Strange Situation Assessment Research Articles

Very preterm/very low birthweight infants’ attachment: infant and maternal characteristics

ObjectiveTo investigate whether there are differences in attachment security and disorganisation between very preterm or very low birthweight (VP/VLBW) (<32 weeks gestation or <1500 g birthweight) and full-term infants (37–42...

Promoting secure attachment: evaluation of the effectiveness of an early intervention pilot programme with mother-infant dyads in Santiago, Chile

Research indicates that the early attachment patterns of babies could influence their socio-emotional development and prevent the emergence of problematic behaviours in the child later in life. Many studies in the field of early attachment interventions have promoted a secure attachment bond between mother and infant. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of an early pilot intervention programme designed to promote a secure attachment bond in mother-infant dyads belonging to a population seeking regular treatment at urban health centres in Santiago, Chile. Primipara mothers were randomly assigned to two intervention conditions: a secure attachment promotion programme (experimental group = 43) or an educational talk (control group = 29). The Strange Situation Assessment was used to collect data on the attachment patterns of babies. The results show that after the intervention, there were more babies with secure attachment in the experimental group than in the control group. These findings represent a preliminary step towards evaluating interventions aimed at promoting secure attachment in Chilean mother-child dyads. While the effect of the intervention is not significant, the effect size obtained is respectable and consistent with other meta-analytic findings.

Mind-mindedness in adult and adolescent mothers: Relations to maternal sensitivity and infant attachment

This article examines the quality of maternal mind-mindedness among adult and adolescent mothers, using an assessment of the appropriateness and emotional valence of maternal mind-related comments while interacting with their infants. Twenty-nine adult mothers and 69 adolescent mothers participated in two assessments with their 18-month-old infants. Results showed that adult mothers used more mind-related comments when interacting with their child, especially comments referring to infant mental states. Adult mothers also used more appropriate and positive mind-related comments. Home observations and strange situation assessments revealed that two dimensions of mind-mindedness were associated with maternal sensitivity and three with infant attachment in adult mothers, whereas only one dimension was associated with maternal sensitivity in adolescent mothers.

Early attachment predicts emotion recognition at 6 and 11 years old

This paper reports on findings from a sample of 63 children at 6 years old, and 49 children at 11 years old, all from the same cohort who had been observed with mother in the Strange Situation at 1-year-old. At 6 and 11 years, the children responded to the task of providing verbal labels for line-drawn (caricatures of) emotion faces. The faces comprised the six basic emotions identified as such by Darwin (sadness, happiness, anger, fear, surprise, and disgust) as well as a neutral face and two more complex (blended) emotions (mischievousness and disappointment). Infant–mother attachment was linked significantly with children's emotion judgments 5 years and, to a lesser extent, 10 years after the Strange Situation assessment. Results are discussed in terms of the long-term but attenuating influence of early learning experiences in the relationship with mother, and implications for how we think about the functioning of internal working models of attachment.

Attachment and non-maternal care: towards contextualizing the quantity versus quality debate

In this commentary to Friedman's and Boyle's review we focus on the context of early child care as it is reflected in the debate on the effects of quality of care versus amount of care and attachment relations. It is argued that cross-national research should be considered along with the NICHD Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development (SECCYD) in order to promote better understanding of the interface of attachment, child care, and context. In addition, some methodological issues are discussed including the status of the Strange Situation assessment, definition of non-maternal care, and longitudinal correlates of attachment.

Expanding the concept of unresolved mental states: Hostile/Helpless states of mind on the Adult Attachment Interview are associated with disrupted mother–infant communication and infant disorganization

In a recent meta-analysis, only 53% of disorganized infants were predicted by parental Unresolved states of mind on the Adult Attachment Interview (AAI). The goal of this study was to identify additional predictors of infant disorganization on the AAI by developing and validating an interview-wide coding system for Hostile/Helpless (H/H) parental states of mind with respect to attachment. Maternal AAls were collected from 45 low-income mothers with high rates of childhood trauma when their children were age 7; Strange Situation assessments had been collected at 18 months of age. AAIs were independently coded using both the Main and Goldwyn coding system and newly developed codes for H/H states of mind. Results indicated that the H/H coding system displayed discriminant validity in that it did not overlap substantially with the Unresolved, Cannot Classify, or Fearfully Preoccupied by Traumatic Events categories in the Main and Goldwyn coding system. Second, H/H states of mind accounted for variance in disorganized infant behavior not associated with the Unresolved classification. Third, H/H states of mind were significantly related to maternal disrupted affective communication as coded by the Atypical Maternal Behavior Instrument for Assessment and Classification coding system, and maternal disrupted communication mediated the relations between H/H states of mind and infant disorganization.

