scholarly journals Is attachment style in early childhood associated with mental health difficulties in late adolescence?

BJPsych Open ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (S1) ◽  
pp. S15-S15
Author(s):  
Philippa Clery ◽  
Angela Rowe ◽  
Marcus Munafò ◽  
Liam Mahedy
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Early Childhood ◽  
Attachment Style ◽  
Attachment Styles ◽  
Late Adolescence ◽  
Insecure Attachment ◽  
Secure Attachment ◽  
Childhood Attachment ◽  
Mental Health Difficulties ◽  
Self Harm

AimsIdentifying factors that contribute to mental health difficulties in young people as early in life as possible are needed to inform prevention strategies. One area of interest is attachment. Although existing research has suggested an association between insecure attachment styles and mental health difficulties, these studies often have small sample sizes, use cross-sectional designs, and measure attachment as a discrete variable at a single point or use romantic relationship attachment as a proxy for childhood attachment. It is also unclear whether these associations persist into late adolescence. In this large prospective study we aimed to determine whether an insecure attachment style measured at repeated points in early childhood, is associated with depression and self-harm at 18 years.MethodWe used data from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children cohort. Mothers completed attachment related questionnaires when their child was 18, 30, and 42 months old. Offspring depression and lifetime self-harm was assessed at 18 years in clinic using the Clinical Interview Schedule-Revised. Attachment was derived as a continuous latent variable in a structural equation modelling framework. Logistic regression was performed on participants with complete attachment data (n = 7032) to examine the association between attachment style and depression and self-harm, with adjustment for potential confounders. Differential dropout was accounted for using multiple imputation.ResultWe found some evidence for an association between a more insecure attachment style in childhood, and a diagnosis of depression and life-time self-harm at age 18. In the fully adjusted imputed model, a one standard deviation increase in insecure attachment was associated with a 13% increase in the odds of depression (OR = 1.13; 95%CI = 1.00 to 1.27) and a 14% increase in the odds of self-harm at age 18 (OR = 1.14; 95%CI = 1.02 to 1.25), for children who had more insecure attachment in early childhood, compared with children who had more secure attachment.ConclusionThis is the largest longitudinal study to examine the prospective association between childhood attachment and depression and self-harm in late adolescence. Our findings strengthen the evidence suggesting that a childhood insecure attachment style is associated with mental health difficulties in late adolescence. Policies and interventions to support parenting behaviours that foster the development of secure attachment styles, or attachment-based therapies to improve attachment quality, could help reduce depression and self-harm in adolescence/young adulthood.Philippa Clery is supported by the Elizabeth Blackwell Institute for Health Research at the University of Bristol and the Wellcome Trust Institutional Strategic Support Fund.

scholarly journals Is attachment style in early childhood associated with mental health difficulties in late adolescence?

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Philippa Clery ◽  
Angela Rowe ◽  
Marcus R. Munafò ◽  
Liam Mahedy
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Early Childhood ◽  
Attachment Style ◽  
Late Adolescence ◽  
Small Sample ◽  
Insecure Attachment ◽  
Standard Deviation Increase ◽  
Attachment Quality ◽  
Mental Health Difficulties ◽  
Self Harm

AbstractBackgroundAlthough existing research has suggested an association between insecure attachment styles and mental health difficulties, these studies often have small sample sizes, use cross-sectional designs, and measure attachment as a discrete variable at a single point. It is also unclear whether these associations persist into late adolescence. In this prospective study we aimed to determine whether insecure attachment style in early childhood is associated with depression and self-harm at 18 years.MethodsWe used data from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children cohort. Mothers completed attachment related questionnaires when their child was 18, 30, and 42 months old. Offspring depression and lifetime self-harm was assessed at 18 years using the Clinical Interview Schedule-Revised. Attachment was derived as a latent variable in a structural equation modelling framework. Logistic regression was performed on participants with complete attachment data (n=7032) to examine the association between attachment style and depression and self-harm, with adjustment for potential confounders. Differential dropout was accounted for using multiple imputation.ResultsWe found some evidence for an association between attachment quality and depression and self-harm. In the fully adjusted imputed model, a one standard deviation increase in insecure attachment was associated with a 13% increase in the odds of depression at age 18 (OR=1.13; 95%CI=1.00 to 1.27) and a 14% increase in the odds of self-harm at age 18 (OR=1.14; 95%CI=1.02 to 1.25).ConclusionsOur findings strengthen the evidence suggesting that an insecure attachment style assessed in early childhood is associated with mental health difficulties in late adolescence. If this association is causal, policies to support parenting or attachment-based interventions to improve attachment quality could help reduce mental health difficulties in adolescence/young adulthood.

