Editorial

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7 pages, 7699 KiB

Open AccessEditorial

Attachment and the Development of Psychopathology: Introduction to the Special Issue

by Guy Bosmans and Jessica L. Borelli

Brain Sci. 2022, 12(2), 174; https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci12020174 - 28 Jan 2022

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 3616

Abstract

When Bowlby [...] Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Attachment and Developmental Psychopathology)

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Research

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13 pages, 302 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Attachment Representations in Children with and without Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)

by Tycho J. Dekkers, Rianne Hornstra, Barbara J. van den Hoofdakker, Suzanne R. C. de Jong, Jessica V. Schaaf, Guy Bosmans and Saskia van der Oord

Brain Sci. 2021, 11(11), 1516; https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci11111516 - 16 Nov 2021

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 4860

Abstract

Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in children is associated with several adverse family characteristics, such as higher parenting stress, more conflicted parent–child relationships, lower parental competence, and higher levels of parental psychopathology. Hence, children with ADHD more often grow up under suboptimal circumstances, which may [...] Read more.

Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in children is associated with several adverse family characteristics, such as higher parenting stress, more conflicted parent–child relationships, lower parental competence, and higher levels of parental psychopathology. Hence, children with ADHD more often grow up under suboptimal circumstances, which may impact the development of their attachment representations. Here, we investigated whether children with ADHD have more insecure and disorganized attachment representations than their typically developing peers, and which factors could explain this association. We included 104 children between 4 and 11 years old, 74 with ADHD (without Conduct Disorder) and 30 typically developing control children. Children completed a state-of-the-art story stem task to assess their attachment representation, and we measured parents’ expressed emotion (as an index of parent–child relationship quality), parents’ perceived sense of competence, parental education levels, and parent-rated ODD symptoms of the child. We found that, after controlling for multiple comparisons, children with ADHD had less secure and more ambivalent and disorganized attachment representations relative to their typically developing peers. These group differences were independent of comorbid ODD and parental education levels. There were no group differences on avoidant attachment representations. Explorative analyses within the ADHD group showed that attachment representations were not related to parent–child relationship quality, perceived parenting competence, parental education levels, and comorbid ODD symptoms. We conclude that children with ADHD disproportionately often have attachment problems. Although this conclusion is important, treatment implications of this co-occurrence are yet unclear as research on ADHD and attachment is still in its infancy. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Attachment and Developmental Psychopathology)

19 pages, 1318 KiB

Open AccessArticle

by Katie Aafjes-van Doorn, Vera Békés and Xiaochen Luo

Brain Sci. 2021, 11(10), 1288; https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci11101288 - 28 Sep 2021

Cited by 12 | Viewed by 1842

Abstract

The early months of the COVID-19 pandemic have been a challenging time for many psychotherapy patients. To understand why certain patients were more resilient, we examined the role of patients’ attachment anxiety and attachment avoidance, as well as collaborative therapy experiences (perceived working [...] Read more.

The early months of the COVID-19 pandemic have been a challenging time for many psychotherapy patients. To understand why certain patients were more resilient, we examined the role of patients’ attachment anxiety and attachment avoidance, as well as collaborative therapy experiences (perceived working alliance and therapeutic agency) in their online sessions on their COVID-related traumatic distress over a three-month period. A total of 466 patients in online psychotherapy completed a survey during the first weeks of the pandemic, and 121 of those completed a follow-up survey three months later. Lower distress at follow-up was predicted by patients’ lower attachment anxiety in their online sessions after controlling for baseline distress and time of survey completion. Higher working alliance predicted less distress at follow-up only for patients with high attachment anxiety. For patients with low attachment avoidance (i.e., more securely attached), higher therapeutic agency predicted less distress. These findings suggest that patients’ attachment anxiety may play a significant role in online therapy during COVID-19 in patient’s experienced traumatic distress, and that working alliance and therapeutic agency may be differentially important for patients with different levels of attachment anxiety and avoidance. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Attachment and Developmental Psychopathology)

