Parent-child Attachment Research Articles

Longitudinal Association Between Childhood Emotional Maltreatment and Gratitude in Chinese Adolescents: The Mediating Role of Parent-Child Attachment.

Childhood emotional maltreatment is a crucial risk factor for gratitude in adolescents. However, previous research has not investigated the effects of two types of emotional maltreatment (i.e., emotional abuse and emotional neglect) on gratitude, and explored the underlying mechanisms. To address existing research gaps, this study investigated how childhood emotional maltreatment affected adolescent gratitude, as well as the potential role of parent-child attachment in the Chinese context. A total of 491 Chinese adolescents from a public high school (Mage = 16.19 years, SD = 0.50; 60.5% female) participated in this 10-month, three-wave longitudinal study. The path analysis revealed that cumulative childhood emotional maltreatment and childhood emotional neglect at T1 predicted lower levels of gratitude at T3, while childhood emotional abuse did not. Additionally, parent-child attachment at T2 mediated the relationship between cumulative childhood emotional maltreatment at T1 and gratitude at T3. These findings underscore the enduring negative impact of childhood emotional maltreatment on adolescent gratitude and highlight the crucial role of parent-child attachment in this relationship.

Time-out under scrutiny: examining the relationships among the discipline strategy time-out, child well-being and attachment and exposure to adversity.

Discipline is a crucial aspect of parenting, shaping child development and behaviour. Time-out, a widely used disciplinary strategy with a strong evidence-base, has recently come under scrutiny with concerns about potential adverse effects on children's emotional development and attachment, particularly for those with a history of adversity. To contribute critical empirical insights to the current controversy surrounding time-out by exploring the associations among time-out implementation, parent-child attachment and child mental health, and whether adversity exposure moderated these associations. This cross-sectional study utilised a nationally representative sample of 474 primary caregivers in Australia, with children aged 6-8 years, who completed an online survey. Measures included the Implementation of Time-out Scale, Adverse Life Experiences Scale, Primary Attachment Style Questionnaire, Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire and Spence Child Anxiety Scale. Appropriately implemented time-out was associated with enhanced mental health and attachment, while inappropriate time-out correlated with adverse child outcomes. Exposure to adversity moderated the relationship between time-out implementation and child well-being, such that children exposed to adversity were most likely to experience attachment enhancement from appropriately implemented time-out. Despite recent concerns of harm caused by time-out, particularly for children with a history of adversity, findings support the beneficial impact of time-out on child well-being and attachment when implemented in accordance with evidence-based parameters. Combatting misinformation and disseminating evidence-based time-out guidelines is crucial for promoting child well-being and attachment, especially for children who have experienced adversity.

Contributions of Attachment and Cognitive Functioning on ADHD Symptoms in Children.

ADHD is a neurodevelopmental disorder with multifactorial origins. Several studies have shown that parent-child attachment impacts the expression of ADHD symptoms, while others have highlighted the influence of cognitive impairments on ADHD symptoms. However, few studies have simultaneously examined the respective contributions of child attachment and cognitive functions to ADHD, which is the aim of this study. We included 45 children with ADHD from a university hospital and 44 typically developing children from regular schools. Child attachment was evaluated using a self-report questionnaire, the French Attachment Security Scale (ASS-Fr), and a narrative interview, the Cartes pour l'évaluation de l'Attachement et de la Mentalisation chez l'Enfant (CAME). Cognitive assessment involved both objective and subjective measures. Perceived attachment security to both parents and disorganized attachment were significantly associated with ADHD symptoms, but these relationships were mediated by externalizing symptoms and executive function difficulties. The relationships between attachment and ADHD symptoms are indirect and mediated by the presence of externalizing symptoms and executive function impairments.

Optimal functioning after early mild traumatic brain injury: Evolution and predictors.