Parenting and attachment among toddlers with congenital anomalies: Examining the Strange Situation and attachment Q‐sort

AbstractThis study assessed parent and child predictors of attachment in a sample of 72 toddlers with neurological (e.g., cerebral palsy) and non‐neurological (e.g., cleft lip and palate) birth defects and their mothers. Parenting quality (e.g., sensitivity) was expected to be more important in predicting the attachment relationship than type and severity of child medical condition. Parenting and indices of severity of child condition were measured via researcher observation. Attachment was measured via the Strange Situation and parent reported Attachment Q‐sort. Parenting quality was better for children with more severe appearance disfigurements. Strange Situation and Q‐sort assessments of attachment were not significantly related. Children with neurological impairments were at greater risk for developing insecure attachments than were children with non‐neurological conditions. Parenting quality also directly predicted Strange Situation assessed attachment security and Q‐sort comfort seeking/exploration but not standard Q‐sort criterion scores. Parenting quality partially mediated the relation between child medical condition and attachment security. Results suggest child medical factors influence parenting, and thereby, child attachment. ©2002 Michigan Association for Infant Mental Health.

Infant‐Mother Attachment at One Year Predicts Children’s Understanding of Mixed Emotions at Six Years

Data from the six‐year follow up of a longitudinal study investigating intergenerational patterns of attachment and the effects of early relationships upon subsequent social, emotional and cognitive development are presented. Around the time of their sixth birthday, 63 children participated in an affect understanding task, involving cartoon diagrams depicting social and emotional dilemmas. As predicted, performance on this task, assessed in terms of mixed‐emotion understanding, was predicted by security of the infant‐mother attachment relationship (as assessed in the Strange Situation at one‐year) and security or autonomy in the mother’s representations of, and reflections upon, her attachment history (as assessed with the Adult Attachment Interview of AAI–during pregnancy) prior to the child’s birth. Regression analyses suggested that the infant‐mother attachment data significantly enhanced the prediction of an advanced understanding of mixed emotions at six‐years, even after controlling for variations in the children’s age at time of testing, as well as child and parent verbal skills. The inclusion of earlier assessments of the child‐father Strange Situation assessment (at 18‐months) did not enhance the model; nor did the attachment status of the mothers or fathers as observed in their prenatal AAIs. Discussion concerns the contributions of early attachment processes, including family conflict, to the ability to verbally express an understanding of mixed emotions in a task depicting hypothetical social and emotional dilemmas.

Multiple attachment relationships within families: mothers and fathers with two young children.

Security of attachment between mothers and fathers and their 2 children was examined in 41 maritally intact families. Strange Situation assessments of attachment security for the younger children (mean age = 1 year 10 months), Attachment Q-sort ratings of the older children (mean age = 4 years 8 months), and ratings of parental caregiving behavior of both children were obtained. Younger and older children developed concordant attachments to both parents. Parents were consistent in their caregiving behavior toward their 2 children. However, parents were not congruent in their attachment to their 2 children. Associations were found between maternal caregiving and attachment only in the younger group. The results support the idea that parental caregiving behavior accounts for only modest portions of the variance in attachment security; evolving attachments integrate developmental inputs from the children and the caregivers in the network of early family relationships.

Parenting and Preschooler Attachment among Low-Income Urban African American Families

This study examined the parental correlates of child attachment in a preschool-aged, economically disadvantaged, urban, African American sample. Sixty-nine 4- to 5-year-olds and their primary caregivers participated in the Strange Situation assessment procedure. Based on Cassidy and Marvin's classification system for preschoolers, 61% of the children were classified as securely attached, with girls being significantly more likely to be securely attached than boys (74% versus 45%). The majority of the insecure attachments were of the avoidant variety. Consistent with attachment theory, parents of securely attached children were rated as significantly more warm and accepting and less controlling with their children than were parents of insecurely attached preschoolers. Relative to parents of securely attached preschoolers, parents of children judged to be insecurely attached reported being more likely to use corporal punishment and less likely to use verbal reminders when their children misbehaved. Parenting was associated with attachment over and above the effects of child sex.

Parenting and Preschooler Attachment among Low‐Income Urban African American Families

This study examined the parental correlates of child attachment in a preschool-aged, economically disadvantaged, urban, African American sample. Sixty-nine 4- to 5-year-olds and their primary caregivers participated in the Strange Situation assessment procedure. Based on Cassidy and Marvin's classification system for preschoolers, 61% of the children were classified as securely attached, with girls being significantly more likely to be securely attached than boys (74% versus 45%). The majority of the insecure attachments were of the avoidant variety. Consistent with attachment theory, parents of securely attached children were rated as significantly more warm and accepting and less controlling with their children than were parents of insecurely attached preschoolers. Relative to parents of securely attached preschoolers, parents of children judged to be insecurely attached reported being more likely to use corporal punishment and less likely to use verbal reminders when their children misbehaved. Parenting was associated with attachment over and above the effects of child sex.

