Bhavya Arya, Madeline Patrick, Huang Pei, Evelyn Law, Birit Broekman, Helen Chen, Madeline Chan Hiu Gwan, Fabian Yap, Lee Yung Seng, Kok Hian Tan, Chong Yap-Seng, Anqi Qiu, Marielle Valerie Fortier, Peter Gluckman, Michael Meaney, Ai Peng Tan, Anne Rifkin-Graboi
{"title":"Toddler disorganized attachment in relation to cortical thickness and socioemotional problems in late childhood.","authors":"Bhavya Arya, Madeline Patrick, Huang Pei, Evelyn Law, Birit Broekman, Helen Chen, Madeline Chan Hiu Gwan, Fabian Yap, Lee Yung Seng, Kok Hian Tan, Chong Yap-Seng, Anqi Qiu, Marielle Valerie Fortier, Peter Gluckman, Michael Meaney, Ai Peng Tan, Anne Rifkin-Graboi","doi":"10.1080/14616734.2024.2404591","DOIUrl":"10.1080/14616734.2024.2404591","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Disorganized attachment is a risk for mental health problems, with increasing work focused on understanding biological mechanisms. Examining late childhood brain morphology may be informative - this stage coincides with the onset of many mental health problems. Past late childhood research reveals promising candidates, including frontal lobe cortical thickness and hippocampal volume. However, work has been limited to Western samples and has not investigated mediation or moderation by brain morphology. Furthermore, past cortical thickness research included only 33 participants. The current study utilized data from 166 children from the GUSTO Asian cohort, who participated in strange situations at 18 months and MRI brain imaging at 10.5 years, with 124 administered the Child Behaviour Checklist at 10.5 years. Results demonstrated disorganization liked to internalizing problems, but no mediation or moderation by brain morphology. The association to internalizing (but not externalizing) problems is discussed with reference to the comparatively higher prevalence of internalizing problems in Singapore.</p>","PeriodicalId":8632,"journal":{"name":"Attachment & Human Development","volume":" ","pages":"135-155"},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2025-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142340206","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Behavioral problems, dissociative symptoms, and empathic behaviors in children adopted in infancy from institutional and foster care in the Czech Republic.","authors":"Petra Winnette, Lior Abramson","doi":"10.1080/14616734.2024.2444722","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/14616734.2024.2444722","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>This study examined if considerably different caregiving experiences in infancy influence socio-emotional development later in childhood. We included children aged 6-9 years who were, immediately after birth, placed in quality state-run institutions (N = 24) or quality state-run foster care with one family (N = 23). All children have lived in stable families since their adoption before 15 months of age. Children in the comparison group have always lived with their biological parents (N = 25). We found that the previously institutionalized group had significantly more behavioral problems, more dissociative symptoms, and lower empathic behavior scores than the comparison group. The previously fostered group also exhibited more behavioral problems and dissociative symptoms than the comparison group but, notably, significantly fewer behavioral problems than the previously institutionalized group. The findings underscore the beneficial role of foster care compared to institutional care and that quality and consistency of early caregiving play a crucial role in later socio-emotional development.</p>","PeriodicalId":8632,"journal":{"name":"Attachment & Human Development","volume":" ","pages":"1-25"},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2025-01-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143021826","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Examining the link between parental relationship functioning and parent sensitivity: a meta-analysis.","authors":"Jenney Zhu, Audrey-Ann Deneault, Harshita Seal, Gabrielle Lucchese-Lavecchia, Sheri Madigan, Jean-François Bureau","doi":"10.1080/14616734.2024.2441146","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/14616734.2024.2441146","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Fathers remain neglected in attachment research, despite paternal sensitivity being important for children's development. Past research suggested that fathers' parenting may be influenced by contextual factors, including relationship functioning between parents.</p><p><strong>Objective: </strong>This meta-analysis examined the association between paternal sensitivity and parental relationship functioning, and compared the magnitude of associations to those of maternal sensitivity.</p><p><strong>Method: </strong>A search conducted across five databases up to February 2023 yielded 44 studies and <i>N</i> = 4,616 fathers (mean father age: 31.7 years; mean child age: 19.1 months). All studies included an observational measure of paternal sensitivity and a measure of parental relationship functioning.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Paternal sensitivity was positively associated with the quality of the co-parenting relationship (<i>r</i> = .13, 95% CI [.01, .25]) and parental romantic relationship (<i>r</i> = .09, 95% CI [.03, .15]).. Associations were similar for mothers and fathers.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>This study contributes to our understanding of factors that enhance paternal sensitivity.