Early mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI or concussion sustained between 0 and 5 years old) can lead to post-concussive symptoms, behavioral changes, and cognitive difficulties. Although school-age children (6-17 years old) experience similar consequences, severe neuropsychological deficits are not common, and the majority have no persisting symptoms after one month. Thus, there may be value in focusing on what characterizes optimal functioning (or wellness) after mTBI, but this has not been explored in young children. This study documents the evolution and predictors of optimal functioning after early mTBI. Participants were 190 children aged 18 - 60 months with mTBI (n = 69), orthopedic injury (OI; n = 50), or typical development (TDC; n = 71). Optimal functioning was defined as: (1) no clinically significant behavioral problems; (2) no cognitive difficulties; (3) no persisting post-concussive symptoms; (4) average quality of life or better. Predictors related to sociodemographic, injury, child, and caregiver characteristics included number of acute symptoms, child sex, age, temperament, maternal education, parent-child attachment and interaction quality, and parenting stress. Fewer children with mTBI had optimal functioning over 6 and 18-months post-injury compared to those with OI and TDC. Higher parent-child interaction quality and lower child negative affectivity temperament independently predicted optimal functioning. Children who sustain early mTBI are less likely to exhibit optimal functioning thantheir peers in the long-term. Parent-child interaction quality could be a potential intervention target for promoting optimal function.

Parental emotion socialization and parent-child attachment security: A meta-analytic review.

Although parental sensitivity is an established determinant of children's attachment security, effect sizes are modest, suggesting other aspects of parenting that might support secure attachment. Parental emotion socialization (ES) has been proposed as a parenting domain that is theoretically linked to secure parent-child attachment. The goal of this meta-analysis was to evaluate the strength of the relations between parental ES and attachment security in children under the age of 18. We conducted three meta-analyses assessing the links of supportive parental ES, nonsupportive parental ES, and parental elaboration with attachment security assessed with behavioral, representational, and questionnaire measures (ks = 9-11 samples; Ns = 576-1,763 participants). The relation between supportive ES and security was significant but very small (r = .06). The relation between nonsupportive ES and security was not significant (r = -.05). Parental elaboration emerged as a key correlate of secure attachment, with a medium effect size (r = .24), similar to the relation between sensitivity and attachment security. The findings underscore the need for further research to elaborate on the role of ES in the development of attachment. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Supplemental Material for Parental Emotion Socialization and Parent–Child Attachment Security: A Meta-Analytic Review

Supplemental Material for Parental Emotion Socialization and Parent–Child Attachment Security: A Meta-Analytic Review

A preliminary investigation of parent-child attachment relationship in toddlers with autism traits

Using a cross-sectional design, this study explored attachment insecurity and disorganization (assessed using the Strange Situation Procedure) in 90 toddlers (aged 14–24 months) with and without autism traits and assessed the associations between autism traits (severity and profiles) and both developmental level and attachment classification. Our findings showed no significant differences between the rates of attachment insecurity or attachment disorganisation among toddlers with, and toddlers without, autism traits. However, among the toddlers with autism traits, those with a disorganised attachment were more likely to have autism traits of greater severity. While greater autism trait severity was associated with attachment disorganisation, it remains unclear whether this association is the result of children with autism traits having higher rates of attachment disorganisation or whether autism traits are being misinterpreted as attachment disorganisation indices.

Attachment relationship quality with mothers and fathers and child temperament: An individual participant data meta-analysis.

A growing body of research suggests that, compared with single parent-child attachment relationships, child developmental outcomes may be better understood by examining the configurations of child-mother and child-father attachment relationships (i.e., attachment networks). Moreover, some studies have demonstrated an above-chance level chance of concordance between the quality of child-mother and child-father attachment relationships, and child temperament has been offered as a plausible explanation for such concordance. To assess whether temperament plays a role in the development of different attachment network configurations, in this preregistered individual participant data meta-analysis we tested the degree to which the temperament dimension of negative emotionality predicts the number of secure, insecure-avoidant, insecure-resistant, and disorganized attachment relationships a child has with mother and father. Data included in the linear mixed effects analyses were collected from seven studies sampling 872 children (49% female; 83% White). Negative emotionality significantly predicted the number of secure (d = -0.12) and insecure-resistant (d = 0.11), but not insecure-avoidant (d = 0.04) or disorganized (d = 0.08) attachment relationships. Nonpreregistered exploratory analyses indicated higher negative emotionality in children with insecure-resistant attachment relationships with both parents compared to those with one or none (d = 0.19), suggesting that temperament plays a small yet significant role in child-mother/child-father insecure-resistant attachment relationships concordance. Taken together, results from this study prompt a more in-depth examination of the mechanism underlying the small yet significantly higher chance that children with increased negative emotionality have for developing multiple insecure-resistant attachment relationships. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Tracing the Link Between Narcissistic Personality Disorder and Childhood Overgratification.

