probing the association between maternal anxious attachment style and mother-child brain-to-brain coupling during passive co-viewing of visual stimuli

ABSTRACT Brain-to-brain coupling during co-viewing of video stimuli reflects similar intersubjective mentalisation processes. During an everyday joint activity of watching video stimuli (television shows) with her child, an anxiously attached mother’s preoccupation with her child is likely to distract her from understanding the mental state of characters in the show. To test the hypothesis that reduced coupling in the medial prefrontal cortex (PFC) would be observed with increasing maternal attachment anxiety (MAA), we profiled mothers’ MAA using the Attachment Style Questionnaire and used functional Near-infrared Spectroscopy (fNIRS) to assess PFC coupling in 31 mother-child dyads while they watched three 1-min animation videos together. Reduced coupling was observed with increasing MAA in the medial right PFC cluster which is implicated in mentalisation processes. This result did not survive control analyses and should be taken as preliminary. Reduced coupling between anxiously-attached mothers and their children during co-viewing could undermine quality of shared experiences.

Paternal and Maternal Attachment: A Multifaceted Perspective on Adolescents’ Friendship

This study examined the underpinnings of adolescents’ friendship from an attachment perspective, specifically focusing on the role of paternal attachment. In light that individual differences could moderate the association between parental attachment and friendship qualities, adolescent sex and age were also considered. Participants aged 13–19 (N = 776) reported the extent to which they felt anxiously and avoidantly attached to their mother and father. They also reported their perceived relationship with a close friend on three major qualities, including positive qualities, negative interactions, and relative power. Path analysis was first conducted to examine the relative roles of parental attachment and individual differences in predicting friendship qualities. Multi-group analysis was then performed to determine whether maternal and paternal attachment differentially predicted friendship qualities among junior and senior high school boys and girls. Results indicated that maternal attachment avoidance and anxiety were related to friendship qualities among boys. Not only was paternal attachment anxiety positively associated with power issues among junior high school boys, but it was also positively associated with negative interactions among boys and senior high school girls. Neither paternal nor maternal attachment were associated with friendship qualities among junior high school girls. Findings suggest that paternal and maternal attachment underlie friendship qualities in different ways and that fathers assume more than a complementary role in adolescence for both boys and girls.

Maternal adverse childhood experiences, attachment style, and mental health: Pathways of transmission to child behavior problems.

Investigations have found mothers' adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) confer an intergenerational risk to their children's outcomes. However, mechanisms underlying this transmission have only been partially explained by maternal mental health. Adult attachment insecurity has been shown to mediate the association of ACEs and mental health outcomes, yet an extension of this research to children's behavioral problems has not been examined. To examine the cascade from maternal ACEs to risk for child behavioral problems at five years of age, via mothers' attachment insecurity and mental health. Participants in the current study were 1994 mother-child dyads from a prospective longitudinal cohort collected from January 2011 to October 2014. Mothers retrospectively reported their ACEs when children were 36 months of age. When children were 60 months of age, mothers completed measures of their attachment style, depression and anxiety symptoms, and their children's behavior problems. Path analysis demonstrated maternal ACEs were associated with children's internalizing problems indirectly via maternal attachment avoidance, attachment anxiety, and depression symptoms, but not directly (β = .05, 95% CI [-.001, .10]). Maternal ACEs indirectly predicted children's externalizing problems via maternal attachment avoidance, attachment anxiety, and depression. A direct effect was also observed from maternal ACEs to child externalizing problems (β = .06, 95% CI [.01, .11]). Maternal ACEs influenced children's risk for poor behavioral outcomes via direct and indirect intermediary pathways. Addressing maternal insecure attachment style and depression symptoms as intervention targets for mothers with histories of ACEs may help to mitigate the intergenerational transmission of risk.

Links between attachment to parents and internalizing problems in adolescence: The mediating role of adolescents’ personality

The study examined concurrent relations between attachment to parents, Five-Factor Model personality traits, and internalizing problems in adolescence. The sample included 968 Croatian high school students (Mage = 15.16; 50.6% males). The results showed that both adolescent-mother and adolescent-father attachment related more strongly to adolescents’ depression than anxiety. There were no differences in the strength of associations between maternal versus paternal attachment and either depression or anxiety. Adolescents’ gender moderated the relation between attachment to father and depression, with stronger association found for girls than boys. Links between adolescent-mother and adolescent-father attachment and adolescents’ depression and anxiety were partially mediated by adolescents’ neuroticism and agreeableness. In addition, links between adolescent-mother and adolescent-father attachment and adolescents’ anxiety were partially mediated by adolescents’ openness to experience. The findings suggest that interventions focused on the quality of attachment to both parents and positive personality development may contribute to decreasing internalizing problems in adolescence.

