Adult attachment representations, parental responsiveness, and infant attachment: A meta-analysis on the predictive validity of the Adult Attachment Interview.

Objective: Understanding the relationship between attachment and mental health has an important role in informing management of perinatal mental disorders and for infant mental health. It has been suggested that experiences of attachment are transmitted from one generation to the next. Maternal sensitivity has been proposed as a mediator, although findings have not been as strong as hypothesised. A meta-analysis suggested that this intergenerational transmission of attachment may vary across populations with lower concordance between parent and infant attachment classifications in clinical compared to community samples. However, no previous study has examined major depression and adult attachment in pregnancy as predictors of infant–parent attachment classification at 12 months postpartum. Methods: Data were obtained on 52 first-time mothers recruited in early pregnancy, which included 22 women who met diagnostic criteria for current major depression using the Structured Clinical Interview for the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. The Adult Attachment Interview was also administered before 20 weeks of pregnancy. A history of early trauma was measured using the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire and maternal sensitivity was measured at 6 months postpartum using the observational measure of the Emotional Availability Scales. Infant–parent attachment was measured using the Strange Situation Procedure at 12 months. Results: Overall, we found no significant association between the Adult Attachment Interview and the Strange Situation Procedure classifications. However, a combination of maternal non-autonomous attachment on the Adult Attachment Interview and major depression was a significant predictor of insecure attachment on the Strange Situation Procedure. We did not find that maternal sensitivity mediated parental and infant attachment security in this sample. Conclusion: While previous meta-analyses identified lower concordance in clinical samples, our findings suggest women with major depression and non-autonomous attachment have a greater concordance with insecure attachment on the Strange Situation Procedure. These findings can guide future research and suggest a focus on depression in pregnancy may be important for subsequent infant attachment.

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Ecological Constraints for Intergenerational Transmission of Attachment

International Journal of Behavioral Development ◽

10.1080/016502597385342 ◽

1997 ◽

Vol 20 (2) ◽

pp. 287-299 ◽

Cited By ~ 33

Author(s):

Abraham Sagi ◽

Marinus H. van IJzendoorn ◽

Miri Scharf ◽

Tirtsa Joels ◽

Nina Koren-Karie ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Intergenerational Transmission ◽

Adult Attachment ◽

Adult Attachment Interview ◽

Child Rearing ◽

Attachment Representations ◽

Ecological Constraints ◽

Strange Situation ◽

Home Based ◽

Sleeping Arrangements

To determine whether the transmission of attachment across generations is free from contextual constraints, adult attachment representations were assessed in two kibbutz settings, home-based and communal sleeping. It was hypothesised that under extreme child-rearing circumstances, such as the communal sleeping arrangement, the transmission of attachment is not evident, whereas in the more regular home-based environment the expected transmission of attachment will be found. The participants were 45 mothers and 45 infants, about equal numbers of boys and girls, from 20 kibbutz infant houses with communal sleeping arrangements, and from 25 kibbutz infant houses with home-based sleeping arrangements. Mothers were administered the Adult Attachment Interview (AAI), and infants were assessed through the Ainsworth Strange Situation. Among the home-based pairs, a correspondence of 76% was found between AAI and Strange Situation classifications, whereas the correspondence was only 40% in the communal sleeping group. It is argued that living in a communal sleeping arrangement reduces the expected transmission of attachment.

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Attachment representations and autonomic regulation in maltreating and nonmaltreating mothers

Development and Psychopathology ◽

10.1017/s0954579416001036 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 29 (3) ◽

pp. 1075-1087 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Sophie Reijman ◽

Lenneke R. A. Alink ◽

Laura H. C. G. Compier-De Block ◽

Claudia D. Werner ◽

Athanasios Maras ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Skin Conductance ◽

Adult Attachment ◽

Vagal Tone ◽

Autonomic Regulation ◽

Adult Attachment Interview ◽

Potential Utility ◽

Attachment Representations ◽

Attachment Representation ◽

State Of Mind

AbstractThis study assessed attachment representation and attachment-related autonomic regulation in a sample of 38 maltreating and 35 nonmaltreating mothers. Mothers’ state of mind regarding attachment was measured using the Adult Attachment Interview. They further watched an attachment-based comfort paradigm, during which we measured skin conductance and vagal tone. More maltreating mothers (42%) than nonmaltreating mothers (17%) had an unresolved/disoriented attachment classification. Attachment representation was related to physiology during the comfort paradigm: an unresolved state of mind and a nonautonomous classification were associated with a decrease in skin conductance during the comfort paradigm, specifically during the responsive caregiver scenario. However, physiology did not differ between maltreating and nonmaltreating mothers. The decrease in skin conductance of unresolved mothers during the comfort paradigm might be indicative of a deactivating response, which is congruent with the dissociative nature of the unresolved state of mind. The results point to the potential utility of interventions focused on attachment representations for maltreating mothers.