Narcissistic personality disorder (NPD) is a psychiatric disorder that remains largely undiagnosed in modern society. Theories claim that the roots of this disorder can often be traced back to childhood experiences and parenting styles. The prevalence of NPD in the general population is estimated to be significantly high, although rates may vary widely depending on the assessment method and population being considered as a significant portion of the population remains largely unaware of this disorder or though the patient is aware of his/her condition, the bad reputation for the illness demotivates him/her from seeking professional help. This is the main reason why it is difficult to know the real prevalence of these disorders that are so frequently encountered in psychiatric practice but still largely undiagnosed. This review collects and analyzes several research studies and literature reviews found in the electronic databases. The inclusion criteria prioritize studies focusing on the effect of overgratification on the development of NPD. Empirical evidence suggests a link between childhood overgratification and the development of narcissistic traits in adulthood. However, the relationship between childhood overgratification and NPD is much more complex and is deeply influenced by various factors, such as parent-child attachment, individual nature, and cultural context. This paper aims to simplify and illustrate the complex interplay between childhood overgratification and the manifestation of NPD, thereby revealing underlying mechanisms and identifying potential interventions for treatment. This article explores the intriguing correlation between NPD and overgratification during childhood, exploring how early indulgence may sow the seeds for narcissistic personality traits in adulthood.

Parental Insightfulness, Parental Sensitivity, Parent and Child Mental Health, and Attachment in Autistic Children: A Systematic Review

AbstractThis systematic review aimed to examine whether parental insightfulness is associated with parental sensitivity, parent and child mental health, and attachment in autistic children. Eligible articles used a quantitative research design and included participants who were parents or caregivers of a child diagnosed with autism and who completed a measure of parental insightfulness. Eight papers (six studies) met inclusion criteria. Parental insightfulness was associated with higher parental sensitivity and attachment security. No studies investigated associations between parental insightfulness and parent mental health. Although research is limited, parental insightfulness appears to be associated with parental sensitivity and child attachment in families of autistic children. More research is required to confirm whether these relationships exist cross-culturally, and with different caregivers.

Father-child attachment on children’s screen time: mediating role of ego resilience

BackgroundChildren spend a significant amount of time engaging in sedentary behaviors, defined as activities that do not increase energy expenditure significantly above resting levels, such as watching TV and playing PC/video games. Increased screen time is a significant public health concern because children are in a developmental stage where lifestyle behaviors predict various health outcomes in adulthood and beyond. This study explores the links between parent-child attachment, ego resilience, and children’s screen time.MethodsThis cross-sectional correlation study uses 1,163 parents and their children data from the 12th Panel Survey of Korean Children. The study instruments were a modified Armsden and Greenberg scale of parent-child attachment and modified the children’s ego resilience scale of the Block and Kremen. Children’s screen time was classified as more than 2 h per day spent watching television, playing on computers, or playing video games in their leisure time.ResultsStudy results show a negative association between father-child attachment and children’s screen time (ß = -0.43, p < .001) and a positive association between father-child attachment and ego resilience (ß = 0.24, p < .001). Ego resilience showed a negative link to children’s screen time after adjusting for parental attachment (ß =- 0.03, p = .009). Father-child attachment link to children’s screen time (ß = -0.36, p < .001) continued even though the association was slightly reduced in magnitude after adjusting for ego resilience.ConclusionsOur findings show the mediating role of ego resilience on a negative path of father-child attachment to children’s screen time. This finding emphasizes the importance of fostering solid father-child relationships and enhancing children’s psychological resilience as critical strategies for reducing excessive screen time. By addressing emotional support and resilience-building, interventions can more effectively promote healthier behavioral outcomes in children.

