Attachment disorder, basic trust and educational psychology
- Authors: King, Michael , Newnham, Karyn
- Date: 2008
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Australian Journal of Educational and Developmental Psychology Vol. 8, no. (2008), p. 27-35
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- Description: The label Attachment Disorder (AD) is used as either a description of a child's presentation, or as a diagnostic category. It is unclear whether this label is intended to be identical with the DSM-IV Reactive Attachment Disorder (RAD) diagnostic category, or if it is a separate diagnosis based on Randolph's Questionnaire and the premises underlying this instrument. The third option is that any allusion to "attachment" relates to a position which has evolved from Bowlby. All three variants of this diagnostic label allude to early parent-child interactions, and thus imply the need for remedial interventions at the parent-child level. There are limited options for such interventions at school. A more fruitful interpretation is that the inference of inadequate early childhood interactions designates an incomplete early psycho-social task (the development of Basic Trust) and this perspective leads towards credibly promising school-based interventions.
- Description: C1
The relationship between attachment style, anxiety sensitivity and interpretive bias among adolescent nonclinical panickers
- Authors: Austin, David , Jamieson, Rachel , Richards, Jeffrey , Winkelman, John
- Date: 2006
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Behaviour Change Vol. 23, no. 1 (2006), p. 31-41
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- Description: Elevated anxiety sensitivity and the tendency to catastrophically misinterpret ambiguous bodily sensations has been demonstrated in people who experience nonclinical levels of panic (Richards, Austin, & Alvarenga, 2001), and anxiety sensitivity has been shown to be associated with insecure attachment in adolescents and young adults (Weems, Berman, Silverman, & Saavedra, 2001). This study investigated the relationship between attachment style, anxiety sensitivity and catastrophic misinterpretation among 11 nonclinical panickers and 58 nonanxious controls aged 18 to 19 years. Participants completed the Brief Bodily Sensations Interpretation Questionnaire (BBSIQ), Anxiety Sensitivity Index (ASI) and an attachment questionnaire. The hypothesis that insecurely attached individuals would demonstrate greater catastrophic misinterpretation and higher anxiety sensitivity than securely attached individuals was not supported; however, nonclinical panickers gave more anxiety-related interpretations of ambiguous internal stimuli than nonanxious controls. Results do not support the notion that attachment style is related to anxiety sensitivity or catastrophic misinterpretation (regardless of panic experience). Results do, however, support the notion that anxiety-related misinterpretation of ambiguous somatic sensations precedes the onset of panic disorder.
- Description: C1
Exploring the existence and potential underpinnings of dog-human and horse-human attachment bonds
- Authors: Payne, Elyssa , DeAraugo, Jodi , Bennett, Pauleen , McGreevy, Paul
- Date: 2016
- Type: Text , Journal article , Review
- Relation: Behavioural Processes Vol. 125, no. (2016), p. 114-121
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- Description: This article reviews evidence for the existence of attachment bonds directed toward humans in dog-human and horse-human dyads. It explores each species' alignment with the four features of a typical attachment bond: separation-related distress, safe haven, secure base and proximity seeking. While dog-human dyads show evidence of each of these, there is limited alignment for horse-human dyads. These differences are discussed in the light of the different selection paths of domestic dogs and horses as well as the different contexts in which the two species interact with humans. The role of emotional intelligence in humans as a potential mediator for human-animal relationships, attachment or otherwise, is also examined. Finally, future studies, which may clarify the interplay between attachment, human-animal relationships and emotional intelligence, are proposed. Such avenues of research may help us explore the concepts of trust and bonding that are often said to occur at the dog-human and horse-human interface. © 2015.
Measurement invariance : The case of measuring romantic attachment in Greek and Cypriot adolescents
- Authors: Stavropoulos, Vasileios , Mastrotheodoros, Stefanos , Papapetrou, Stelios , Gomez, Rapson , Beard, Charlotte , Motti-Stefanidi, Frosso
- Date: 2019
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: European Journal of Developmental Psychology Vol. 16, no. 3 (2019), p. 362-371
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- Description: The experiences in close relationships revised (ECR-R) is widely used to assess romantic attachment dimensions. Investigating cultural limitations in its applicability is imperative. This study aims to examine the instrument’s: (1) factor structure in two large and normative samples of Greek (N = 1706, M age = 16.16; SD = 2.16; 49.7% male) and Cypriot (N = 1279; M age = 15.54; SD = 0.65; 44.9% male) adolescents; (2) measurement invariance between these groups, accounting for potential gender and age effects. Results supported the two-factor structure and indicated partial invariance of the constructs between Greek and Cypriot adolescents. Findings support limitations in the use of instruments adapted for Greece in Cyprus.