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Attachment Representations and Early Interactions in Drug Addicted Mothers: A Case Study of Four Women with Distinct Adult Attachment Interview Classifications

Frontiers in Psychology ◽

10.3389/fpsyg.2016.00346 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 7 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Alessio Porreca ◽

Francesca De Palo ◽

Alessandra Simonelli ◽

Nicoletta Capra

Keyword(s):

Adult Attachment ◽

Adult Attachment Interview ◽

Attachment Representations

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Adult attachment representations and depressive symptoms: A meta-analysis

Journal of Affective Disorders ◽

10.1016/j.jad.2018.04.091 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 236 ◽

pp. 274-290 ◽

Cited By ~ 21

Author(s):

Or Dagan ◽

Christopher R. Facompré ◽

Kristin Bernard

Keyword(s):

Depressive Symptoms ◽

Adult Attachment ◽

Meta Analysis ◽

Attachment Representations

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Patient’s and the Therapist’s Attachment Representations, Attachment to Therapists, and Self-Esteem-Change Through Psychotherapy

Frontiers in Psychology ◽

10.3389/fpsyg.2021.711296 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 ◽

Author(s):

Katja Petrowski ◽

Hendrik Berth ◽

Peter Beiling ◽

Vanessa Renner ◽

Thomas Probst

Keyword(s):

Attachment Style ◽

Significant Influence ◽

Adult Attachment ◽

Self Esteem ◽

Adult Attachment Interview ◽

Naturalistic Study ◽

Attachment Representations ◽

Attachment Relationship ◽

Specific Attachment ◽

The Relationship

Objectives: The present naturalistic study aims to investigate the differential effects of the patient’s and the therapist’s attachment representations on the attachment to the therapist as perceived by the patient, and their impact on self-esteem-change through psychotherapy.Methods: Attachment variables of N = 573 patients as well as N = 16 therapists were assessed. Attachment representations were measured for therapists and patients via the Bielefelder Questionnaire for Client Attachment Exploration, the Relationship Specific Attachment to Therapist Scales and the Adult Attachment Interview. The patient’s attachment to therapists was evaluated and patients’ self-esteem was measured via the Frankfurter Selbstkonzeptskalen at the beginning and end of psychotherapy.Results: Although there were significant effects of the patient’s attachment representations on the perceived attachment to the therapist as well as between the perceived attachment to the therapist and the amount of self-esteem-change, the therapist’s attachment style had no significant influence on the perceived attachment to the therapist.Conclusion: Self-esteem-change through psychotherapy is influenced by the actually formed attachment relationship as perceived by the patient. The patient’s attachment representations but not the therapist’s attachment style contributes to the actual patient’s attachment to the therapist.

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Attachment the Italian Way

European Psychologist ◽

10.1027/1016-9040/a000128 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 18 (1) ◽

pp. 47-58 ◽

Cited By ~ 33

Author(s):

Rosalinda Cassibba ◽

Giovanna Sette ◽

Marian J. Bakermans-Kranenburg ◽

Marinus H. van IJzendoorn

Keyword(s):

Attachment Theory ◽

Adult Attachment ◽

Meta Analysis ◽

Cross Cultural ◽

Strange Situation ◽

Infant Attachment ◽

Unresolved Loss

In the present meta-analysis 627 Strange Situation Procedures (SSP; Ainsworth, Blehar, Waters, & Wall, 1978 ) from 17 Italian infant attachment studies and 2,258 Adult Attachment Interviews (AAI; Main, Kaplan, & Cassidy, 1985 ) from 50 Italian adult attachment studies were included. All studies were published between 1990 and 2009. Our aim was to test the universality hypothesis of attachment theory in this Italian database. Results indicated that the majority of nonclinical Italian infants were classified as securely attached (53%); similarly, the majority of nonclinical Italian adults were secure (60%). Although cross-cultural similarities provide evidence for the universality hypothesis of attachment theory, our meta-analysis revealed also interesting cultural specificities. First, nonclinical Italian infants’ distribution showed an overrepresentation of avoidant attachments compared to the normative distribution. Second, the underrepresentation of unresolved loss among Italian nonclinical adults was noteworthy.

