SEARCH · PubMed Health

Results for “Object Attachment”

Explore indexed PubMed citations for clinical trials, systematic reviews and public health research. Read source abstracts and follow each citation to its original PubMed record.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 1,369 records · Page 76Linked to original sources

PubMed2006

Comparison of attachment styles in borderline personality disorder and obsessive-compulsive personality disorder.

The intense, unstable interpersonal relationships characteristic of patients with borderline personality disorder (BPD) are thought to represent insecure attachment. The Reciprocal Attachment Questionnaire was used to compare the attachment styles of patients with BPD to the styles of patients with a contrasting personality disorder, obsessive-compulsive personality disorder (OCPD). The results showed that patients with BPD were more likely to exhibit angry withdrawal and compulsive care-seeking attachment patterns. Patients with BPD also scored higher on the dimensions of lack of availability of the attachment figure, feared loss of the attachment figure, lack of use of the attachment figure, and separation protest. The findings may be relevant for understanding the core interpersonal psychopathology of BPD and for managing therapeutic relationships with these patients.

Adult↗

PubMed1997

Juvenile friends, behavior, and immune responses to separation in bonnet macaque infants.

Individual differences in the response to maternal separation in nonhuman primate infants have been attributed to (among other variables) presence or absence of processes that may model social support in humans. Alternative attachments to other members of the social group buffer the infant against a depressive response to maternal separation. This hypothesis was tested in a group of bonnet macaques by manipulating the presence or absence of alternative juvenile attachment figures (friends) during separation. Infants who retained such attachments showed fewer behavioral evidences of depression when separated from their mothers. These infants without friends also showed changes in lymphocyte activation by mitogens or natural cytotoxicity that were not evident in the infants with juvenile friends. Across all separated infants, natural cytotoxicity was positively correlated with juvenile affiliative behavior directed toward the infants during the separation. These results support the hypothesis that social support, available from alternative attachments, can modulate the response to loss, and can account for some of the individual differences seen in these responses.

Animals↗

PubMed2005

The implications of attachment theory and research for understanding borderline personality disorder.

Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is a highly prevalent, chronic, and debilitating psychiatric problem characterized by a pattern of chaotic and self-defeating interpersonal relationships, emotional lability, poor impulse control, angry outbursts, frequent suicidality, and self-mutilation. Recently, psychopathology researchers and theorists have begun to understand fundamental aspects of BPD such as unstable, intense interpersonal relationships, feelings of emptiness, bursts of rage, chronic fears of abandonment and intolerance for aloneness, and lack of a stable sense of self as stemming from impairments in the underlying attachment organization. These investigators have noted that the impulsivity, affective lability, and self-damaging actions that are the hallmark of borderline personality occur in an interpersonal context and are often precipitated by real or imagined events in relationships. This article reviews attachment theory and research as a means of providing a developmental psychopathology perspective on BPD. Following a brief review of Bowlby's theory of attachment, and an overview of the evidence with respect to the major claims of attachment theory, I discuss individual differences, the evidence that these differences are rooted in patterns of interaction with caregivers, and how these patterns have important implications for evolving adaptations and development. Following this discussion, I present recent work linking attachment theory and BPD, focusing on the implications for understanding the etiology and treatment of BPD. In conclusion, I address some of the salient issues that point to the direction for future research efforts.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1989

Attachments beyond infancy.

Attachment theory is extended to pertain to developmental changes in the nature of children's attachments to parents and surrogate figures during the years beyond infancy, and to the nature of other affectional bonds throughout the life cycle. Various types of affectional bonds are examined in terms of the behavioral systems characteristic of each and the ways in which these systems interact. Specifically, the following are discussed: (a) the caregiving system that underlies parents' bonds to their children, and a comparison of these bonds with children's attachments to their parents; (b) sexual pair-bonds and their basic components entailing the reproductive, attachment, and caregiving systems; (c) friendships both in childhood and adulthood, the behavioral systems underlying them, and under what circumstances they may become enduring bonds; and (d) kinship bonds (other than those linking parents and their children) and why they may be especially enduring.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1998

Attachment style and emotion regulation in dementia patients and their relation to caregiver burden.