MỐI QUAN HỆ GIỮA HÀNH VI TRỪNG PHẠT THỂ CHẤT CỦA CHA MẸ VÀ HÀNH VI GÂY HẤN CỦA VỊ THÀNH NIÊN: VAI TRÒ TRUNG GIAN CỦA SỰ GẮN BÓ KHÔNG AN TOÀN

This study examines the relationship between prior parental physical punishment and future aggressive behavior in children, as well as the mediating role of anxious and avoidant attachment in the relationships. Using an 8-month longitudinal study design, data were collected at 3 waves, with a 4-month interval across waves. 762 students participated at Wave 1 (Mage = 12.1 (SD = 1.14), 48% female). The number decreased to 484 at Wave 2 and 368 at Wave 3. The Harsh Punishment was used to measure physical punishment at Wave 1, the Experiences of Close Relationship (short version) was used to measure avoidant and anxious attachment at Wave 2, and the Aggression Scale was used to measure aggressive behavior at Wave 3. Results showed that parents' physical punishment behavior significantly predicted the development of future aggressive behavior, and that anxious attachment played a mediation role in the relationship. These findings suggest the urgent need for developing measures to treat physical punishment and parent-child attachment as a solution to effectively address the prevalence of school violence in Vietnam.

Impact of Parent-Child attachment on Mental Health among Early Young Adults: An Empirical Study

Impact of Parent-Child attachment on Mental Health among Early Young Adults: An Empirical Study

The Relationship Between Freshman Adult Attachment and Sense of Life Meaning in University: Mediated by Perceived Social Support

College freshmen are at the beginning of the critical period of establishing their outlook on life and values, so it is very important to guide and educate them correctly on the meaning of life and values. Many psychological problems and suicidal behaviors of college students are related to the lack of life meaning. This study mainly discusses the relationship between adult attachment, understanding of social support and sense of life meaning of college freshmen. Using the sense of life meaning scale, intimate relationship experience scale and perceptive social support scale, a questionnaire survey was conducted among 1069 freshmen. SPSS software was used for correlation analysis, and Process macro was used to test the mediating effect of perceptive social support. The results show that: (1) There are significant correlations among adult attachment, understanding of social support and sense of meaning in life; (2) Understand that social support plays a partial mediating role between adult attachment and sense of meaning in life. These results indicate that the attachment of college freshmen adults can affect their sense of life meaning directly and indirectly through the influence of social support. The results of this study have some implications for practice: On the one hand, the family should pay attention to the cultivation of safe parent-child attachment relationship and environment; On the other hand, colleges and universities should give full and good social support to college freshmen, and set up education or group counseling activities on the sense of meaning of life.

Longitudinal relationship between parent–child attachment and suicidal ideation in children: Mediating roles of beliefs about adversity and hope

Suicide has been an important topic in recent years, but no previous studies have investigated suicide from the perspective of parent–child attachment and positive psychological qualities. Thus, we aimed to examine the relationship between parent–child attachment and children's suicidal ideation, as well as the mechanism involved. In total, 681 fourth-grade students from three elementary schools in Suzhou, China, were surveyed for two years. The results showed the following. (1) Mother–child attachment directly predicted suicidal ideation in children whereas father–child attachment did not. (2) Mother–child attachment indirectly predicted suicidal ideation in children via beliefs about adversity and hope, and father–child attachment indirectly predicted suicidal ideation in children via beliefs about adversity. (3) Parent–child attachment indirectly predicted suicidal ideation in children through beliefs about adversity (M1) and hope (M2) as a mediator set. Revealing the mechanisms associated with the generation and formation of suicidal ideation in children can help prevent possible future suicidal behaviors in children.

Infant neural sensitivity to affective touch is associated with maternal postpartum depression

Classic attachment theory emphasizes the sensitivity of the parent to perceive and appropriately respond to the infant’s cues. However, parent-child attachment is a dyadic interaction that is also dependent upon the sensitivity of the child to the early caregiving environment. Individual differences in infant sensitivity to parental cues is likely shaped by both the early caregiving environment as well as the infant’s neurobiology, such as perceptual sensitivity to social stimuli. Here, we investigated associations between maternal postpartum depression and infant neurological sensitivity to affective touch using brain signal entropy – a metric of the brain’s moment-to-moment variability related to signal processing. We recruited two independent samples of infants aged 0–5 months. In Sample 1 (n = 79), we found increased levels of maternal postpartum depression were associated with diminished perceptual sensitivity – i.e. lower entropy – to affective tactile stimulation specifically within the primary somatosensory cortex. In Sample 2 (n = 36), we replicated this finding and showed that this effect was not related to characteristics of the touch administered during the experiment. These results suggest that decreased affective touch early in life – a common consequence of postpartum depression – likely impacts the infant’s perceptual sensitivity to affective touch and ultimately the formation of experience-dependent neural networks that support the successful formation of attachment relationships.