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22 pages, 2752 KiB

Open AccessArticle

State Attachment Variability: Between- and within-Person Level Associations with Trait Attachment and Psychological Problems

by Martine W. F. T. Verhees, Eva Ceulemans, Marian J. Bakermans-Kranenburg and Guy Bosmans

Brain Sci. 2021, 11(10), 1264; https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci11101264 - 24 Sep 2021

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 1771

Abstract

Research suggests that inter-individual differences in the degree of state attachment variability are related to differences in trait attachment and psychological problems between children. In this study, we tested whether such associations are also relevant at a within-person level, and if so, whether [...] Read more.

Research suggests that inter-individual differences in the degree of state attachment variability are related to differences in trait attachment and psychological problems between children. In this study, we tested whether such associations are also relevant at a within-person level, and if so, whether intra-individual fluctuations in the degree of variability were predictive of or predicted by intra-individual fluctuations in trait attachment and psychological problems. Children (N = 152; M_age = 10.41 years, SD_age = 0.60 at time 1) were tested three times over a period of one year. At each timepoint, children reported on their expectations of maternal support in different distressing situations. Additionally, we administered measures of trait attachment to children and psychological problems to children and their mothers. We used Random-Intercept Cross-Lagged Panel Models to distinguish between-person from within-person associations between these constructs over time. The results revealed that the degree of state attachment variability was mainly relevant to understand differences between children in trait attachment and psychological problems: children who overall showed more state attachment variability were overall less securely attached at a trait-level and reported more psychological problems. Although evidence for within-person associations was less robust, there was some indication that the degree of state attachment variability might be related to the development of trust and psychological problems at a within-person level. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Attachment and Developmental Psychopathology)

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16 pages, 1183 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Impact of Repeated Attachment Priming on Paranoia, Mood and Help-Seeking Intentions in an Analogue Sample

by Katherine Newman-Taylor, Monica Sood, Angela C. Rowe and Katherine B. Carnelley

Brain Sci. 2021, 11(10), 1257; https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci11101257 - 22 Sep 2021

Cited by 8 | Viewed by 2843

Abstract

Attachment security priming effects therapeutic change in people with depression and anxiety. Preliminary studies indicate that visualising secure attachment memories also reduces paranoia in non-clinical and clinical groups, probably due to a decrease in cognitive fusion. Benefits to clinical populations depend on the [...] Read more.

Attachment security priming effects therapeutic change in people with depression and anxiety. Preliminary studies indicate that visualising secure attachment memories also reduces paranoia in non-clinical and clinical groups, probably due to a decrease in cognitive fusion. Benefits to clinical populations depend on the sustainability of these effects and the impact on help-seeking behaviours. The combination of paranoia and an insecure-avoidant attachment style is likely to be a particular barrier to help seeking. We used a longitudinal experimental design to test the impact of repeated attachment priming on paranoia, mood and help-seeking intentions and whether cognitive fusion mediates these effects. Seventy-nine people with high levels of non-clinical paranoia, aged 18–50 years (M = 20.53, SD = 4.57), were randomly assigned to a secure or insecure-avoidant priming condition. Participants rehearsed the visualisation prime on four consecutive days and were assessed on standardised measures of paranoia, positive and negative affect, help-seeking intentions and cognitive fusion. A series of mixed-model analyses of variance showed that security priming decreases paranoia, negative affect and cognitive fusion and increases positive affect and help seeking, compared to insecure-avoidant priming. Examining the impact of primed attachment (rather than measured attachment style) allows us to draw conclusions about the causal processes involved; mediation analyses showed indirect effects of the primes on paranoia and negative affect through cognitive fusion. With a growing understanding of (1) the impact of security priming on paranoia, affect and help-seeking behaviours, (2) causal mechanisms and (3) sustainability of effects, security priming may be developed into a viable intervention for clinical populations. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Attachment and Developmental Psychopathology)

