Infant Attachment Security as a Discriminant Predictor of Career Development in Late Adolescence

2000 ◽  
Vol 15 (5) ◽  
pp. 531-545 ◽  
Author(s):  
Glenn I. Roisman ◽  
Mudita A. Bahadur ◽  
Harriet Oster
Keyword(s):  
Career Development ◽  
Attachment Security ◽  
Late Adolescence ◽  
Infant Attachment

Bridging the attachment transmission gap: The role of maternal mind-mindedness

2003 ◽  
Vol 27 (4) ◽  
pp. 355-365 ◽  
Author(s):  
Annie Bernier ◽  
Mary Dozier
Keyword(s):  
Intergenerational Transmission ◽  
Adult Attachment ◽  
Foster Children ◽  
Predictive Power ◽  
Attachment Security ◽  
Infant Attachment ◽  
Attachment Research ◽  
State Of Mind ◽  
Age Appropriate

The intergenerational transmission of attachment patterns is one of the most reliable yet least understood findings of attachment research. The aim of this report was to examine the capacity of maternal mind-mindedness to account for the relation between adult attachment state of mind and infant attachment security. Sixty-four foster children (aged 6–30 months) participated with their foster mothers. The mother’s tendency to use mental features in describing her child (mindmindedness) was negatively related to the security of both maternal state of mind and infant attachment. Further, mind-mindedness accounted for the totality of the predictive power of state of mind on infant attachment. The results suggest that age-appropriate representations of the child may help explain intergenerational transmission, through their interplay with parental interactive behaviours.

Major depression as a predictor of the intergenerational transmission of attachment security: Findings from a pregnancy cohort study

2021 ◽  
pp. 000486742110607
Author(s):  
Megan Galbally ◽  
Stuart J Watson ◽  
Anne Tharner ◽  
Maartje Luijk ◽  
Gaynor Blankley ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Major Depression ◽  
Adult Attachment ◽  
Attachment Security ◽  
Maternal Sensitivity ◽  
Adult Attachment Interview ◽  
Insecure Attachment ◽  
Parent Attachment ◽  
Strange Situation ◽  
Infant Attachment ◽  
Strange Situation Procedure

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.

scholarly journals Infant Attachment Security and the Timing of Puberty

2010 ◽  
Vol 21 (9) ◽  
pp. 1195-1201 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jay Belsky ◽  
Renate M. Houts ◽  
R.M. Pasco Fearon
Keyword(s):  
Attachment Security ◽  
Infant Attachment ◽  
Timing Of Puberty

The effects of child maltreatment and polymorphisms of the serotonin transporter and dopamine D4 receptor genes on infant attachment and intervention efficacy

2011 ◽  
Vol 23 (2) ◽  
pp. 357-372 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dante Cicchetti ◽  
Fred A. Rogosch ◽  
Sheree L. Toth
Keyword(s):  
Genetic Variation ◽  
Serotonin Transporter ◽  
Attachment Security ◽  
Variable Number Tandem Repeat ◽  
Variable Number ◽  
Strange Situation ◽  
Infant Attachment ◽  
Intervention Efficacy ◽  
D4 Receptor ◽  
The Stability

AbstractThis investigation examined the extent to which polymorphisms of the serotonin transporter linked promoter region (5-HTTLPR) and the dopamine receptor D4 (DRD4) genes differentially influenced the development of attachment security and disorganization in maltreated and nonmaltreated infants at age 13 months, and the extent to which the efficacy of preventive interventions to promote attachment security were influenced by genetic variation. The sample consisted of 106 infants from maltreating families, participating in a randomized control trial evaluating the efficacy of two interventions, child–parent psychotherapy and psychoeducational parenting intervention, and 47 infants from nonmaltreating families. DNA samples were genotyped for polymorphisms of5-HTTLPR,DRD4exon III variable number tandem repeat, andDRD4-521. Attachment organization at age 1 and at age 2 was assessed with the Strange Situation for all participants, prior to and following the completion of the interventions. High rates of disorganized attachment were observed in the maltreatment compared to the nonmaltreatment group, and both interventions resulted in increased rates of attachment security at age 2. Genetic variation did not influence improvement in attachment organization among maltreated infants. Among maltreated infants, genetic variation had minimal effect on attachment organization. In contrast, among nonmaltreated infants,5-HTTLPRandDRD4polymorphisms influenced attachment security and disorganization at age 2 and the stability of attachment disorganization over time.

Joint influence of child care and infant attachment security for cognitive and language outcomes of low-income toddlers

2003 ◽  
Vol 26 (3) ◽  
pp. 326-344 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susan J. Spieker ◽  
Dana C. Nelson ◽  
Anthippy Petras ◽  
Sandra N. Jolley ◽  
Kathryn E. Barnard
Keyword(s):  
Child Care ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Attachment Security ◽  
Language Outcomes ◽  
Infant Attachment ◽  
Joint Influence

Infant Attachment to Mother and Child Caretaker in an East African Community

1986 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 455-469 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rosanne Kermoian ◽  
P. Herbert Leiderman
Keyword(s):  
Attachment Security ◽  
Child Rearing ◽  
East African ◽  
Infant Attachment ◽  
East African Community ◽  
Security Of Attachment ◽  
Mother And Child ◽  
African Community ◽  
Classification Procedures ◽  
Attachment To Mother

Child rearing among the Gusii of Kenya is distinctive in that (a) infants are routinely cared for by both mothers and child caretakers, and (b) infant-mother interaction is primarily limited to activities which provide for the infant's physical needs, whereas infant-caretaker interaction is primarily limited to play and social activities. In this study a separation/reunion paradigm and Ainsworth classification procedures were used to assess security of attachment in a sample of Gusii infants 8 to 27 months of age. The proportion of infants classified as securely attached to mother and caretaker was 61% and 54%, respectively. Although the establishment of a secure relationship was not affected by differences between infant-mother and infant-caretaker activities, correlates of attachment security were specific to each. Whereas attachment to mother was related to nutritional status, attachment to the caretaker was related to Bayley MDI performance. These findings suggest that the pervasive association between security of attachment and infant functioning in American studies is a reflection of the diversity of activities in which infants and mothers engage.

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