One hundred and sixty-eight patients with mid- to late-stage dementia and their caregivers participated in a study of the relation between patient emotional characteristics, dementia symptomatology, and caregiver burden. Measures included premorbid attachment style, premorbid emotion regulation style, and behavioral symptoms of dementia. The attachment patterns (secure, avoidant, ambivalent) of these elderly patients resembled those obtained in samples of younger individuals in terms of emotion regulation characteristics; however, the distribution of attachment styles was significantly different, with a lower proportion of ambivalently attached individuals in the present sample. In terms of the behavioral symptoms of dementia, ambivalent patients had more depression and anxiety than secure and avoidant patients; the latter patients experienced more activity disturbance than ambivalently attached individuals and were higher on paranoid symptomatology than securely attached persons. Caregivers of securely attached individuals experienced less total burden than did caregivers of both insecure groups. In regression analysis, attachment style accounted for the largest proportion of unique variance in the prediction of caregiver burden (8%); only 1 of 7 patient symptoms contributed a significant independent effect, namely depressed affect, which accounted for 4% of the variance.

Adult↗

PubMed2005

Personal strengths and traumatic experiences among institutionalized children given up at birth (Les Enfants de Duplessis--Duplessis' children): I: Early experiences.

We examined childhood and early adult strengths and adverse experiences of a group of orphans given up at or near birth and raised in Quebec institutions into early adulthood. A follow-up interview of 81 adults (41 women, 40 men) at a mean age of 59.2 years included retrospective assessments of childhood experiences. Most participants reported multiple early adverse experiences, including, in descending order, unfair rules and excessive punishment, physical abuse, emotional neglect, witnessing violence, verbal abuse, physical neglect, sexual abuse, and serious illness. Adverse experiences were mainly due to lay caretakers, not peers or nuns. Twelve childhood strengths, such as self-protectiveness and athletic talent, were scored at each of four age periods, yielding a median score equivalent to one strength at each period. Over half had significant childhood attachments, but of limited intimacy. Childhood variables correlated with their respective variables in later adulthood. Overall, these older adults reported a high prevalence of adverse or traumatic childhood experiences, counterbalanced by modest levels of individual strengths and attachment relationships. Institutionalization of children--if unavoidable--must build in effective safeguards against adverse experiences.

Adaptation, Psychological↗

PubMed1994

Caring behavior in children of clinically depressed and well mothers.

Young children's sensitivity and responsiveness to mothers' needs were investigated under conditions of high and low parenting risk (depressed and nondepressed mothers, SADS-L). Child characteristics of gender, affect, and impulse control problems and the mother-child attachment relationship were examined as they related to children's caring actions. Children's caring behavior was observed in an experimental situation in which their mothers simulated sadness and in a naturalistic setting. Attachment alone and child's problems alone were not predictors, and maternal diagnosis alone was not a strong predictor. Girls were significantly more caring than boys. Severe maternal depression was necessary to bring out high levels of responding in boys. Highest frequencies of caring were from children with severely depressed mothers, problems of affect regulation, and secure attachment. The importance of recognizing interacting influences and diverse underlying processes in the development of children's caring behavior is discussed.

Child Behavior↗

PubMed2006

Affect consciousness or mentalization? A comparison of two concepts with regard to affect development and affect regulation.

Affect consciousness refers to the ability to adequately perceive, reflect upon and express affect. The concept is used in clinical work with adults, but lacks an equivalent for children's experience of affect. This paper examines the developmental prerequisites for affect consciousness, as well as the concept's applicability to work with children. The main focus is on the development of affect regulation throughout the first 6 years of life. Special emphasis is put on the role of attachment and the unfolding of mentalization ability in this development. The role of play as an organizing factor for affective experience is discussed. Observation of play is highlighted as a strong indicator of affect consciousness in children.

Affect↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Early sibling attachment.

A sample of 30 predominantly three- and four-year-old siblings were videotaped during their first meeting with a new sibling at the time of the mother's discharge from the hospital. The first five minutes of interaction were divided into 20, 15-second intervals, and each interval was coded for the presence or absence of 28 behaviors believed to be related to the early attachment process. The exploration behaviors of siblings showed considerable uniformity. The sibling's age, sex, or participation in sibling preparation classes produced no marked differences in behavior. Recommendations are made for further research.

Attention↗

PubMed1983

Father/son relationship during the preschool years. An integrative review with special reference to recent Swedish findings.