</p><p><strong>Implications: </strong>The results of this research may inform family-wide intervention and prevention efforts to support child well-being.</p>","PeriodicalId":8632,"journal":{"name":"Attachment & Human Development","volume":" ","pages":"1-28"},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2024-12-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142891567","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"A call to represent the current diversity of family forms in attachment research.","authors":"Audrey-Ann Deneault, Nicola Carone, Sheri Madigan","doi":"10.1080/14616734.2024.2441990","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/14616734.2024.2441990","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>As family forms become increasingly diverse, their underrepresentation in attachment research is glaring. Although attachment theory aims to explain the influence of early relationships, studies have disproportionately focused on mothers. Even when other attachment figures are considered, the research is typically limited to fathers in biparental mother-father families. In this piece, we report on the wide variety of family configurations worldwide, and how children experience care from multiple attachment figures. Drawing from the <i>Child Attachment Studies Catalogue and Data Exchange</i> (CASCADE), we assess the current state of attachment research with regard to diverse family configurations. Out of the available records in CASCADE, only four of 2,320 studies (0.2% of available studies) involved samples of diverse families. We conclude by issuing an explicit call for research that acknowledges and explores diverse family forms and propose strategies to improve reporting and research practices to promote more inclusivity of diverse family forms.</p>","PeriodicalId":8632,"journal":{"name":"Attachment & Human Development","volume":" ","pages":"1-11"},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2024-12-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142852364","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Exploring the cross-cultural validity of attachment theory: a study of Egyptian mother-child dyads using the Strange Situation Procedure.","authors":"Nour M Zaki, Maya A Shehata, Merihan E Eissa","doi":"10.1080/14616734.2024.2443476","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/14616734.2024.2443476","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Given the dearth of literature on attachment theory in the Arab world, this study explores the cross-cultural validity of attachment theory within an Egyptian sample of 60 mother-child dyads through the Strange Situation Procedure (SSP). The study examines the applicability of attachment theory's universality, normativity, and secure base hypotheses, as well as the prevalence and manifestations of insecurity in an Egyptian sample. The findings supported attachment theory's universality, normativity and secure base hypotheses, while simultaneously pointing towards cultural variations in attachment manifestations. Specifically, this study found that all children were classifiable according to the ABC classification system, and that secure attachment was the most prevalent within the sample. Additionally, trends of exploration and crying highly aligned with Ainsworth's findings in the Baltimore study, supporting the secure base phenomenon within this Egyptian sample. Nevertheless, resistant attachment was more common than avoidant attachment, which differs from the global prevalence. Resistant attachment also primarily took the form of inconsolability rather than anger.</p>","PeriodicalId":8632,"journal":{"name":"Attachment & Human Development","volume":" ","pages":"1-14"},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2024-12-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142852365","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Hoi Shan Cheung, Jerrine Z N Khong, Jungup Lee, Denise Liu, Rebecca P Ang
{"title":"Secure base script knowledge and friendship quality as protective factors for bullying and victimization in elementary school.","authors":"Hoi Shan Cheung, Jerrine Z N Khong, Jungup Lee, Denise Liu, Rebecca P Ang","doi":"10.1080/14616734.2024.2441993","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/14616734.2024.2441993","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>This study examined how children's secure base script knowledge and friendship quality were related to bullying and victimization experiences and their emotional, academic, and behavioral adjustment. Participants were 581 children (49.6% males) aged 9 to 13 years old and one of their main caregivers (74% mothers, 23.6% fathers, 2.4% legal guardians) recruited through cluster sampling in Singapore. Most of the children were ethnic Chinese (58.2%), along with Malays, Indians, and Others (e.g. Eurasians). Children's secure base script knowledge was related to less bullying and victimization, which in turn was related to greater positive emotional state, better academic achievement, less aggression, and fewer social problems. Friendship quality did not add unique variance, highlighting the central protective role of attachment representation in the context of school bullying. The findings provide support for the security-competence link in an Asian context, and point to the importance of enhancing children's familial experiences as part of preventive efforts in combating school bullying.</p>","PeriodicalId":8632,"journal":{"name":"Attachment & Human Development","volume":" ","pages":"1-23"},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2024-12-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142833340","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Hanne Cecilie Braarud, Polly Faith Evans Mcginn, Dag Øystein Nordanger, Øivin Christiansen, Magne Olav Mæhle
