Poor Parental Attachment Research Articles

Behavioral symptoms of eating disorders among adopted adolescents and young adults in the United States: Findings from the Add Health survey.

More adopted individuals report experiencing general psychopathology, poor parental attachment, and early childhood eating difficulties than nonadopted individuals, yet little is known about disordered eating in this population. This study sought to describe the relationship between adoption status and behavioral eating-disorder (ED) symptoms, and to examine potential correlates of ED symptoms that are unique to adopted individuals. We examined data from adolescents and young adults from Waves 1 (n adopted = 561, nonadopted = 20,184), 2 (n adopted = 211, nonadopted = 14,525), and 3 (n adopted = 416, nonadopted = 14,754) of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health. ED symptom items included dieting, breakfast skipping, binge eating, extreme weight loss behaviors (EWLBs; i.e., self-induced vomiting, laxative use, diet pill use) and lifetime ED diagnosis. Compared to nonadopted individuals, adopted individuals were more likely to report EWLBs at Wave 2 and binge eating and lifetime ED diagnosis at Wave 3 (ps < .05). Among adopted individuals, contact with a biological parent was associated with higher rates of binge eating and lifetime ED diagnosis at Wave 3 (ps < .05), whereas age at adoption and having ever been in foster care were not associated with rates of ED symptoms. This study provides preliminary evidence that being adopted may be a risk factor for certain behavioral symptoms of EDs. Given the benefits of early detection and treatment of ED symptoms, mental health professionals working with adopted individuals should assess for disordered eating.

Early life experiences and social cognition in major psychiatric disorders: A systematic review

ObjectiveTo present a systematic review of the literature on the associations between early social environment, early life adversity, and social cognition in major psychiatric disorders, including schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, borderline personality disorder, major depressive disorder and posttraumatic stress disorder. MethodRelevant studies were identified via electronic and manual searches of the literature and included articles written in English and published in peer-reviewed journals up to May 2018. Quality assessment was performed using the quality evaluation scale employed in previous systematic reviews. ResultsA total of 25 studies were included in the systematic review with the quality assessment scores ranging from 3 to 6 (out of 6). The vast majority of the studies reviewed showed a significant association between early childhood social experience, including both insecure attachment and adversity relating to neglect or abuse, and poorer social cognitive performance. ConclusionWe discuss these findings in the context of an attachment model, suggesting that childhood social adversity may result in poor internal working models, selective attention toward emotional stimuli and greater difficulties with emotional self-regulation. We outline some of the steps required to translate this understanding of social cognitive dysfunction in major psychiatric disorders into a target for interventions that mitigate the adverse effects of childhood maltreatment and poor parental attachment on social cognition.

Promoting or suppressing resilience to mental health outcomes in at risk young people: The role of parental and peer attachment and school connectedness

Adolescent attachment relationships formed with parents are salient predictors of mental health. Few studies, however, have demonstrated whether peer attachment or school connectedness can predict resilience to mental health difficulties when a young person is at risk due to poor parental attachment. Ninety adolescents (44 females and 46 males) living in economically disadvantaged areas and attending informal schooling projects in and around Guatemala City participated. Participants completed self-report measures of parental and peer attachment, school connectedness and mental health. Resilience to mental health difficulties was predicted by more secure school connectedness but lower levels of secure peer attachment. School connectedness may provide a role in promoting resilience for mental health for adolescents living in risk, whereas the potential negative influence that secure attachments to peers exerts, in context of poor parental attachment, needs to be explored further.

Parental Attachment and Bullying in South Korean Adolescents: Mediating Effects of Low Self-Control, Deviant Peer Associations, and Delinquency

Utilizing a nationally representative, longitudinal South Korean student sample, the current study explores two pathways leading to bullying: (a) parental attachment to low self-control and (b) low self-control to deviant peer associations. Data for the study were derived from the Korean Youth Panel Study, and the study sample consisted of fourth graders in 2004 and eighth graders in 2008, producing three waves of data. Structural equation modeling was used to examine whether parental attachment (Wave 1), low self-control, deviant peer associations, and delinquency (Wave 2) were associated with bullying (Wave 3). Results suggest a significant indirect relationship between poor parental attachment and higher rates of bullying through low self-control. Implications for practice and research are also discussed.