This review is an attempt to integrate Anglo-American and Swedish studies on father/son relationships. The puerperal period, infancy and early childhood are surveyed. Swedish studies do not support specific stereotyped bonding in the puerperal period. The review confirms the bidirectional nature of the father/son relationship. Thus, counteridentification, i.e. the father's identification with his son, and identification during the oedipal phase, i.e. the son's identification with his father, seem to be essential components in the father/son relationship. However, studies on parent-infant behaviour indicate that different parental roles exist early in infancy. Also, attachment studies point to the specificity of the father/son relationship before the oedipal phase. It is concluded that the major importance of the father/son relationship during the preschool years is to facilitate the son's masculine identification.

Adult↗

PubMed1980

Grief-resolution therapy: reliving, revising, and revisiting.

Grief-resolution therapy is indicated for the treatment of unresolved grief reactions that have persisted beyond one year after the loss. The method employs present-time, guided imagery whereby the patient removes obstacles to grieving through reliving, revising and revisiting events of the loss. Initially, the full yearning for the attachment and the emotions associated with the loss are reawakened, then the patient is helped to detach by undoing binds with the deceased, and finally new choices which bridge the past to the future are reinforced.

Adult↗

PubMed2005

Reliability and validity of the revised experiences in close relationships (ECR-R) self-report measure of adult romantic attachment.

Three studies examine the psychometric properties (i.e., the test-retest reliability, convergent, and discriminant validity) of Fraley, Waller, and Brennan's Revised Experiences in Close Relationships (ECR-R) self-report measure of romantic attachment anxiety (model of self) and avoidance (model of others). Longitudinal analyses suggest that the ECR-R provided highly stable indicators of latent attachment during a 3-week period (85% shared variance). Hierarchical linear modeling analyses further validated the ECR-R, suggesting that it explained between 30% to 40% of the between-person variation in social interaction diary ratings of attachment-related emotions experienced during interactions with a romantic partner and only 5% to 15% of that in interactions with family and friends. Guidelines are offered regarding the conditions where highly reliable and precise measures of romantic attachment, such as the ECR-R, are deemed necessary and where shorter, albeit slightly less reliable measures, such as Bartholomew and Horowitz's Relationship Questionnaire, may also be viable.

Adult↗

PubMed1994

Disturbed attachment and negative affective style. An intergenerational spiral.

The relationship between the quality of parents' attachment to their own parents and the quality of affective style was examined with a sample of 49 severely disturbed young adults and adolescents and their families receiving long-term in-patient treatment. Measures reflecting disturbances in attachment of parents to their own parents, derived from a five-minute speech sample task, were strongly associated with measures of negative affective style (e.g., criticism, intrusiveness and guilt induction) in face-to-face interactions with the disturbed offspring, as assessed through videotaped discussions of conflictual family issues after three months of treatment. The most significant findings involved the linkages between disturbances in the mother's attachment to her own mother and the degree of negative affect directed at the child patient. The association between disturbed intergenerational parental attachments and negative affective style supports the hypothesis that the parent's own internal burdens, stemming from disturbed attachment representations, particularly of the same-sex parent, may be a driving force behind the negative affect they display in interactions with their disturbed offspring.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2003

The ability of adult mental health services to meet clients' attachment needs: the development and implementation of the Service Attachment Questionnaire.

This study examined the relevance of adult attachment to the relationships between mental health services and their clients. The aim of the study was to develop a self-report measure with acceptable levels of reliability and validity and which was grounded in the experiences of service users, to assess the ability of adult mental health services to meet clients' attachment needs. A combination of qualitative and quantitative methodology was used. The Service Attachment Questionnaire (SAQ) was developed via focus groups of service users, followed by a grounded theory analysis of the group data to identify themes and potential items for inclusion. Two clinical trials were conducted to assess its reliability and validity. The grounded theory analysis produced six key themes forming the basis of the six-subscale, 25-item SAQ. It demonstrated good levels of internal and test-retest reliability. Factor analysis of the subscales revealed a single underlying construct. The SAQ is a reliable and usable self-report measure, and indicates that attachment is relevant to the relationships clients have with mental health services. As the measure is the first of its kind, further exploration of the measure's reliability and validity is recommended.

Clinical Trials as Topic↗

PubMed1999

[Transmission of binding by mothers and their children in the preschool age].

