Early mother–child attachment and behavior problems in middle childhood: the role of the subsequent caregiving environment

2014 ◽  
Vol 16 (6) ◽  
pp. 590-612 ◽  
Author(s):  
Erin E. O’Connor ◽  
Marc A. Scott ◽  
Meghan P. McCormick ◽  
Sharon L. Weinberg
Keyword(s):  
Behavior Problems ◽  
Middle Childhood ◽  
Child Attachment ◽  
And Behavior

Links between children's attachment behavior at early school-age, their attachment-related representations, and behavior problems in middle childhood

2009 ◽  
Vol 33 (2) ◽  
pp. 155-166 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ellen Moss ◽  
Jean-François Bureau ◽  
Marie-Julie Béliveau ◽  
Magdalena Zdebik ◽  
Suzanne Lépine
Keyword(s):  
Behavior Problems ◽  
Middle Childhood ◽  
Attachment Behavior ◽  
School Age ◽  
Narrative Story ◽  
Early School ◽  
The Social ◽  
Early School Age ◽  
Narrative Performance ◽  
And Behavior

The objective of the present study was to examine associations between children's attachment behavior at early school-age, dimensions of narrative performance, and behavior problems as assessed in middle childhood. Children's attachment patterns with mother were assessed at age 6 ( N = 127) using the Main and Cassidy (1988) separation—reunion classification system. Two years later, these children ( N = 109) completed the Narrative Story Stem Battery (Bretherton, Oppenheim, Buchsbaum, Emde, & The MacArthur Narrative Group, 1990), and teachers rated their level of behavior problems using the Social Behavior Questionnaire (Tremblay, Vitaro, Gagnon, Piché, & Royer, 1992). Results indicated that secure children depicted fewer conflict themes in their narratives than did disorganized/controlling children, produced more discipline themes than avoidant children, and had higher coherence scores than ambivalent children. Avoidant children also depicted fewer conflict themes than disorganized/controlling children. Finally, children's narrative conflict themes significantly predicted both level of externalizing and total behavior problems, even after controlling for variance explained by gender and disorganized/controlling attachment behavior. Girls' narratives were more likely to evoke discipline and affection/affiliation themes, and to be more coherent than boys' narratives.

Psychosocial risk, attachment, and behavior problems among school-aged children

1993 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
pp. 389-402 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Ann Easterbrooks ◽  
Cherilyn E. Davidson ◽  
Rachel Chazan
Keyword(s):  
Behavior Problems ◽  
Low Socioeconomic Status ◽  
Environmental Risk ◽  
Child Behavior Checklist ◽  
Low Socioeconomic ◽  
School Aged Children ◽  
Protective Processes ◽  
And Behavior ◽  
Main Effects

AbstractThe role of environmental risk and protective factors (attachment, verbal intelligence) in school-aged children's adaptation was examined. Subjects were 45 7-year-old children from low socioeconomic status environments. Security of attachment to mother was assessed by reunion behavior in the laboratory following an hour-long separation. Mothers and teachers reported on behavior problems using the Child Behavior Checklist. Results revealed a higher proportion of insecure attachments and behavior problems than in low-risk populations. Greater risk and less security were associated with poorer behavioral adaptation. Multiple regressions tested a model of protective processes; results demonstrated main effects of attachment security, even after controlling for extent of environmental risk.

scholarly journals Remediating Child Attachment Insecurity: Evaluating the Basic Trust Intervention in Adoptive Families

2019 ◽  
Vol 30 (7) ◽  
pp. 736-749 ◽  
Author(s):  
Moniek A. J. Zeegers ◽  
Cristina Colonnesi ◽  
Marc J. Noom ◽  
Nelleke Polderman ◽  
Geert-Jan J. M. Stams
Keyword(s):  
Behavior Problems ◽  
Parenting Stress ◽  
Free Play ◽  
Adoptive Families ◽  
Attachment Insecurity ◽  
Basic Trust ◽  
Child Attachment ◽  
Post Test ◽  
And Behavior