The Effect of Parent-child Attachment on the Subjective Well-being of Junior High School Students

The report of the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China emphasized that we should adhere to the people-centered ideology and continuously improve the people's sense of gain, happiness and security. Enhancing the people's sense of happiness is the core and purpose of the development of China's socialist cause. Moreover, since United States psychologists first proposed the concept of "positive psychology" at the beginning of this century (Seligman &amp; Czikszentmihalyi, 2000), advocating the exploration of the potential positive power of human beings, rather than just studying psychological or behavioral problems. The mainstream of psychological research has also begun to trend towards positive psychology, instead of studying negative psychological states such as depression and anxiety as in the early days, more and more psychologists are committed to focusing on positive human qualities and emotions such as happiness and joy, in order to eventually make human beings happy. Subjective Well-being (SWB) is the main content of people's quality of life, and as one of the three major research objects of positive psychology, it has attracted great attention and attracted more and more researchers. By studying the relationship between attachment, comprehension of social support, self-esteem and subjective well-being, it is hoped that it can provide some help and inspiration for the mental health education of junior high school students, so as to promote their physical and mental health development.

Infant neural sensitivity to affective touch is associated with maternal postpartum depression.

Classic attachment theory emphasizes the sensitivity of the parent to perceive and appropriately respond to the infant's cues. However, parent-child attachment is a dyadic interaction that is also dependent upon the sensitivity of the child to the early caregiving environment. Individual differences in infant sensitivity to parental cues is likely shaped by both the early caregiving environment as well as the infant's neurobiology, such as perceptual sensitivity to social stimuli. Here, we investigated associations between maternal postpartum depression and infant neurological sensitivity to affective touch using brain signal entropy - a metric of the brain's moment-to-moment variability related to signal processing. We recruited two independent samples of infants aged 0-5 months. In Sample 1 (n=79), we found increased levels of maternal postpartum depression were associated with diminished perceptual sensitivity - i.e. lower entropy - to affective tactile stimulation specifically within the primary somatosensory cortex. In Sample 2 (n=36), we replicated this finding and showed that this effect was not related to characteristics of the touch administered during the experiment. These results suggest that decreased affective touch early in life - a common consequence of postpartum depression - likely impacts the infant's perceptual sensitivity to affective touch and ultimately the formation of experience-dependent neural networks that support the successful formation of attachment relationships.

Parent-child attachment, perceived parental rejection, and autonomy support among Chinese adolescents

Parent-child attachment, perceived parental rejection, and autonomy support among Chinese adolescents

Daily smartphone use predicts parent depressive symptoms, but parents' perceptions of responsiveness to their child moderate this effect.

Smartphone use during caregiving has become increasingly common, especially around infants and very young children, and this use around young children has been linked with lower quality and quantity of parent-child interaction, with potential implications for child behavior, and parent-child attachment. To understand drivers and consequences of parent phone use, we were interested in the daily associations between parent phone use and depressed mood, as well as the potential for parent perceptions of their responsiveness toward their infant to alter the association between parent phone use and mood. In the present study, we explored associations between day-to-day changes in parent smartphone use (objectively-measured via passive sensing) around their infant, depressed mood, and parent perceptions of their responsiveness to their infants among a sample of 264 parents across eight days. We utilized multilevel modeling to examine these within-person daily associations. Objectively-measured parent smartphone use during time around their infant was significantly associated with depressed mood on a daily basis. Interestingly, this was not true on days when parents perceived themselves to be more responsive to their infant. These results suggest that parent judgements and perceptions of their parenting behavior may impact the potential link between parent phone use and parent mood. This is the first study utilizing intensive daily data to examine how parent perceptions may alter the felt effects of phone use on their parenting. Future work examining potential impacts of smartphone use on parenting should consider the effects of both actual use and perceptions about that use.