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PubMedDate not supplied

Attachment in institutionalized and community children in Romania.

This study examined attachment in institutionalized and community children 12-31 months of age in Bucharest, Romania. Attachment was assessed using ratings of attachment behaviors and ratings of caregiver descriptions in a structured interview. As predicted, children raised in institutions exhibited serious disturbances of attachment as assessed by all methods. Observed quality of caregiving was related to formation and organization of attachment in children living in institutions. These results held even when other variables, such as cognitive level, perceived competence, and quantitative interaction ratings, were controlled for. Ratings of attachment behavior in the Strange Situation and caregiver reports of signs of Reactive Attachment Disorder converged moderately. The implications of these findings for different perspectives on attachment are discussed.

Caregivers↗
PubMed2002

Depression and attachment in families: a child-focused perspective.

Given the social nature and developmental implications of attachment and depression, in this review we will examine the role of attachment and the effects of a depressed family member at each stage of a child's development. We discuss treatment strategies for families in which either a parent or a child is depressed. We propose a model that is based on the developmental phase of the children in the family, and that aims to strengthen attachment bonds among family members and alleviate depressive symptoms.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Maternal prenatal attachment in normal and high-risk pregnancies.

The purposes of this study were to compare maternal-fetal attachment in normal and high-risk pregnancies and to identify variables affecting the maternal attachment process during pregnancy. Fifty-three women experiencing normal pregnancies and thirty-two women with high-risk pregnancies completed Cranley's prenatal attachment tool and a questionnaire providing data specific to the current pregnancy during the third trimester. The results of a two-tailed, pooled t-test indicated no significant differences (at p less than or equal to .05) in the scores of the normal and high-risk groups on prenatal attachment. No significant correlations (at p less than or equal to .05) were found between the attachment scores and educational level, age, race, whether the pregnancy was planned, whether the women had a sonogram, or the ordinal position of the infant.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2006

Therapists' group attachments and their expectations of patients' attitudes about group therapy.

A large body of literature has supported the application of attachment theory to the understanding of psychotherapy. In addition, a more recent social psychological literature is exploring the application of attachment theory to the area of group dynamics and group process. The current study is designed to integrate these two distinct bodies of literature. In a preliminary fashion, we examined the relationship between group therapists' group attachment styles and their assumptions and expectations of their patients' attitudes about group psychotherapy. Seventy-six therapists completed the Smith, Murphy & Coats (1999) measure of group attachment style. They also completed the Revised Group Therapy Survey (Carter, Mitchell, & Krautheim, 2001) from the viewpoint of a typical patient they treat. As hypothesized, therapists with more group attachment anxiety assumed that patients would hold more negative myths and misconceptions about group treatment than therapists with less group attachment anxiety. The utility of a group attachment construct in future research and practice is discussed.

Attitude↗
PubMed1982

The Peter Pan and Wendy syndrome: a marital dynamic.

A marital system is described which features an unfaithful and narcissistic husband, Peter Pan, and a long suffering and depressed wife, Wendy. The dynamics of their individual adjustments are examined as well as the symbiotic nature of the dyadic relationship. Other characters take their parts--Tinker Bell, Tiger Lily, and Little Lost Boys. Peter's infidelities belie a firm attachment to his Wendy/mother whilst she depends upon him for protection from forbidden impulses.

Adult↗
PubMed2000

Clinical assessment of crying and crying inhibition based on attachment theory.

Crying is attachment behavior triggered in infancy by separation and throughout life by loss. Adult crying, as reported and demonstrated in psychotherapy, reflects the quality of early attachment experiences as well as current adult bonds. Specific instances, as well as overall patterns, of crying and inhibited crying may be understood in light of attachment styles, biological factors, and socialization. Types of adult crying (healthy crying, crying for no reason, prolonged or frequent crying associated with depression or physiological disorders) and types of inhibited crying (healthy tearlessness, pervasive emotional control, detached tearlessness, and displaced crying) reflect attachment style and may, in addition, be assessed as healthy or symptomatic of psychological or physiological disorders or a combination.

Adult↗
PubMed2005

The impact of parental attachment and feelings of isolation on adolescent fear of crime at school.

While scores of researchers have examined the antecedents of fear of criminal victimization among adults, research examining the correlates of such fear among adolescents, particularly in the school setting, is limited. Using data from 2136 public school students from a rural Southern state, we examine the association between fear of criminal victimization and race, gender, age, attachment to parents, feelings of isolation, and victimization. We determine that adolescents who have been victimized by crime are far more fearful than their counterparts who have not. Additionally, we determine that youth who have lower levels of attachment to parents and higher levels of isolation/alienation are also more fearful of criminal victimization than their counterparts. Interestingly, the impact of isolation on fear of criminal victimization is stronger for whites than nonwhites while the impact of parental attachment is stronger for males than females. Implications for policy and future research are also discussed.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

An exploration of paternal-fetal attachment behavior.