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Adolescents’ nonverbal emotional expressions during negotiation of a disagreement with their mothers: An attachment approach

International Journal of Behavioral Development ◽

10.1080/01650250143000102 ◽

2001 ◽

Vol 25 (4) ◽

pp. 344-353 ◽

Cited By ~ 24

Author(s):

Fabienne Becker-Stoll ◽

Andrea Delius ◽

Stephanie Scheitenberger

Keyword(s):

Facial Expression ◽

Attachment Style ◽

Adult Attachment ◽

Adult Attachment Interview ◽

Emotional States ◽

Attachment Representations ◽

Attachment Representation ◽

Nonverbal Behaviour ◽

Expression Of Emotion ◽

Interaction Task

The present study investigates the influence of attachment representation on adolescents’ nonverbal behaviour during an observed mother-adolescent interaction task. In a follow-up of the Regensburg longitudinal study, 43 (of the original 51 participating families) 16-year-old adolescents and their mothers were observed in a short revealed differences task. Ekman and Friesen’s (1978) facial expression descriptions were used in the second-by-second analysis of the adolescents’ facial expressions. The analysis assessed emotional states (anger, sadness, surprise, uneasiness, joy, smiling), manipulators or adapters as signs of tension (biting of lips, biting nails), emblems, and eye contact. Concurrently, adolescents were given the Adult Attachment Interview to assess their attachment representations using Kobak’s Adult-Attachment-Interview Q-sort. Results showed a significant relationship between adolescent attachment representation and adolescent nonverbal facial expression during the interaction task. Attachment security was related to open and positive expression of emotion, whereas dismissive attachment style was associated with communication inhibiting behaviour. The results are congruent with attachment theory claiming that coherent emotional appraisals of one’s own attachment history is a prerequisite to open emotional expression and communication of one’s feelings to others.

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States of Mind With Respect to Adult Attachment and Reflective Functioning in a Sample of Men Detained for Stalking: Evaluation and Clinical Implications

SAGE Open ◽

10.1177/2158244020962820 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 10 (4) ◽

pp. 215824402096282

Author(s):

Cristina Civilotti ◽

Chiara Sciascia ◽

Maria Zaccagnino ◽

Antonella Varetto ◽

Daniela Acquadro Maran

Keyword(s):

Adult Attachment ◽

Impulse Control ◽

Separation Anxiety ◽

Adult Attachment Interview ◽

Correctional Facilities ◽

States Of Mind ◽

Attachment Representations ◽

Recurrence Rates ◽

Specific Population ◽

Early Attachment

The efficacy of treatment for stalkers might depend on identifying peculiarities in the life stories of members of this population and their specific needs. We interviewed 14 Italian male stalkers between 27 and 78 years old ( M = 44.5 years) detained in two northwest Italian correctional facilities. We aimed to investigate two main aspects: First, we evaluated the subjects’ states of mind (SoMs) with respect to early attachment using the Adult Attachment Interview. Second, we assessed the possible recurrence of narrative clusters between the narratives of these offenders, whom we also interviewed about their persecutory acts, using the Index Offense Interview. The results indicated that the vast majority of the stalkers in our sample had a dismissing SoM with respect to their early attachment, as well as many unresolved traumas. Furthermore, by comparing their narratives, we outlined six narrative themes: (a) the perception of rejection as a main motivational factor, (b) the representation of the self as right and as a victim of others’ behaviors, (c) a lack of impulse control, (d) the idealization of attachment figures, (e) intense separation anxiety, and (f) a personal theory about stalking. Given this population’s high recurrence rates following detention, the study of which adult attachment representations are linked with the stalking phenomenon and which critical themes are present in stalkers’ narratives may improve clinical interventions for this specific population.

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Mental Representations of Attachment among Prospective Australian Fathers

Australian & New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry ◽

10.3109/00048679409075880 ◽

1994 ◽

Vol 28 (3) ◽

pp. 505-511 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Marija Radojevic

Keyword(s):

Adult Attachment ◽

Transition To Parenthood ◽

Mental Representations ◽

Measurement Instrument ◽

Adult Attachment Interview ◽

Infant Attachment ◽

Internal Representations

Research into security or otherwise of infant attachment and its correlates is well established. Research into adult internal representations of attachment is still in its infancy. This emergent area of investigation is facilitated by a new measurement instrument, the Adult Attachment Interview (AAI). This paper presents the first Australian report of the distribution of adult attachment classifications in a group of 62 men, prior to the transition to parenthood. Using the AAI, 35.4% of these men were classified as secure. This proportion is congruent with those reported by other investigators. Validity of the AAI is discussed and some theoretical questions related to the findings are raised.

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