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18 pages, 326 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Problem Talk in Adolescence: Temperament and Attachment as Predictors of Co-Rumination Trajectories in Boys and Girls

by Margot Bastin, Amy H. Mezulis, Jaclyn T. Aldrich, Guy Bosmans, Sabine Nelis, Filip Raes and Patricia Bijttebier

Brain Sci. 2021, 11(9), 1157; https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci11091157 - 31 Aug 2021

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2235

Abstract

Co-rumination has consistently been shown to be maladaptive in the context of emotional well-being. However, not much is known about factors that predict one’s tendency to co-ruminate. The current study investigated temperament, attachment, and gender as predictors of co-rumination trajectories in a sample [...] Read more.

Co-rumination has consistently been shown to be maladaptive in the context of emotional well-being. However, not much is known about factors that predict one’s tendency to co-ruminate. The current study investigated temperament, attachment, and gender as predictors of co-rumination trajectories in a sample of 1549 early and middle adolescents from fifth to ninth grade (53.4% girls; M_age = 12.93). Analyses were performed on four waves of data with one-year intervals using multi-level modeling. First, girls were found to be more likely to co-ruminate. Second, high positive affectivity in boys and girls and high effortful control in boys was related to higher co-rumination. Third, high attachment anxiety and high general trust in the availability and support of a mother were predictive of higher co-rumination levels. High attachment avoidance was negatively related to co-rumination in boys. High positive affectivity in boys and girls and high trust in boys predicted decreases in reported co-rumination levels over time. Results highlight differences between boys and girls in factors that predict the tendency to co-ruminate. The current study adds to the literature by helping to identify factors associated with the development of co-rumination, which is a well-established risk factor of internalizing symptoms. Monitoring youth affected with these vulnerabilities may be recommended for prevention efforts. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Attachment and Developmental Psychopathology)

19 pages, 816 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperArticle

Effects of Father and Mother Attachment on Depressive Symptoms in Middle Childhood and Adolescence: The Mediating Role of Emotion Regulation

by Alexandra Iwanski, Lucie Lichtenstein, Laura E. Mühling and Peter Zimmermann

Brain Sci. 2021, 11(9), 1153; https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci11091153 - 30 Aug 2021

Cited by 10 | Viewed by 3253

Abstract

Background: Attachment and emotion regulation play a decisive role in the developmental pathways of adaptation or maladaptation. This study tested concurrent and longitudinal associations between the attachment to mother and father, sadness regulation, and depressive symptoms. Methods: A total of 1110 participants from [...] Read more.

Background: Attachment and emotion regulation play a decisive role in the developmental pathways of adaptation or maladaptation. This study tested concurrent and longitudinal associations between the attachment to mother and father, sadness regulation, and depressive symptoms. Methods: A total of 1110 participants from middle childhood to adolescence completed measures of attachment, emotion regulation, and depressive symptomatology. In total, 307 of them participated in the longitudinal assessment. Results: Results revealed attachment affects emotion regulation strategies and depressive symptoms. Furthermore, we found linear effects of the cumulative number of secure attachment relationships on adaptive and maladaptive deactivating sadness regulation, as well as on depressive symptoms. Longitudinal analysis showed the significant mediating role of sadness regulation in the relationship between attachment and depressive symptoms. Conclusions: Adaptive and maladaptive deactivating sadness regulation explain the longitudinal effects of attachment on depressive symptoms. Insecurely attached children and adolescents use maladaptive and adaptive sadness regulation strategies, but differ in their hierarchy of strategy use. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Attachment and Developmental Psychopathology)

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Review

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24 pages, 700 KiB

Open AccessReview

A Lifespan Development Theory of Insecure Attachment and Internalizing Symptoms: Integrating Meta-Analytic Evidence via a Testable Evolutionary Mis/Match Hypothesis

by Or Dagan, Ashley M. Groh, Sheri Madigan and Kristin Bernard

Brain Sci. 2021, 11(9), 1226; https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci11091226 - 16 Sep 2021

Cited by 12 | Viewed by 7115 | Correction

Abstract

Attachment scholars have long argued that insecure attachment patterns are associated with vulnerability to internalizing symptoms, such as depression and anxiety symptoms. However, accumulating evidence from the past four decades, summarized in four large meta-analyses evaluating the link between insecure attachment subtypes and [...] Read more.