A 63-item questionnaire utilizing the modified Maternal-Fetal Attachment Scale (PFA) (Cranley, 1981), the Marital Relationship Scale (Wapner, 1976), and the Physical History Scale (Wapner, 1976) was tested on 100 expectant fathers who had wives in their third trimester of pregnancy. Scores on the PFA were positively correlated with the strength of the marital relationship as perceived by the expectant father during pregnancy. A positive but weak association was shown between paternal-fetal attachment and the incidence of physical symptoms resembling pregnancy in the expectant father. Further testing of the PFA and related variables is indicated.

Female↗
PubMed1994

Emotion regulation: influences of attachment relationships.

Emotion regulation and quality of attachment are closely linked. It has been proposed here that one influence on individual differences in emotion regulation may be a child's attachment history. Individuals characterized by the flexible ability to accept and integrate both positive and negative emotions are generally securely attached; on the other hand, individuals characterized by either limited or heightened negative affect are more likely to be insecurely attached. While acknowledging the role of infant temperament, I have focused on the role of social factors in examining the link between emotion regulation and attachment. The approach to emotion regulation taken here--that emotion regulation is adaptive in helping a child attain her goals--is esentially a functionalist approach (Bretherton et al., 1986; Campos et al., 1983), consistent with earlier views of emotions as important regulators of interpersonal relationships (Charlesworth, 1982; Izard, 1977). It has been proposed that patterns of emotion regulation serve an important function for the infant: the function of maintaining the relationship with the attachment figure. Emotion regulation has been described as serving this function in two ways. First, the function of maintaining the relationship is thought to be served when infant emotion regulation contributes to the infant's more generalized regulation of the attachment system in response to experiences with the caregiver. Infants who have experienced rejection (insecure/avoidant infants) are thought to minimize negative affect in order to avoid the risk of further rejection. Infants whose mothers have been relatively unavailable or inconsistently available (insecure/ambivalent infants) are thought to maximize negative affect in order to increase the likelihood of gaining the attention of a frequently unavailable caregiver. Both these patterns of emotion regulation help ensure that the child will remain close to the parent and thereby be protected. Second, the function of maintaining the attachment relationship is thought to be served when the infant signals to the parent that she will cooperate in helping maintain the parent's own state of mind in relation to attachment. The minimizing of negative affect of the avoidant infant signals that the infant will not seek caregiving that would interfere with the parent's dismissal of attachment. The heightened negative emotionality of the ambivalent infant signals to the parent that the infant needs her and thus helps maintain a state of mind in which attachment is emphasized. The approach to emotion regulation presented here is congruent with much work examining the socialization of emotions (Lewis & Saarni, 1985; Thompson, 1990).

Affect↗
PubMed1993

Emotional attachments in abusive relationships: a test of traumatic bonding theory.

An empirical test of traumatic bonding theory, the notion that strong emotional attachments are formed by intermittent abuse, is reported. In-depth assessments (interviews plus questionnaires) were conducted on 75 women who had recently left abusive relationships (50 where physical violence had occurred). The study found support for the effect of relationship dynamic factors such as extremity of intermittent maltreatment and power differentials on long-term felt attachment for a former partner, experienced trauma symptoms, and self-esteem, immediately after separation from an abusive partner and again after a six month interim. All three of these measures were significantly intercorrelated within each time period. Each measure at Time 1 correlated significantly with each corresponding measure at Time 2. After six months attachment had decreased by about 27%. Relationship variables (total abuse, intermittency of abuse and power differentials) accounted for 55% of the variance in the attachment measure at Time 2 indicating prolonged effects of abuse suffered in the relationship.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Sibling relations between individuation and attachment: attempt at a conceptualization].

Although sibling relationships can be considered as one of the most durable and intensive relationships, not much research in developmental psychology and family research has been done on this issue. The strong focus on parents, more specifically on mothers, stood in the way of adequate conceptualization and understanding of the function and contribution of siblings to individual development and family interaction. In this contribution a conceptualization of sibling relationships is presented. Siblings as objects of aggressive and sexual feelings as well as the function of siblings in the family system, for example, as parentification and negative identity is emphasized. In addition, the different qualities of sibling relationships, for example, envy, rivalry, similarity, and difference, are emphasized. The function of siblings as love objects is stressed, and the role of siblings as support as well as teaching object is illustrated. Finally, it is emphasized that, similar to relationships between parents and child, the quality of sibling relationships changed over time and leads, for example, to a detachment between sibling relationships during adolescence.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2005

Neurobiology of infant attachment.