Men say “I love you” before women do : robust across several countries
- Authors: Watkins, Christopher , Bovet, Jeanne , Fernandez, Ana , Leongómez, Juan , Żelaźniewicz, Agnieszka , Corrêa Varella, Marco , Wagstaff, Danielle
- Date: 2022
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Journal of Social and Personal Relationships Vol. 39, no. 7 (2022), p. 2134-2153
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- Description: Feeling and expressing love is at the core of romantic relationships, but individuals differ in their proclivity to worry about their relationships and/or avoid intimacy. Saying “I love you” signals a commitment to a future with our romantic partner. Contrary to gender stereotypes, research in the United States demonstrates that men are more likely to confess love first. We aimed to replicate this sex difference in an online cross-national sample (seven countries, three continents), while testing for variation according to attachment style and environment (the national sex ratio). Men were more likely to confess love first in a relationship, with preliminary evidence that this was more likely when men had more choice (more female-biased sex ratio). Independent of biological sex, highly avoidant respondents were less happy to hear “I love you” than less avoidant respondents, and highly anxious respondents were happier to hear “I love you” than less anxious respondents. Our findings suggest that prior observations generalize beyond an ethnically homogenous sample and incorporate attachment theory into the study of love confessions. Our research suggests a dissociation between initial declarations of love (moderated by biological sex) and emotional responses to love confessions, moderated by attachment style but not by biological sex. © The Author(s) 2022.
A mixed-methods study of two modes of the circle of security
- Authors: Sadowski, Christina , Goff, Rachel , Sawyer, Neroli
- Date: 2022
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Research on Social Work Practice Vol. 32, no. 1 (2022), p. 49-60
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- Description: Purpose: This study compared the impact, challenges, and benefits of the Circle of Security-Parenting (COS-P) intervention across two delivery modes: group center-based (GCCOS-P) and individual home-based (IHCOS-P). Methods: This mixed-methods study compared the impact of the COS-P on parental reflective functioning and parental stress across two delivery modes: GCCOS-P (n = 7) and IHCOS-P (n = 7). It compared the challenges and benefits of each, from the qualitative perspectives of participants (n = 2 IHCOS-P; n = 3 GCCOS-P) and facilitators (n = 4). Results: Quantitative statistical analysis comparing pre- and postintervention measures suggest that each delivery mode was equally effective in reducing parental stress and generally noneffective with respect to parental reflective functioning. Challenges and benefits of each mode, inherent in the peer/shared learning environment of the GCOS-P and the individualized, flexible delivery of the IHCOS-P, were identified. Discussion: This study adds to knowledge about the widely utilized COS-P, highlighting challenges and benefits of two modes of delivery. © The Author(s) 2021.
Major depression and generalised anxiety disorder: An analysis of the effects of remission status and comorbidity on mother‐infant emotional availability in the perinatal period
- Authors: Aran, Pavitra , Lewis, Andrew , Watson, Stuart , Galbally, Megan
- Date: 2022
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Journal of Clinical Psychology Vol. 78, no. 4 (2022), p. 570-589
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- Description: Background The effects of maternal depression on mother‐infant relationship quality likely vary according to depression heterogeneity. We investigated the effects of different presentations of major depression on mother‐infant emotional availability (EA). Methods Data were obtained from 115 mother‐infant dyads from a longitudinal pregnancy cohort. Disorders, symptoms, and antidepressant use were assessed in pregnancy and postpartum, and EA was observed 6‐month postpartum. Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) and Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) were assessed using the Structured Clinical Interview for the DSM‐5. A series of multivariate analyses of covariance analyses' examining the effects of disorder on EA were conducted. Results After controlling for maternal age, antidepressant use, and postpartum depressive symptoms, MDD accounted for 20% of the variance in EA. In the MDD/GAD group, 93% of interactions were rated as emotionally unavailable, nearly threefold the comparison group rate. Conclusions Findings demonstrate that different presentations of major depression are associated with observed differences in mother‐infant EA. HIGHLIGHTS Lifetime major depression predicted mother‐infant emotional availability, independent of antidepressant use or postpartum depressive symptoms The risk of emotional unavailability varied according to different presentations of major depression Comorbid generalized anxiety disorder was associated with the greatest risk of emotional unavailability
The Investment Model: Its Antecedents and Predictors of Relationship Satisfaction
- Authors: Moore, Kathleen , Campbell, Austin
- Date: 2020
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Journal of Relationship Research Vol. 11, no. (2020), p.