{"title":"Expert reports: an empirical study of the use of attachment theory in expert assessments in Norwegian child protection cases.","authors":"Hanne Cecilie Braarud, Polly Faith Evans Mcginn, Dag Øystein Nordanger, Øivin Christiansen, Magne Olav Mæhle","doi":"10.1080/14616734.2024.2435006","DOIUrl":"10.1080/14616734.2024.2435006","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Acknowledged researchers have highlighted the potential pitfalls of using attachment theory to guide decision-making in child protection (CP) cases. This study explores how attachment theory is applied in expert assessments in Norwegian CP decision-making processes, analyzing 285 independent expert reports. Independent experts were mandated to assess the child's attachment quality to the caregiver in one third of the reports. In almost two thirds of the reports, experts weighted the child's attachment quality to the caregiver in their concluding evaluation. Few expert assessments included the employment of attachment measures. When descriptively comparing older and newer reports, there were more newer reports that mandated the experts to assess the child's attachment quality, but fewer newer reports where the experts weighted the child's attachment quality in the concluding evaluation. Our results illustrate that the criticism of an overconfindent use of attachment theory is also relevant for independet expert assessment in CP cases.</p>","PeriodicalId":8632,"journal":{"name":"Attachment & Human Development","volume":"26 6","pages":"625-640"},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2024-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142982512","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Magaly Nóblega, Gabriela Conde, Ramón Bartra, Germán Posada
{"title":"Maternal sensitivity and child attachment security in a low SES Peruvian sample: longitudinal relationships.","authors":"Magaly Nóblega, Gabriela Conde, Ramón Bartra, Germán Posada","doi":"10.1080/14616734.2024.2414994","DOIUrl":"10.1080/14616734.2024.2414994","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>We tested the generalizability of the sensitivity-security link in a sample of 35 preschooler-mother dyads from a low socioeconomic district in Lima, Peru. We first describe maternal sensitivity and attachment security at two timepoints during early childhood. Second, we investigated the stability of attachment security and maternal sensitivity over a time span of one year. Third, we tested the association between sensitivity and security at each timepoint. Finally, we investigated whether changes in maternal sensitivity predict changes in child security. The results indicated that sensitivity and security were lower than scores reported in the literature for middle-class samples. T2 maternal sensitivity scores were significantly higher than T1 sensitivity scores, and no significant differences were found between T1 and T2 security. Sensitivity and security were associated at both timepoints, after controlling for socio-demographic variables. One-tail test indicated that changes in maternal sensitivity were associated with changes in child security.</p>","PeriodicalId":8632,"journal":{"name":"Attachment & Human Development","volume":" ","pages":"503-520"},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2024-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142456926","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Kim M Starreveld, Mathilde M Overbeek, Agnes M Willemen, Marian J Bakermans-Kranenburg
{"title":"Video-feedback intervention to promote positive parenting and sensitive discipline in early elementary education (VIPP-School): a randomized controlled trial.","authors":"Kim M Starreveld, Mathilde M Overbeek, Agnes M Willemen, Marian J Bakermans-Kranenburg","doi":"10.1080/14616734.2024.2419621","DOIUrl":"10.1080/14616734.2024.2419621","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The VIPP-SD (Video-feedback Intervention to promote Positive Parenting and Sensitive Discipline) program has been shown to promote positive interactions between parents and children with behavior problems. This study evaluated an adapted version for teachers (VIPP-School) through a parallel-group randomized controlled trial involving 58 teacher-child dyads from kindergarten to second grade. Teacher-child dyads were randomly assigned to VIPP-School (<i>n</i> = 28) or an active control group (<i>n</i> = 30). Intention-to-treat analyses showed improvements in teacher sensitivity (<i>d</i> = 0.87) and supportive teacher classroom interactions (<i>d</i> = 0.53) in the VIPP-School condition compared to the control condition. VIPP-School had no significant effect on teachers' observed sensitive discipline (although changes were in the expected direction), nor on reported child externalizing behavior, overall relationship quality, school happiness or teacher self-efficacy. These findings show that the intervention, originally developed for families, could be effectively applied to early elementary education. The limited number of sessions increases the feasibility of VIPP-School.</p>","PeriodicalId":8632,"journal":{"name":"Attachment & Human Development","volume":" ","pages":"545-566"},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2024-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142520881","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}