Attachment scholars have long argued that insecure attachment patterns are associated with vulnerability to internalizing symptoms, such as depression and anxiety symptoms. However, accumulating evidence from the past four decades, summarized in four large meta-analyses evaluating the link between insecure attachment subtypes and internalizing symptoms, provide divergent evidence for this claim. This divergent evidence may be accounted for, at least in part, by the developmental period under examination. Specifically, children with histories of deactivating (i.e., insecure/avoidant) but not hyperactivating (i.e., insecure/resistant) attachment patterns in infancy and early childhood showed elevated internalizing symptoms. In contrast, adolescents and adults with hyperactivating (i.e., insecure/preoccupied) but not deactivating (i.e., insecure/dismissing) attachment classifications showed elevated internalizing symptoms. In this paper, we summarize findings from four large meta-analyses and highlight the divergent meta-analytic findings that emerge across different developmental periods. We first present several potential methodological issues that may have contributed to these divergent findings. Then, we leverage clinical, developmental, and evolutionary perspectives to propose a testable lifespan development theory of attachment and internalizing symptoms that integrates findings across meta-analyses. According to this theory, subtypes of insecure attachment patterns may be differentially linked to internalizing symptoms depending on their mis/match with the developmentally appropriate orientation tendency toward caregivers (in childhood) or away from them (i.e., toward greater independence in post-childhood). Lastly, we offer future research directions to test this theory. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Attachment and Developmental Psychopathology)

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Other

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22 pages, 566 KiB

Open AccessSystematic Review

Physiological Factors Linking Insecure Attachment to Psychopathology: A Systematic Review

by Marta Tironi, Simone Charpentier Mora, Donatella Cavanna, Jessica L. Borelli and Fabiola Bizzi

Brain Sci. 2021, 11(11), 1477; https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci11111477 - 08 Nov 2021

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 3557

Abstract

Although many studies have documented associations between insecure attachment and psychopathology, attachment may not confer risk for psychopathology independently, but rather through its interaction with emotional, social, and biological factors. Understanding the variables through which attachment may lead to psychopathology is therefore important. [...] Read more.

Although many studies have documented associations between insecure attachment and psychopathology, attachment may not confer risk for psychopathology independently, but rather through its interaction with emotional, social, and biological factors. Understanding the variables through which attachment may lead to psychopathology is therefore important. Within this domain of research, the role of physiological factors is poorly investigated. What are the relevant domains and why, when, or for whom do they influence mental disorders relating to attachment? The current systematic review aims to answer these questions. Results reveal that physiological indices of emotional regulation play a role in explaining and/or determining the relationship between attachment and psychopathology. Specifically: (1) combined with insecure attachment, higher skin conductance level (SCL), lower cardiac slowing, and respiratory sinus arrhythmia modulation (RSA) contribute to different psychopathological indicators and behavioral/psychological dysfunctions, although the latter predicts a contradictory pattern of findings; (2) insecure-avoidant attachment is more consistently linked with stress and emotional dysregulation when combined with RSA, while anxious attachment confers risk of depressive symptoms when combined with SCL. We concluded our discussion of the results of seven studies by outlining a plan to move the field forward. We discuss the quality of the assessment, methodological limitations, and future directions, highlighting the need to extend the research to clinical samples. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Attachment and Developmental Psychopathology)

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