Purpose: This study evaluated the video-feedback intervention Basic Trust in families with internationally adoptive children aged 2–12 years. The intervention aims to reduce child attachment insecurity and behavior problems by enhancing mothers’ and fathers’ sensitivity and mind-mindedness (parents’ capacity to hold in mind the mind of their child). Method: Fifty-three adoptive families participated in a pretest, posttest, and 6-month follow-up assessment. Questionnaires on parenting stress, child attachment insecurity, and behavior problems were administered. Parents’ sensitivity was assessed from free-play observations at home, and mind-mindedness was measured with a describe-your-child interview. Results: Parents reported less child behavior problems, insecure and disorganized attachment, and parenting stress at posttest and follow-up. Parents’ mind-mindedness increased from pre- to post-test but not from pretest to follow-up. Parents’ sensitivity showed an improvement at follow-up. Conclusions: Future studies should investigate whether the present study’s positive results can be replicated under conditions of strict experimental control.

Infant-mother attachment and behavior problems in healthy and chronically ill preschoolers

1995 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 267-282 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susan Goldberg ◽  
Andrew Gotowiec ◽  
Robert J. Simmons
Keyword(s):  
Behavior Problems ◽  
Behavioral Problems ◽  
Child Behavior Checklist ◽  
Chronically Ill ◽  
Insecure Attachment ◽  
Secure Attachment ◽  
Theoretical Predictions ◽  
Mother Attachment ◽  
And Behavior

AbstractAnalysis of longitudinal data for 145 children [51 healthy, 40 with cystic fibrosis (CF), and 54 with congenital heart disease (CHD)] was conducted: (a) to ascertain whether behavioral problems evident in older medically compromised children would be reported as early as 2–3 years-of-age; and (b) to test theoretical predictions concerning the role of infant-mother attachment in the etiology of behavior problems. As predicted, children with a medical diagnosis received higher scores from parents on the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL), primarily on the Internalizing scale. Reports of somatic symptoms did not account for this effect. Contrary to predictions, children with CHD were reported to have more behavior problems than those with CF. Secure attachment was associated with lower CBCL scores for internalizing problems regardless of medical status. The increase in behavior problem reports associated with insecure attachment was shown to reflect an effect of avoidance rather than insecurity per se. The importance of distinguishing effects of different types of insecurity and the need for meta-analytic strategies to do so is emphasized.

scholarly journals Using Semi-Projective Doll Play Methods to Classify Middle Childhood Children Into Four Attachment Types: Types Associations With Distinctive Psychosocial Adaptation

2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 1
Author(s):  
David Granot
Keyword(s):  
Behavior Problems ◽  
Middle Childhood ◽  
Psychosocial Problems ◽  
Psychosocial Adaptation ◽  
Attitudes And Practices ◽  
Avoidant Attachment ◽  
Story Completion ◽  
Homeroom Teachers ◽  
And Behavior ◽  
5Th Grade

This research presents an adapted version of the Attachment Doll Story Completion Task for children in middle childhood (ADSCT for m-c), a measure for classifying children’s representations of mother-child attachment relationships into four attachment types: secure, avoidant, ambivalent, and disorganized. The ADSCT enables interviewers to partially circumvent the sophistication and defensiveness of middle childhood children's story completions. A sample of 185 children in the 4th and 5th grades, and 50 mothers of children from one 4th and one 5th grade class of that sample participated in the study. Children underwent the ADSCT for m-c procedure. Homeroom teachers, classmates, and the child reported on the children’s psychosocial adaptation. A sub-sample of the mothers completed measures of maternal caring attitudes and practices. Associations between the different attachment types and distinct forms of adaptation showed that secure attachment exhibited positive social relationships and a low level of psychosocial and behavior problems; disorganized attachment showed the poorest adaptation, manifested in psychosocial problems, behavior problems, social problem, aggressiveness, and victimization. Avoidant attachment exhibited social problems, peer rejection, behavior problems, and compulsive thought. And ambivalent attachment showed social vulnerability, and intermediate level of adaptation, between the better functioning of the securely attached and the problematic functioning of the insecurely attached. Concurrent validity of the ADSCT for m-c with maternal attitudes and practices, and discriminate validity with reference to key cognitive variables were good.

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