Style przywiązania kształtowane w rodzinie i ich wpływ na rozwój emocjonalny dziecka

2018 ◽  
Vol 12(2)2018 (12(2)2018) ◽  
pp. 109-125
Author(s):  
Katarzyna Potaczała- Perz
Keyword(s):  
Early Childhood ◽  
Attachment Style ◽  
Emotional Development ◽  
Attachment Styles ◽  
Secure Attachment ◽  
Sense Of Security ◽  
Childhood Attachment ◽  
The Family ◽  
Mother Figure

The article concerns the aspect of early childhood attachment that takes place in a dyad between a child and its primary caregiver, most often its mother. A substantial role of the "mother figure" in the process of shaping the bond has been emphasized, especially her availability, readiness and openness to respond to signals sent by the child. The article presents four attachment styles that are shaped in the family and have a significant impact on a child's emotional development. The most common and most beneficial for a child is the secure attachment style, in which the idea of a mother as a "safe base" shapes the sense of security and trust. Unfortunately, there are families in which non-safe attachment styles are formed: anxious-ambivalent style, avoidant style and disorganized style. Each of them adversely affects a child's development and its subsequent functioning among other people. And it would seem that so little is needed to build a trustful relationship with a child. Just to be there. Just to love. Just to recognize the child's needs and adequately react to them.

scholarly journals Preschoolers Attachment to the Mother and its Impact on Mental Health

2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 169-185
Author(s):  
E.V. Kuftyak ◽  
J.A. Zadorova
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Emotional Disturbance ◽  
Attachment Style ◽  
Behavioral Problems ◽  
Psychological Health ◽  
Insecure Attachment ◽  
Secure Attachment ◽  
Emotional Symptoms ◽  
Child Attachment ◽  
Attachment To Mother

The research shows influence of attachment to mother on psychological health of pre-school children. 163 preschoolers aged 5 to 7 years examined. The evaluation of different areas of attachment of child to mother was held using "Mother-child attachment style measure questionnaire" (E.V. Pupyreva, 2007), the psychological health of children was measured by "Strength and Difficulties Questionnaire"(E.R. Slobodskaya et al., 2005). It has been found that by the end of pre-school age the perception of mother in the capacity of support source is becoming noticeable for boys. Shown that in children who demonstrate insecure attachment, registered emotional symptoms and internal problems, meanwhile children with secure attachment type are following the prosociality in behavior. Concluded that the act of reliable attachment (acceptance of a child by mother, emotional sensibility of mother) is the important predictor of mental health. Insufficient support of children by mother and small need of mother presence increase possibility of the emotional disturbance and the behavioral problems.

Caring for Sharing

2013 ◽  
Vol 44 (2) ◽  
pp. 160-166 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hans IJzerman ◽  
Johan C. Karremans ◽  
Lotte Thomsen ◽  
Thomas W. Schubert
Keyword(s):  
Attachment Style ◽  
Social Relations ◽  
Attachment Styles ◽  
Person Perception ◽  
Dictator Game ◽  
Grounded Cognition ◽  
Insecure Attachment ◽  
Secure Attachment ◽  
Physical Warmth ◽  
Set Up

Does physical warmth lead to caring and sharing? Research suggests that it does; physically warm versus cold conditions induce prosocial behaviors and cognitions. Importantly, previous research has not traced the developmental origins of the association between physical warmth and affection. The association between physical warmth and sharing may be captured in specific cognitive models of close social relations, often referred to as attachment styles. In line with this notion, and using a dictator game set-up, the current study demonstrates that children who relate to their friends with a secure attachment style are more generous toward their peers in warm than in cold conditions. This effect was absent for children who relate to friends with an insecure attachment style. Notably, however, these children not just always shared less: They allocated more stickers to a friend than to a stranger. These findings provide an important first step to understand how fundamental embodied relations develop early in life. We discuss broader implications for grounded cognition and person perception.

scholarly journals Situational Modulation of Emotion Recognition Abilities in Children With Secure and Insecure Attachment: The Role of Gender