Maladaptive schemas mediate poor parental attachment and suicidality in college students

ABSTRACTIn college-aged adults (n = 766), the transition to adulthood may aggravate risk factors for suicidal behavior such as poor parental attachment and maladaptive self-schemas. Because poor parental attachment may facilitate developing maladaptive self-related schemas, this study was designed to determine whether specific maladaptive schemas mediate the relation between poor parental attachment and college students’ suicide proneness and ideation. Findings supported this hypothesis. Defectiveness and emotional deprivation schemas, which are consistent with “perceived burdensomeness” and “thwarted belonging,” may be important intervention targets for suicide prevention programs. The ongoing role of parental attachment during early adult development is highlighted.

The Integrated Psychosocial Model of Criminal Social Identity (IPM-CSI)

ABSTRACTThe integrated psychosocial model of criminal social identity attempts to synthesize, distill, and extend our knowledge and understanding of why people develop criminal social identity, with a particular focus on the psychological and social factors involved. We suggest that the development of criminal social identity results from a complex interplay between four important groups of psychosocial factors: (1) an identity crisis that results in weak bonds with society, peer rejection, and is associated with poor parental attachment and supervision; (2) exposure to a criminal/antisocial environment in the form of associations with criminal friends before, during, and/or after incarceration; (3) a need for identification with a criminal group in order to protect one’s self-esteem; and (4) the moderating role of personality traits in the relationship between criminal/antisocial environment and the development of criminal social identity. The model produces testable hypotheses and points to potential opportunities for intervention and prevention. Directions for future research are discussed.

Parental Attachment in subjects with female-to-male gender dysphoria

Introduction Attachment has been defined as a deep and enduring emotional bond that connects one person to another across time and space. Subjects with gender dysphoria (GD) are sometimes accompanied by psychiatric problems because they face potential parent and peer rejection. Objectives The present study aims to investigate the parental attachment in subjects with female-to-male (FtM) GD. Methods Sixty-six subjects with FtM GD (DSM-5 criteria) and 67 female controls were assessed using: short version of the Inventory of Parent and Peer Attachment (IPPA). Results Main findings highlighted that female controls were significantly more attached to their parents than subjects with FtM GD. The scores of specific dimensions of attachment such as trust, communication and alienation were significantly higher in control females than subjects with FtM GD. Conclusions The results of this study indicate that subjects with FtM GD have significantly poor parental attachment compared to female controls, measured by IPPA. These findings may suggest that psychological basis underlying the development of psychiatric disorders, which was seen in subjects with FtM GD.

Determinants of Risky Sexual Behaviour Among Preparatory School Students in Gurage Zone, SNNPR, Ethiopia (A Cross-Sectional School Based Study)

Background: There is growing evidence suggesting that young people in school are practicing risky sexual behavior. Ethiopian young people age 10 – 24 years have emerged as the segments of the population most vulnerable to a broad spectrum of serious sexual health problems including STI/HIV, unwanted pregnancy and unsafe abortion. Objectives: To identify factors determining risky sexual behavior among preparatory school students. Methods: A cross-sectional quantitative study design was employed among preparatory school students in Gurage zone (SNNPR) from May to June 2009. The study participants were selected using multistage sampling. A structured self administered questionnaire was used to collect data from the participants. Results: A total of 418 participants with a response rate of 97.6% were enrolled in the study. A significant proportion of the participants 108(25.8%) were sexually initiated. About 66.6% of them were sexually active in the last one year. The overall condom use at first sexual debut was only 39.8%. Out of 108 sexually active students, 58(53.7%) had had multiple sexual practice. About 62% of the participants who practiced sex had history of sexually transmitted infection. Female students who engaged in sexual practice, 17(44.7%) encountered unwanted pregnancy and 16(94%) of them committed unsafe abortion, of which 4(25%) committed more than two abortion. Multivariate analysis showed age, poor parental attachment and substance use were significantly associated with risky sexual behavior of young students in school. Conclusion: The study has revealed that young people in preparatory schools, despite having good knowledge about their sexual health and its unwanted consequences, a significant proportion of them were found to be sexually at risk. Institutionalization of youth friendly service, condom promotion, open and regular discussion with main actor, and wide rage further studies seem to be compulsory.