Attachment security in very low birth weight infants.

Infants of very low birth weight (VLBW) (n = 34) and a comparison group of 40 full-term infants were observed in Ainsworth's Strange Situation at 14 and 19 months and observed in the home at 14 months of age, using Waters's Attachment Q-set. Results indicated that at 14 months VLBW infants were more likely than the full-term infants to be insecurely attached when rated using the Q-set but not when using the Strange Situation. However, at 19 months VLBW infants were also more likely than full-term infants to be insecurely attached in the Strange Situation assessment. There were no associations between the Q-set and Strange Situation measures of attachment security. These results are discussed in terms ofthe social-emotional development of VLBW infants.

Attachment security in very low birth weight infants.

Infants of very low birth weight (VLBW) (n = 34) and a comparison group of 40 full-term infants were observed in Ainsworth's Strange Situation at 14 and 19 months and observed in the home at 14 months of age, using Waters's Attachment Q-set. Results indicated that at 14 months VLBW infants were more likely than the full-term infants to be insecurely attached when rated using the Q-set but not when using the Strange Situation. However, at 19 months VLBW infants were also more likely than full-term infants to be insecurely attached in the Strange Situation assessment. There were no associations between the Q-set and Strange Situation measures of attachment security. These results are discussed in terms ofthe social-emotional development of VLBW infants.

Attachment, maternal sensitivity, and infant temperament during the first year of life.

Families were examined at 6, 9, and 12 months in an intensive longitudinal study that included Home Behavior Attachment Q-sorts, laboratory Strange Situation assessment, home observations of infant temperament behavior on 24 occasions, observations of maternal parenting sensitivity on 12 occasions, and maternal reports of infant temperament. Maternal sensitivity was modestly related to Q-sort security and unrelated to Strange Situation classification. In contrast, observed infant temperament was more strongly related to both maternal sensitivity and Q-sort security. The relation between home and laboratory assessment of attachment security, which was at the level found in prior work (e.g., B. E. Vaughn & E. Waters, 1990), remained after the effects of observed and mother-reported infant temperament were partialed. Our data highlight the need to consider other factors besides maternal sensitivity in the explanation of variability in the attachment status of 1-year-olds.

Measurement of Young Children's Close Friendship: A Comparison of Two Independent Assessment Systems and their Associations with Attachment Security

The purpose of this study was to compare two independent dyadic assessments of children's close friendship and to examine the attachment correlates of both measures. A total of 73 5-year-olds, who had participated in a longitudinal study of child and family development with their parents and their close friend were observed in a 30 minute laboratory freeplay setting. Each friendship pair was: (1) rated every 30 seconds on eight dimensions of close relationships (e.g. connectedness, negativity, synchrony) using the Dyadic Coding System (DCS: Youngblade &amp; Belsky, 1992); (2) sorted on seven similar dimensions of relationships (e.g. positive social orientation, harmony, cohesiveness) using the Dyadic Relationships Q-sort (DRQ: Park &amp; Waters, 1989). Antecedent attachment data were collected at 12 (with mother) and 13 (with father) months in the Strange Situation; at this time each parent also completed the Attachment Q-sort (Waters &amp; Deane, 1985). Each parent completed the Attachment Q-sort again at 36-37 months. The results revealed that both friendship measures captured similar variation in friendship quality. Analyses of the links between child-parent attachment and friendship suggested congruence between Q-sort attachment security and friendship quality measured with the DRQ, but only for the child-father relationship. Analyses using Strange Situation assessments of infant-father attachment revealed counterintuitive associations with friendship quality, as measured by both the DRQ and DCS. There were no statistically significant relations between child-mother attachment security and friendship quality. In general, the findings point to a number of complexities regarding the measurement and interpretation of links between social relationships.

Infant, Father, and Marital Antecedents of Infant Father Attachment Security in Dual-Earner and Single-Earner Families

In contrast to the research examining infant-mother attachment, much less is known about the development of infant-father attachment relationships. Several recent findings suggest that infants in dual-earner families may develop insecure attachments not only to their mothers, but to their fathers as well. The purpose of the present study was to examine characteristics of the father, the infant, and the marital relationship as antecedents of secure/ insecure infant-father attachments in dual-earner and single-earner families as recent reports suggest that different family processes may exist within these two family ecologies. Longitudinal data from 113 fathers and their firstborn infants were collected before the birth of the child, and when infants were 3 and 9 months old, while Strange Situation assessments were conducted when infants were 13 months of age. Results indicated that change in perceived infant temperament, men's recollected child-rearing histories, and the division of labour distinguished families in which secure or insecure infant-father attachments developed. In only one instance, that of marital conflict, does it appear that different antecedent processes underlie the development of infant-father attachment security across the two family contexts. Results suggest that conclusions based upon research on the antecedents of infant-mother attachment security cannot be presumed to apply to the study of infant-father attachment.