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- Description: Intimate relationships are an integral part of our lives, but the rate of relationship breakups is high. We explored the role of the investment model and the traits that influence investments on relationship satisfaction among 146 volunteers (age M = 28.76 years, SD = 10.23). Relationship satisfaction was predicted by investments, which in turn were predicted by attachment, personality and love style. Clinicians working with individuals or couples with relationship issues may benefit from knowing how invested they are in the relationship and their love style. Insight into imbalances in these constructs between partners may be used to facilitate relationship satisfaction.
Effects of a structured reflective interview on parental reflective functioning : a pilot randomised controlled trial
- Authors: Low, Yu , Lewis, Andrew , Serfaty, Irene
- Date: 2023
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Journal of Child and Family Studies Vol. 32, no. 2 (2023), p. 516-529
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- Description: The Parental Reflective Interview Procedure was developed as part of an initial assessment interview for an attachment-based intervention for child mental health conditions. This study was a pilot randomised controlled trial that utilised a parallel, single-blind trial design to evaluate the differences in the effects of the Parental Reflective Interview Procedure compared to a diagnostic interview on parental reflective functioning. The control group was administered a structured diagnostic interview (Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview for Children and Adolescents—Parent Version) and matched for time with clinician. The study sample were 25 parents of clinic-referred children who scored above the clinical cut-off score on the Child Behaviour Checklist. Parental reflective functioning was measured with the Parental Reflective Functioning Questionnaire at baseline and repeated post-intervention, and then again at a two-week follow up. Results showed that the Parental Reflective Interview Procedure produced moderate improvements in parents’ understanding of their children’s mental states and maintenance in their reflections on intergenerational parent-child relationship patterns. The diagnostic interview showed decreases in both these dimensions. The findings suggest that the Parental Reflective Interview Procedure is a promising format for initial assessment when referral indicates difficulty in the parent-child relationship. The interview acts as a good orientation for parents to an intervention focused on parent-child relationship dynamics. Further work refining this interview, its coding and integration into a tailored feedback session is required. © 2023, The Author(s).
Maternal trauma but not perinatal depression predicts infant-parent attachment
- Authors: Galbally, Megan , Watson, Stuart , van Ijzendoorn, Marinus , Tharner, Anne , Luijk, Maartje , Lewis, Andrew
- Date: 2022
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Archives of Women's Mental Health Vol. 25, no. 1 (2022), p. 215-225
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- Description: Understanding if maternal depression is a predictor of infant-parent attachment classification is important to furthering knowledge about the early pathways and predictors of socio-emotional development. Yet few studies that have utilised the Strange Situation Procedure, the gold standard for measurement of infant-parent attachment, have examined antenatal depression as a predictor of attachment, and none has also included a measure of maternal trauma. This study uses data on 224 women recruited in early pregnancy and followed up until 12 months postpartum. Maternal depression was measured in pregnancy using the Structured Clinical Interview for the DSM and repeat Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale as well as Stressful Life Events scale across pregnancy and postpartum including items on domestic violence. A past history of trauma was measured using the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire. Attachment was measured using the Strange Situation Procedure (SSP) at 12 months postpartum. We found that maternal depression was not associated with insecure or disorganized attachment. However, a maternal history of childhood trauma and current domestic violence both predicted insecure-avoidant attachment at 12 months, whereas increased number of stressful life events prior to conception and in pregnancy was associated with insecure-resistant attachment. Neither trauma, past or current, nor depression predicted disorganized attachment. In the first study to have included measures of antenatal depression, maternal childhood trauma, and current stressful events as predictors of infant attachment measured using the SSP, we found maternal experiences of past and current trauma but not depression were significant predictors of infant-parent attachment security.
“Bumps in the Road”: A Pilot study of a therapeutic technique for the integration of unresolved family loss and trauma
- Authors: Watts, Gabriella , Lewis, Andrew , Serfaty, Irene
- Date: 2021
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Frontiers in psychology Vol. 12, no. (2021), p. 635574-635574
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- Description: The ability to sustain a coherent narrative about experiences of trauma and loss is a prominent feature of secure-autonomous attachment states of mind as assessed in narrative tasks such as the Adult Attachment Interview. The current study examines the clinical application of the concepts of narrative coherence and discourse segregation within a therapeutic intervention for whole families. Bumps in the Road is a family drawing task, which aims to facilitate the co-construction of family narratives about adversities such as trauma, loss and hardship. The technique aims to increase the family’s narrative coherence about such challenging events. The paper first presents a description of the task itself together with the discourse theories of defensive processing of adverse events. The study also presents pilot quantitative findings from 19 parents on the psychometric properties of a coding system of the families’ discourses in undertaking the task and the therapist’s techniques in administering the task. The predictive association of coding of the narratives were examined as predictors of change in internalising and externalising symptoms in the referred child, using the Child Behaviour Checklist. Findings showed that therapist competence in administration of the task did significantly predict the magnitude of treatment efficacy. The current study is the first presentation of this novel therapeutic task and sets a platform for further research on the use of narrative tasks and the formal coding of discourse in therapeutic work with children and families.