A strong attachment to the caregiver is critical for survival in altricial species, including humans. While some behavioral aspects of attachment have been characterized, its neurobiology has only recently received attention. Using a mammalian imprinting model, we are assessing the neural circuitry that enables infant rats to attach quickly to a caregiver, thus enhancing survival in the nest. Specifically, the hyper-functioning noradrenergic locus coeruleus (LC) enables pups to learn rapid, robust preference for the caregiver. Conversely, a hypo-functional amygdala appears to prevent the infant from learning aversions to the caregiver. Adult LC and amygdala functional emergence correlates with sensitive period termination. This study suggests the neonatal brain is not an immature version of the adult brain but is uniquely designed to optimize attachment to the caregiver. Although human attachment may not rely on identical circuitry, the work reviewed here suggests a new conceptual framework in which to explore human attachments, particularly attachments to abusive caregivers.

Age Factors↗
PubMed1991

Impact of prenatal testing on maternal-fetal bonding: chorionic villus sampling versus amniocentesis.

The process of maternal-fetal attachment, considered vital for normal infant development, begins during pregnancy and can be affected by a number of external factors. In this study the impact of prenatal testing on maternal-fetal bonding was evaluated in 253 women undergoing either first-trimester chorionic villus sampling (n = 101) or second-trimester genetic amniocentesis (n = 152). The women were evaluated by means of a modification of the Cranley Maternal-Fetal Attachment Scale, administered before and after the results of the prenatal diagnostic testing were made known to them (mean gestational ages of 10.6 and 15.7 weeks for the chorionic villus sampling group and 16.5 and 21.1 weeks for the amniocentesis group). The results showed: (1) that maternal-fetal attachment begins as early as 10 weeks' gestation and increases significantly as the pregnancy progresses, (2) that maternal-fetal attachment increases significantly, once the results are known to be normal, for both groups (p less than 0.001), (3) that this increase occurs about 5 weeks earlier for patients with chorionic villus sampling in comparison to those undergoing amniocentesis (p less than 0.001). Thus, with regard to the process of maternal-fetal attachment, first-trimester chorionic villus sampling appears to be preferable to second-trimester amniocentesis.

Amniocentesis↗
PubMed2006

Recollections of parent characteristics and attachment patterns for college women of intact vs. non-intact families.

This study contrasted offsprings' attachment patterns and recollections of parent characteristics in two college samples: 147 females from intact biological parents and 157 females of parental divorce. Secure females from intact or non-intact families rated parents positively, while insecure females rated parents as absent, distant, and demanding. In contrast to females from intact families, females of parental divorce reported a less secure attachment, lower self-esteem, a greater fearful avoidance pattern, and rated their biological fathers and mothers more negatively.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Perceived parental rearing behaviour and adult attachment patterns in intimate relationships].

Based on the assumption that the parental rearing behaviour recalled by adults can be conceptualized as a specific mental representation of attachment, the study examines the associations between these rearing-related memories and adult attachment patterns in intimate relationships. The data for this study were obtained from a large community-based sample of the German population (1509 subjects between the ages of 18 and 50 years). Both, the perceived parental rearing behaviour and the adult attachment patterns have been assessed via questionnaires (Questionnaire of Recalled Parental Rearing Behaviour [Fragebogen zum erinnerten elterlichen Erziehungsverhalten, FEE] and Bielefeld Partnership Expectations Questionnaire [Bielefelder Fragebogen zu Partnerschaftserwartungen, BFPE]). As the result of the study it could be shown that a secure adult attachment pattern in intimate relationships is associated with a parental rearing behaviour that has been perceived as positive, while on the other hand insecure attachment patterns are rather associated with more negative experiences of parental rearing.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2005

Bridging the transmission gap: an end to an important mystery of attachment research?

The authors provide a context for this special section by arguing that the attachment relationships of infancy fulfil an evolutionary role in ensuring that the brain structures that come to subserve social cognition are appropriately organised and prepared to equip the individual for the collaborative existence with other people for which his or her brain was designed. Processes as fundamental as gene expression or changes in receptor densities can be seen as direct functions of the extent of understanding of mental states provided by the caregiving environment. If the attachment relationship is indeed a major organiser of brain development, it is even more important to understand the processes that underpin the transgenerational transmission of attachment patterns. The contributions of the papers in the special section to understanding the role of reflective function in the development of attachment and social cognition are reviewed, and the implications for the development of both theory and practice are explored.

Adult↗