Social Support Seeking in Relation to Parental Attachment and Peer Relationships Among Victims of Cyberbullying

Victims use social support seeking (SSS) to buffer the negative effects of cyberbullying. It is unknown whether cyber-victims’ perceptions of harm and having poor peer and parental relationships influence SSS. Using a sample of 451 cyberbullying-victims, aged 12–18, 68% girls, this study examined relationships of gender, harm, peer rejection, parental attachment, offline victimisation and online aggression to SSS, and tested the interaction of harm with peer rejection and parental attachment. Findings from logistic regression revealed that poor parental attachment and higher peer rejection decreased SSS, and that the association between parental attachment and SSS was stronger among cyber-victims with higher harm. This study highlights the importance of assessing cyber-victims’ attachment and experiences with their peers when implementing preventative intervention programs.

Family and School Capital Effects on Delinquency: Substitutes or Complements?

Studies imply that family and school resources independently affect delinquency. Yet research has not developed a conceptual or analytic framework for exploring how these variables may interact to affect delinquent behavior. The authors propose that certain family and school variables may serve as substitute or complementary forms of capital in equations designed to predict delinquency. In particular, school capital may substitute for low family capital to decrease involvement in delinquent behavior. Using data from the 1990 National Educational Longitudinal Study and the 1994–1995 National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health), the authors find that high-quality school environments serve as substitutes for poor parental attachment and a lack of parental involvement in children's schooling, especially among adolescents who experience low academic achievement or report a lack of academic values. Hence, school-based social capital attenuates involvement in delinquency partly by compensating for high-risk family environments.

PROTOCOL: School‐based education programmes for the prevention of child sexual abuse

PROTOCOL: School‐based education programmes for the prevention of child sexual abuse

Gender-Role-Conflicted Men's Poor Parental Attachment and Separation/Individuation Difficulties: Knights without Armor in a Savage Land

This study reanalyzed an earlier study by Blazina &amp; Watkins (2000), which focused upon gender role conflicted men's attachment to parents and their scores of separation/individuation. Study found that these men had poor attachment to parents and difficulties with separation/individuation issues. Implications for treatment and future research are discussed.

Conduct Problems in Childhood and Psychosocial Outcomes in Young Adulthood

The associations between parental and teacher reports of conduct problems at age 8 and a range of psychosocial outcomes at age 18 (e.g., educational achievement, juvenile offending, substance abuse/dependence, mental health problems) were examined in a birth cohort of New Zealand children. Young people who showed conduct problems at age 8 had elevated rates of educational underachievement, juvenile offending, substance abuse/dependence, and mental health problems at age 18. Adjustment for a range of confounding factors, including social disadvantage, attentional difficulties, and IQ, substantially reduced the associations between early conduct problems and educational outcomes at age 18. However, after adjustment for confounding factors, young people with conduct problems at age 8 had higher rates of juvenile offending, substance abuse/dependence, and mental health problems at age 18. Subsequent analyses that examined factors contributing to continuities and discontinuities in behavior identified poor parental attachment, early substance use behaviors, and the extent to which the individual affiliated with delinquent or substance-using peers during adolescence as being associated with continuities in disruptive behaviors.

Attachment security and peer experience: Influences on dimensions of infants' social emotional development

Adolescent attachment relationships formed with parents are salient predictors of mental health. Few studies, however, have demonstrated whether peer attachment or school connectedness can predict resilience to mental health difficulties when a young person is at risk due to poor parental attachment. Ninety adolescents (44 females and 46 males) living in economically disadvantaged areas and attending informal schooling projects in and around Guatemala City participated. Participants completed self-report measures of parental and peer attachment, school connectedness and mental health. Resilience to mental health difficulties was predicted by more secure school connectedness but lower levels of secure peer attachment. School connectedness may provide a role in promoting resilience for mental health for adolescents living in risk, whereas the potential negative influence that secure attachments to peers exerts, in context of poor parental attachment, needs to be explored further.

Parental attachment, drug use, and facultative sexual strategies.

It is often asserted that sexual promiscuity and drug abuse appears to share a common etiology in poor parental attachment. This study explores this claim empirically among 480 college students. Other variables--religiosity, masculinity/femininity, sex, age, and physical appearance--that may enhance or reduce the incidence of promiscuity and drug use were included in multivariate analyses. Parental attachment was significantly related to both variables, and the combination of poor parental attachment and drug use was a strong predictor of promiscuity for both males and females. In multivariate analyses, religiosity was the most important predictor of promiscuity for males, and attachment was the most important for females. The findings are examined guided by the three desiderata commonly accepted as relevant to biosocial attachment theory.