2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 183-192
Author(s):  
Leila Mirbagheri ◽  
◽  
Ali Khatibi ◽  
Parisa Seyed Mousavi ◽  
◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Emotion Recognition ◽  
Attachment Style ◽  
Middle Childhood ◽  
Attachment Styles ◽  
Insecure Attachment ◽  
Fearful Faces ◽  
Intensity Rating ◽  
Childhood Attachment ◽  
Iranian Students

Objective: Considering the role of attachment in the emotional development of children, the purpose of this study was to test the situational modulation of emotion recognition in children with secure/insecure attachment with regard to gender in Iranian students. Methods: this casual comparative study was done on a pool of 200 students aged 7-9 years from elementary schools of Tehran, Iran. The participants completed the Middle Childhood Attachment Scale (MCSA), of whom 60 children were assigned to two groups based on their scores on MCAS (secure vs. insecure). They read stories developed to manipulate the attachment schema, and after each story, they were tested for emotion recognition abilities (classification and intensity rating). Happy, sad, angry, and fearful faces were presented and reaction time was recorded using the AFFECT4.0 software. Results: All children irrespective of attachment style, were faster in the identification of others’ emotional expressions in attachment situations than in a neutral situation. Boys made more errors in attachment situations than in the neutral situation, while for girls it did not differ. Among children with secure attachment, boys were faster than girls in recognition of emotion. Conclusion: In terms of attachment theory, attachment styles could have an important impact on the development process of the child’s emotional skills.

scholarly journals Adult attachment styles and alcohol consumption in young adults

2021 ◽  
Vol 25 (111) ◽  
pp. 183-190
Author(s):  
Francis Segundo Cevallos Robayo ◽  
Diana Carolina Garcia Ramos ◽  
Carmen Varina Barba Guzman ◽  
Gabriela Lorena Abril Lucero
Keyword(s):  
Young Adults ◽  
Alcohol Consumption ◽  
Alcohol Use ◽  
Attachment Style ◽  
Adult Attachment ◽  
Attachment Styles ◽  
Protective Factor ◽  
Buenos Aires ◽  
Insecure Attachment ◽  
Secure Attachment

The objective of this study was to describe the styles of adult attachment and alcohol consumption in young adults, measured through the CaMir-R test and the AUDIT questionnaire, analyzed under the InfoStat statistical program, respectively. Based on a sample of 167 young adults, men and women, between the ages of 18 and 32. The results show that 82.6% of the population is a consumer of alcohol with the highest prevalence in the secure attachment style, followed by the preoccupied insecure, insecure avoidant attachment style and the disorganized attachment indicator. The higher the level of alcohol consumption, the secure attachment scores decrease and rise in preoccupied insecure attachment style. The result does not statistically infer the linear causality of the study variables. The secure attachment style can function as a protective factor and the preoccupied insecure attachment as a risk factor for increasing the level of alcohol consumption. Keywords: adult attachment, alcohol use, alcoholism, risk of addiction. References [1]Organización Panamericana de la Salud; Organización Mundial de la Salud, «Agenda de Salud Sostenible para las Américas 2018-2030: Un llamado a la acción para la salud y el bienestar en la región,» de 29.a Conferencia Sanitaria Panamericana, Washington, 2017. [2]Comisión Interamericana para el Control del Abuso de Drogas; Organización de los Estados Americanos , «Informe sobre el Consumo de Drogas en las Américas 2019,» Organización de los Estados Americanos, Washington, D.C., 2019. [3]Instituto Nacional de Estadísticas y Censos, «Compendio de Resultados de la Encuesta de Condiciones de Vida ECV 2014,» INEC, Quito, 2014. [4]E. Becoña Iglesias, E. Fernández del Río, A. Calafat and J. Fernández-Hermida, «Apego y consumo de sustancias en la adolescencia: Una revisión de aspectos conceptuales y metodológicos,» Adicciones, vol. 26, nº 1, pp. 1-11, 2014. [5]K. MacDonald, The Interfaces Between Sociobiology and Devolopmental Psychology, New York: Springer, 1988. [6]J. Feeney and P. Noller, Apego Adulto, Bilbao: Desclée de Brouwer, 2001. [7]J. Bowlby, Vínculos afectivos: Formación, Desarrollo y Pérdida, Madrid: Ediciones Morata, 2014. [8]O. Barroso, «El Apego Adulto: La relación de los Estilos de Apego Desarrollados en la Infancia en la Elección y las Dínamicas de Pareja,» Revista Digital de Medicina Psicosomática y PSicoterapia, vol. 4, nº 1, pp. 1-25, 2014. [9]S. Freud, El malestar de la cultura, Obras Completas, Buenos Aires: Amorrortu, 1930. [10]F. Naparstek, Introducción a la clínica con toxicomanías y alcoholismo, Buenos Aires: Grama Ediciones, 2005. [11]J. A. Miller, La experiencia de lo real en la cura psicoanalítica, Buenos Aires: Paidós, 2003. [12]M. Barradas, N. Fernández and L. Gutierrez, «Prevalencia de consumo de alcohol en estudiantes universitarios, » Revista Iberoamericana para la Investigación y el Desarrollo Educativo, vol. 6, nº 12, 2016. [13]M. Cornellà-Font, F. Viñas-Poch, J. Juárez-López, M. d. l. M. Martín-Perpiñá and S. Malo-Cerrato, «Temperament and attachment as predictive factors for the risk of addiction to substances in adolescents,» Revista De Psicopatología Y Psicología Clínica, vol. 23, nº 3, pp.179-187, 2019. [14]L. Anderson, J. Connor, J. Voisey, R. Young and M. Gullo, «The unique role of attachment dimensions and peer drinking in adolescent alcohol use,» Personality and Individual Differences, vol. 149, pp. 118-122, 2019. [15]C. Pinto-Cortez, M. Beyzaga, M. F. Cantero, X. Oviedo and V. Vergara, «Apego y psicopatología en adolescentes del Norte de Chile,» Revista de PsicologíaClínica con Niños y Adolescentes, vol. 5, nº 3, pp. 23-29, 2018. [16]K. Ward and G. Limb, «Emerging Adult Attachment and Alcohol Abuse Among American Indians Raised in Stepfamilies,» The British Journal of Social Work, vol. 49, nº 6, pp. 1452-1471, 2019. [17]C. Fairbairn, D. Briley, D. Kang, C. Fraley, B. Hankin and T. Ariss, «A meta-analysis of longitudinal associations between substance use and interpersonal attachment security,» Psychological Bulletin, vol. 144, nº 5, pp. 532-555, 2018.