The capacity for understanding mental states: The reflective self in parent and child and its significance for security of attachment

Epidemiologists and psychoanalysts have been equally concerned about the intergenera-tional concordance of disturbed patterns of attachment. Mary Main's introduction of the Adult Attachment Interview (AAI) has provided the field with an empirical tool for examining the concordance of parental and infant attachment patterns. In the context of a prospective study of the influence of parental patterns of attachment assessed before the birth of the first child upon the child's pattern of attachment to that parent at 1 year and at 18 months, the Anna Freud Centre—University College London Parent-Child Project reported a significant level of concordance between parental security and the infant's security with that parent. In the context of this study, a new measure, aiming to assess the parent's capacity for understanding mental states, was developed and is reported on in this paper. The rating of Reflective-Self Function, based upon AAI transcripts, correlated significantly with infant security classification based on Strange Situation assessments. The philosophical background and clinical importance of the measure are discussed. Les épidémiologues et les psychanalystes sont tout aussi bien concernés et intéressés par la concordance intergénérationnelle de patterns d'attachement perturbés. L'introduction qu'a faite Mary Main de l'Interview d'Attachement Adulte a fourni un outil empirique pour l'examen de la concordance des patterns d'attachement parental et infantile. Dans le contexte d'une étude future de l'influence des patterns d'attachement parental évaluée avant la naissance du premier enfant sur le pattern d'attachement de l'enfant envers ce parent à l'ǎge d'un an et à dix-huit mois, le Centre Anna Freud, University College Londres, Parent-Child Project, a signalé un niveau significatif de concordance entre la sécurité parentale et la sécurité du nourrisson avec ce parent. Dans le contexte de cette étude, une nouvelle mesure, ayant pour but d'évaluer la capacité du parent à comprendre les états mentaux a été développée et fait l'objet d'un rapport dans ce travail. L'évaluation de l''“Observing Self Function,” basée sur la transcription de l'Interview d'Attachement Adulte, correspondait de manière signicative à la classification de la sécurité du nourrisson basée sur les évaluations de Situation Etrange. L'arrière-plan philosophique et l'importance clinique de la mesure sont discutés.

Q-Sort security and first-year nonmaternal care

Can a Q-Sort measure of attachment security take the place of a Strange Situation Assessment to study infant day care? Apparently not, but it can be used in conjunction with the more traditional measurement strategy.

Nonmaternal care in the first year of life and the security of infant-parent attachment.

Evidence from 2 longitudinal studies of infant and family development was combined and examined in order to determine if experience of extensive nonmaternal care in the first year is associated with heightened risk of insecure infant-mother attachment and, in the case of sons, insecure infant-father attachment. Analysis of data obtained during Strange Situation assessments conducted when infants were 12 and 13 months of age revealed that infants exposed to 20 or more hours of care per week displayed more avoidance of mother on reunion and were more likely to be classified as insecurely attached to her than infants with less than 20 hours of care per week. Sons whose mothers were employed on a full-time basis (greater than 35 hours per week) were more likely to be classified as insecure in their attachments to their fathers than all other boys, and, as a result, sons with 20 or more hours of nonmaternal care per week were more likely to be insecurely attached to both parents and less likely to be securely attached to both parents than other boys. A secondary analysis of infants with extensive care experience who did and did not develop insecure attachment relationships with their mothers highlights several conditions under which the risk of insecurity is elevated or reduced. Both sets of findings are considered in terms of other research and the context in which infant day-care is currently experienced in the United States.

Patterns of Very Insecure Attachment Found in Samples of High-Risk Infants and Toddlers

Recent studies in which the Ainsworth Strange Situation (Ainsworth, Blehar, Waters, &amp; Wall, 1978) assessment of attachment security was used with high-social-risk infants and toddlers have reported observing patterns of response that do not fit the Ainsworth A-B-C classification system. These “D” or “A/C” infants came from very problematic childrearing environments. Data on 44 insecurely attached 13-month olds from a high-social-risk sample are presented; these data are in agreement with the general findings of these other studies. The families of the 13 A/C infants were experiencing significantly more difficult life circumstances, more illness symptoms, and less social support as compared to the families of the 33 infants who received other insecure classifications. Implications of attachment research for services provided to handicapped children and families are discussed.