A new method is presented in order to assess attachment representations in preschoolers. Using the symbolic medium of doll play and story completions the internal representations of attachment in children beyond infancy can be assessed. Additionally the thesis of transmission of attachment across generations was tested empirically in a sample of 28 German families from middle class socioeconomic background as part of longitudinal study. Transmission of attachment means that parents transmit their different attachment representations to preschool-aged children. Secure and insecure attachment representation in mothers assessed with the Adult Attachment Interview, are associated systematically with their childrens' attachment representations coded from the doll play. In the present study the Adult Attachment Interview was conducted with mothers during the fifth year post delivery. Their first-born children, 17 boys and 11 girls with a mean age of 6;4 years participated in the story completion session. Using a two-fold distinction (secure and insecure) as well as a converted 4-level scale of attachment security, results revealed a correspondence between maternal and child attachment representations. According to psychometric indicaters the story completion procedure demonstrates satisfying reliability and convergent validity with the Separation Anxiety Test. Finally, reasons for the high match of mothers' and childrens' attachment representations are discussed. Maternal sensitive behavior, maternal reflection of their own childhood triggered by the observation of their own child, and various learning processes may operate as mediating factors in this case.

Adult↗

PubMed2001

[Inpatient psychiatric treatment of mothers with their children].

Proceeding from the increased incidence of postpartum psychiatric disorders the risk factors of postpartum psychosis and postpartum depression including cultural conditions will be described. In the following reasons for an inpatient treatment of mentally ill mothers together with their children are presented under the viewpoint of preventive treatment and illustrated by a clinical example. The psychotherapeutic and pedagogic oriented interventions during treatment will be demonstrated more precise reference to attachment theory. Finally the relevance of early intervention as well as the exchange and necessity of coordination between the involved institutions and occupational groups concerning the treatment of postpartum psychiatric disorders is pointed out.

Adult↗

PubMed1994

Alzheimer's disease afflicted spouses who remain at home: can human dialectics explain the findings?

When one spouse has Alzheimer's disease (AD), marital interactions tend to decline. Findings from this study suggest that level of spousal interactions influence longitudinal outcomes for afflicted spouses. Thirty AD spouses and their spouse caregivers were assessed at baseline (time 1) and two years later (time 2). Continued in-home care at time 2 is predicted by high levels of positive spousal interactions, high caregiver commitment, good caregiver health, and shorter time as caregiver (all assessed at time 1). The same variables but in an inverse relationship predict which AD spouses are deceased at time 2. Nursing home placement is predicted by AD spouses' higher educational level, unhappy marital relationships, and low caregiver commitment. Afflicted spouses' cognitive and functional impairment levels, their physical health and depression do not predict outcomes. A theoretical explanation is developed drawing on Riegel's dialectical theory of human development and Bowlby's attachment theory. It is suggested that interactions between spouses are crucial for afflicted spouses' survival.

Activities of Daily Living↗

PubMed2004

Prenatal attachment and other correlates of postnatal maternal attachment to twins.

PURPOSE: To determine the relationship of prenatal attachment and other selected perinatal contextual variables (method of delivery, maternal self-reported health, depression, infant birthweight, need for neonatal intensive care unit [NICU] admission) to postnatal attachment in mothers of twins. SUBJECTS: Two hundred fourteen women were initially recruited from a national mothers of twins support group for a study of maternal prenatal attachment. Of the 168 women who agreed to be contacted after delivery, 142 returned completed questionnaires (82.7% response rate), with 139 study-eligible women included in the analysis for this report. STUDY DESIGN: Correlational design with longitudinal follow-up at 1 month after expected delivery date. METHODS: Self-administered, mailed questionnaires completed by women with twin gestations prenatally and postnatally 1 month after their expected delivery dates. Descriptive analysis, correlations, and regression equations were performed. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The Maternal Attachment Inventory. PRINCIPLE RESULTS: A modest correlation was found between prenatal and postnatal attachment ( r = 0.38, P < 0.001). Prenatal attachment and postpartum depression explained 26.1% of the variance in postnatal attachment ( F = 5.06, P < 0.001). Depression, method of delivery, and need for admission to the NICU had moderator effects on the relationship between prenatal attachment and postnatal attachment. The addition of these interaction terms nominally increased the adjusted R 2 to explain 27.9% to 29.6% of the variance in postnatal attachment. CONCLUSIONS: Although the study findings support a modest relationship between prenatal and postnatal attachment in mothers of twins, maternal depression was also significant in explaining postnatal attachment. Postpartum depression, having a cesarean delivery, and the experience of a NICU admission for 1 or both twins further influenced the relationship between prenatal attachment and postnatal attachment. When fostering attachment in mothers of twins, nurses should assess for symptoms of depression and pay particular attention to those women who have an infant requiring a NICU admission.

Adult↗