scholarly journals Attachment Styles and Self-Esteem among Adolescents

2020 ◽  
Vol 1 (4) ◽  
pp. 11-21
Author(s):  
Sanober Jamil ◽  
Dr. Hina Ayaz Habib ◽  
Laila Lodhia
Keyword(s):  
Attachment Style ◽  
Attachment Styles ◽  
Sampling Technique ◽  
Self Esteem ◽  
Insecure Attachment ◽  
Female Adolescents ◽  
P Value ◽  
Secure Attachment ◽  
Moment Coefficient ◽  
The Relationship

The current research aims to find the relationship between secure attachment style and self-esteem among latency adolescence. The assumptions developed for the study stated that a) secure attachment style would be positively correlated with self-esteem among Adolescents.  b) Insecure attachment style (anxious and avoidant) would be negatively correlated with self-esteem among adolescents. The sample of the study comprised of 180 adolescents including 90 male and 90 female adolescents with age ranges between 12 to 16 years (M=13.27, SD=1.13) were selected through purposive sampling technique from private schools based in Karachi, Pakistan. After taking approval from the authorities, the participant's assent to participate in the research was taken and a demographic form was administered. To measure the effect of attachment on self-esteem, the Attachment Style Classification Questionnaire (Finzi et al., 1996) and the Rosenberg Self Esteem Scale (Rosenberg, 1965) were used. Descriptive statistics and Pearson product-moment coefficient of correlation were applied to study the correlation among the study variables. The finding shows a noteworthy relationship between secure attachment styles and self-esteem was found with an r-value of .118 and a P value of .116.

Attachment Style And Cortisol Response To Psychosocial Stress In Eating Disorder Patients

2016 ◽  
Vol 33 (S1) ◽  
pp. S426-S427
Author(s):  
R. Giugliano ◽  
A.M. Monteleone ◽  
F. De Riso ◽  
M. Nigro ◽  
F. Monaco ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Attachment Style ◽  
Hpa Axis ◽  
Social Stress ◽  
Attachment Styles ◽  
Stress Test ◽  
Stressful Events ◽  
Insecure Attachment ◽  
Trier Social Stress Test ◽  
Secure Attachment ◽  
Hpa Response