The influence of an attachment-related stimulus on oxytocin reactivity in poly-drug users undergoing maintenance therapy compared to healthy controls
- Authors: Fuchshuber, Jürgen , Tatzer, Jasmin , Hiebler-Ragger, Michaela , Trinkl, Florian , Kimmerle, Andreas , Rinner, Anita , Buchheim, Anna , Schrom, Silke , Rinner, Beate , Leber, Klaus , Pieber, Thomas , Weiss, Elisabeth , Lewis, Andrew , Kapfhammer, Hans-Peter , Unterrainer, Human
- Date: 2020
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Frontiers in Psychiatry Vol. 11, no. (2020), p. 460506
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- Description: Substance use disorders (SUDs) have been described as a dysfunctional way to compensate for deficiencies in that person's underlying attachment system. Furthermore, the neuropeptide oxytocin (OT), which is a critical component of the neurobiology of the attachment system, has been shown to effectively reduce addictive behavior and therefore has been discussed as a potential medication in SUD treatment. This study investigates variation in peripheral OT plasma levels as a function of exposure to an attachment-related stimulus in SUD patients compared to healthy controls (HCs). A total sample of 48 men, 24 inpatients in maintenance treatment who were diagnosed with poly-drug use disorder (PUD) and 24 HC, was investigated. A 15-min exposure to the Adult Attachment Projective Picture System (AAP) was used as an attachment-related stimulus and coded for attachment status. Blood samples before and after the AAP-assessment were taken and assayed for OT levels. Variation in baselines level of OT was examined in relation to the Alcohol, Smoking and Substance Involvement Screening Test (ASSIST), the Adult Attachment-Scale (AAS), and the Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI). Following the AAP stimulus controls showed no significant difference in OT levels elevation from baseline compared to the PUD group's OT levels. Furthermore, in the PUD group only OT-baseline-levels may be negatively associated with the AAS subscale "Comfort with Closeness" and "Anxiety" and lifetime substance use. Our results suggest that peripheral OT levels in poly-drug users undergoing maintenance treatment are not significantly different in responsiveness to an attachment related stimulus compared to HC. With regard to non-significant tendencies observed in this study which hint toward decreased OT-reactivity in the PUD group, further research is needed to explore this hypothesis with increased statistical power.
Maternal attachment state of mind and perinatal emotional wellbeing : findings from a pregnancy cohort study
- Authors: Galbally, Megan , Watson, Stuart , Lewis, Andrew , Power, Josephine , Buus, Niels , van Ijzendoorn, Marinus
- Date: 2023
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Journal of Affective Disorders Vol. 333, no. (2023), p. 297-304
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- Description: Objectives: Maternal attachment state of mind is an important potential predictor of risk and resilience to perinatal emotional wellbeing and early parenting. To explore maternal attachment in relation to perinatal depression and emotional wellbeing. Methods: This study drew on data collected within an ongoing cohort from 170 women recruited in early pregnancy, including 67 who met criteria for Major Depression. Maternal attachment state of mind was assessed with the Adult Attachment Interview (AAI) in pregnancy. Additional measures included the Structured Clinical Interview for the DSM (SCID), at 12 months the Strange Situation Procedure (SSP), Child Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ), Parenting Stress Index, and antenatal maternal hair cortisol concentrations (HCC). Limitations: Sample size to be able to undertake all analyses using the 4 way classifications, cortisol measurement is limited to hair only and there is no prospectively collected measure of childhood trauma in mothers. Conclusions: This study found that maternal attachment, specifically the Non-Autonomous states of mind, adjusted for clinical depression, was associated with higher cortisol in pregnancy and higher depressive symptoms across pregnancy and the postpartum. Furthermore, separately those with depression and Non-Autonomous states of mind also had higher postpartum parenting stress. There was no significant intergenerational concordance between AAI and SSP attachment classifications. Our findings support future research exploring the role of maternal attachment state of mind in understanding perinatal depression and emotional wellbeing. © 2023 The Author(s)