Maternal attachment avoidance is linked to youth diurnal cortisol slopes in children with asthma

ABSTRACTPrior evidence suggests that an individual’s attachment orientation is linked to the health and health-related biology of his/her romantic relationship partners. The current study examined whether this effect extends to parent–child relationships. Specifically, we investigated the association between maternal attachment anxiety and avoidance and diurnal cortisol of offspring. In a sample of 138 youth with asthma and their primary caregivers, caregivers reported their attachment orientations, and their children (aged 10–17) supplied four saliva samples per day over four days to assess diurnal cortisol patterns. Growth curve analyses revealed no links to caregiver attachment anxiety, but caregiver attachment avoidance was significantly associated with children’s diurnal cortisol slopes, such that greater attachment avoidance predicted flatter diurnal cortisol slopes. Maternal warmth did not mediate this link. These results support the possibility that an individual’s adult attachment orientation may “get under the skin” of family members to influence their health-related biology. Future research should seek to determine the causal direction of this association and mechanisms of this effect.

Maternal attachment is differentially associated with mother–child reminiscing among maltreating and nonmaltreating families

In the current investigation, we examined associations between maternal attachment and the way that mothers and children discuss past emotional experiences (i.e., reminiscing) among 146 maltreating and 73 nonmaltreating mothers and their 3- to 6-year-old children. Recent studies demonstrate that maltreating mothers engage in less elaborative reminiscing compared with nonmaltreating mothers. To further explicate the nature of reminiscing among maltreating families, we examined maternal and child contributions to reminiscing, their interrelations, and associations with maternal attachment among dyads from maltreating and nonmaltreating families. Maternal attachment is theoretically and empirically associated with mother–child reminiscing, and an insecure maternal attachment style was hypothesized to exacerbate poor elaborative reminiscing among maltreating families. Mothers and children reminisced about four emotional experiences. Maternal attachment was measured with the Experience in Close Relationships–Revised questionnaire. Mothers and children from maltreating families engaged in less elaborative and emotion-rich reminiscing compared with nonmaltreating dyads. Maternal attachment anxiety was negatively associated with maternal elaborative reminiscing, but only among nonmaltreating mothers. Mother–child reminiscing among dyads with nonmaltreating and low attachment anxiety mothers was highly collaborative; whereas reminiscing among dyads with maltreating and high attachment anxiety mothers was less reciprocal. Our findings largely support communicative perspectives of attachment theory and also indicate that maternal attachment is differentially associated with mother–child reminiscing among maltreating and nonmaltreating families.

Attachment as a predictor of non response to CBT treatment in children with anxiety disorders

ABSTRACTChildren’s and parents’ attachment patterns have been linked with the presence of pediatric anxiety disorders. The present study examined the role of attachment in predicting cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) treatment outcomes. A total of 69 children aged 7–13 years were assessed using a semi-structured interview, and treated with CBT. Differences between responders and nonresponders with regard to pretreatment characteristics were explored, and the predictive power of factors significantly different between groups was assessed using binominal logistic regression. Responders and nonresponders did not significantly differ with regard to child’s attachment to parent. Maternal attachment anxiety was found to be the strongest predictor of treatment outcome, remaining significant after controlling for symptoms severity. Results suggest that clinicians should pay more attention to how the relationships formed between anxious children and their anxiously attached mothers may prohibit a positive treatment response, and augment treatment appropriately.

Searching for the Roots of Overprotective Parenting in Emerging Adulthood: Investigating the Link with Parental Attachment Representations Using An Actor Partner Interdependence Model (APIM)

The present study aims to examine why parents engage in overprotective parenting in interaction with their emerging adults. Specifically, this study used an Actor-Partner Interdependence Model to examine associations between parental attachment representations (both maternal and paternal attachment anxiety and avoidance), parental separation anxiety, and parental overprotection. Additionally, we examined whether maternal attachment, separation anxiety, and overprotection predicted the emerging adult’s actual living situation (at home / away from home) 1 year later, and maternal negative affect regarding emerging adults’ home-leaving. The sample consisted of Caucasian participants and included 246 adolescents in their final year of secondary school (mean age Time 1 = 17.14) and their parents (242 mothers, 218 fathers). Results showed that both maternal and paternal attachment anxiety related to more maternal and paternal separation anxiety, respectively (p’s < .001). In turn, separation anxiety in mothers and fathers related to respectively maternal (p < .001) and paternal overprotection (p < .05), as perceived by the emerging adult. There was one significant partner-effect between maternal attachment anxiety and paternal separation anxiety (p < .05). Further, higher scores on perceived maternal overprotection related to a higher likelihood that the emerging adult would still live at home 1 year later (p < .01), as well as to more negative maternal affect related to the process of home-leaving (p < .05). In sum, the current study revealed the importance of attachment and separation anxiety as significant parental factors related to parental overprotection.

College Student Cyberbullying: Self‐Esteem, Depression, Loneliness, and Attachment

In an online survey (N = 338) at a large midwestern university, frequency counts indicated that 51 (15.1%) undergraduate students were cyberbully victims during college, and 27 (8.0%) were cyberbully offenders during college. In simultaneous regressions, maternal attachment anxiety explained unique variance in cybervictimization and cyberoffending. In multivariate analyses of variance, cyberbully victims (vs. nonvictims) reported higher depression, loneliness, and maternal attachment anxiety, and cyberbully offenders (vs. nonoffenders) reported lower self‐esteem and higher maternal attachment anxiety. College counseling implications are discussed.