IntroductionStress exposure is a risk factor for both the onset and the maintenance of Eating Disorders (EDs). The attachment theory may provide a framework to explain the relationship between social stress and EDs, since secure attachment promotes the seeking for support in order to help people to face stressful events. The endogenous stress response system, including the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, is likely involved in mediating the role of attachment in the subjects’ coping with stressful situations.Objectives and aimsWe explored cortisol responses to the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST) of patients with EDs in order to evaluate possible associations between subjects’ attachment styles and HPA axis functioning.MethodsTwenty-one adult patients with EDs (7 with secure attachment and 14 with insecure attachment) filled in the Experience in Close Relationship (ECR) questionnaire, which assesses the adult attachment style, and were exposed to the TSST. Saliva samples were collected before and after the stress in order to measure cortisol levels.ResultsAs compared to ED patients with secure attachment, those with insecure attachment showed a significant different pattern of the HPA response to the stress test.DiscussionPresent findings suggest that attachment style may influence the HPA response to stress in patients with EDs and this effect may have relevant implications for the pathophysiology of EDs.Disclosure of interestThe authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.

Patient social functioning in acute mental health inpatient wards: the role of emotional regulation, attachment styles and nurse–patient relationships

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 1-13
Author(s):  
Laura D Wainwright ◽  
Katherine Berry ◽  
Charlotte Dunster-Page ◽  
Gillian Haddock
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Emotion Regulation ◽  
Social Functioning ◽  
Attachment Style ◽  
Emotional Regulation ◽  
Attachment Styles ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Insecure Attachment ◽  
Anxious Attachment ◽  
Patient Relationships

Background/aims Improvement in social functioning is an important aspect of recovery from severe mental health problems. Nurses on acute mental health wards play an important role in facilitating this recovery. Therefore, it is important to explore potential predictors of social functioning and the quality of nurse–patient relationships. The aim of this study was to explore associations between patient social functioning, nurse–patient therapeutic alliances, emotional regulation, attachment style and nurse distress in acute mental health settings. Methods: A questionnaire-based, cross-sectional approach with correlational and regression analyses was used for this study. A total of 50 nurse–patient dyads in acute mental health inpatient wards across four NHS trusts in the north-west of England took part. Patients and nurses completed questionnaires regarding demographic information, emotional regulation, attachment style and alliance. Nurses also rated patient social functioning and their own distress. Results The patient anxious attachment style was associated with difficulties in regulating emotions. Patient emotional regulation, patient insecure attachment and the patient-rated alliance predicted nurse-rated patient social functioning. Nurse emotion regulation, nurse insecure attachment style and nurse-rated alliance did not significantly predict nurse-rated patient social functioning and correlations were non-significant. Nurse distress was associated with nurse emotion regulation, nurse anxious attachment and nurse-rated alliance. These factors significantly predicted nurse distress. Conclusions: Patient social functioning is predicted by emotion regulation, attachment and alliance. Similarly, nurse distress is predicted by nurse emotion regulation, attachment style and alliance. Interventions targeting emotion regulation or attachment-informed wards would be beneficial.

scholarly journals The relationship between attachment and cognitive development

2013 ◽  
Vol 45 (1) ◽  
pp. 42-61 ◽  
Author(s):  
Milica Tosic ◽  
Aleksandar Baucal ◽  
Tatjana Stefanovic-Stanojevic
Keyword(s):  
Early Childhood ◽  
Cognitive Development ◽  
Attachment Style ◽  
Social Relations ◽  
Self Esteem ◽  
Insecure Attachment ◽  
Secure Attachment ◽  
Communicative Skills ◽  
History Of ◽  
The Relationship

Emotional and cognitive development of personality have mostly been explored independently in the history of psychology. However, in the last decades, there have been more and more frequent arguments in favour of the idea that the emotional relationship between the mother and the child in early childhood, through forming a secure or insecure attachment style, is to a certain extent linked to the cognitive development. For example, securely attached children, compared to the insecurely attached, have more frequent and longer episodes of symbolic play and are more advanced in the domain of language in early childhood. Securely attached children are also more efficient and persistent in solving problems. Before starting school, securely attached children understand better the feelings and beliefs of others, as well as the fact that these determine people?s behaviour, thus having an opportunity to understand and predict this behaviour better. In this paper, we will attempt to point out some of the mechanisms that are assumed to be mediators between the emotional and cognitive development. Namely, since it enables a more independent exploration of the surroundings, more quality social relations among children, higher self-esteem, better focus and more developed communicative skills, secure attachment might potentially be linked to the cognitive development.

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