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OBJECTIVES: Eating disorders (EDs) typically emerge during adolescence. Parental bonding has a lasting impact on a childs mental health during those developmentally critical years. There remains uncertainty over whether parental bonding is a risk factor for developing or maintaining specifically EDs or, rather, general psychopathology and the associated underlying brain function. METHODS: Forty-one young adult healthy control individuals (HC, 26.6 ± 3.5 years) and 46 individuals with EDs (25 with anorexia nervosa, AN, 22.8 ± 6.4 years, and 21 with bulimia nervosa, BN, 23.5 ± 4.2 years) completed the parental bonding instrument (PBI), assessments for anxiety, depression, and ED behaviors, and underwent a conditioning paradigm during brain imaging. RESULTS: In both groups, perceived parental care and overprotection were correlated with state and trait anxiety and interpersonal alienation, and in HC only, with body dissatisfaction and drive for thinness. Individuals with an ED reported lower self-perceived parental care, but higher overprotection compared to the HC group. Nucleus accumbens (NAc) response was related to bonding measures in both groups and right NAc response mediated the relationship between maternal care and trait anxiety in HC. CONCLUSIONS: Perceived parental bonding is associated with general psychopathology, including elevated anxiety and interpersonal difficulties across HC and ED groups. Lower perceived parental care and higher overprotection could predispose healthy individuals to develop problems with body shape or weight; however, other, maybe biological factors may determine whether a person will develop an ED. The link between perceived parental bonding, NAc valence processing and anxiety implicates dopaminergic circuits that should be studied further. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level III: Case-control analytic study.

Numerous consumers engage in wasteful and unsustainable consumption despite knowing it is associated with several personal, social, economic, and environmental harms. To aid consumers in reducing consumption, we created Breaking up with Belongings (BB), a fully automated web-based intervention with a downloadable workbook. Eligible participants were recruited using social media ads. They were Australian residents, aged 18 or older, fluent in English, had consistent computer and internet access, and reported having excess possessions and/or having difficulty making intentional decisions about possessions. We assessed the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary efficacy of this intervention compared to a waitlist (WL) control in a 3-month, parallel, two-arm pilot randomized controlled trial. Over three weeks, 171 individuals screened for this study; 96 were eligible and randomized to condition (48 BB group, 48 WL group). Three-quarters of participants provided follow-up data and accessed the program. The BB group found the program acceptable and outperformed the WL group on two primary outcomes (cautious shopping and clutter removal) and on all secondary outcomes (impulsive buying, expenditure, hoarding tendencies, clutter-related impairment, object attachment, and emotion regulation). These findings will be used to enhance the program's effectiveness and broader applicability, which will be tested through a larger randomized controlled trial. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

OBJECTIVE: Individual differences in attachment insecurity can have important implications for experiences of positive emotions. However, existing research on the link between attachment insecurity and positive emotional experiences has typically used a composite measure of positive emotions, overlooking the potential importance of differentiating discrete emotions. METHOD: We conducted a meta-analysis of 10 cross-sectional samples (N = 3215), examining how attachment insecurity is associated with self-reported frequency of experiencing positive emotions, with a distinction made between more social (i.e., love and gratitude) and less social (i.e., peace and awe or curiosity) positive emotions. RESULTS: High (vs. low) levels of both attachment anxiety and avoidance were associated with less frequent experience of positive emotions regardless of their social relevance. When analyzing each emotion separately, we found that attachment anxiety showed negative relations to all emotions except gratitude. Attachment avoidance was negatively associated with all emotions, and the link was even stronger with love (vs. peace, awe, or curiosity). Additional analyses of daily diary data revealed that attachment anxiety and avoidance were also negatively associated with daily experiences of positive emotions, regardless of social relevance. CONCLUSION: Our results underscore the need to further investigate the mechanisms underlying insecure individuals blunted positive emotional experiences.

Singlehood, defined as not being in a romantic relationship, is becoming increasingly common worldwide. Despite this, research on singlehood has not received remotely equivalent research attention as romantic relationships. Well-being research that has explicitly included singles has focused on whether coupled versus single people are more satisfied with their lives. However, these between-group comparisons have not attended to within-group variability among singles that can point to when and for whom singlehood is associated with thriving. In this review, we document findings from the emerging field of singlehood studies to highlight what is and is not known about factors that are associated with the well-being of single individuals from a within-group perspective. Our review examines (a) intrapersonal factors (characteristics of the individual), (b) interpersonal experiences (qualities of ones social relationships and experiences), and (c) societal influences (features related to ones broader social or cultural context) related to well-being in singlehood. We conclude by offering future directions for the conceptualization of and research on singlehood with the goal of promoting a thorough and inclusive perspective.

Attachment theory suggests that strong object attachment in hoarding disorder (HD) may be due to an attempt at compensating for unmet relatedness needs. We tested this compensatory process with an online experiment and hypothesized that reducing loneliness among participants with high hoarding symptoms would result in lower object attachment, and that change in loneliness would mediate the impact of an online loneliness intervention on object attachment. A pretest-posttest control group design was used. Participants were 298 MTurk workers pre-screened for high hoarding symptoms recruited via cloudresearch.com. At Time 1, participants completed measures of hoarding severity, loneliness, and four aspects of object attachment: overall object attachment to possessions, insecure object attachment, attachment to an old cherished item, and attachment to a novel item. We randomly assigned participants to either a loneliness intervention (n = 142) or an active control (a health education program; n = 156). All participants completed follow-up questionnaires after two weeks. We conducted ANCOVAs to assess for group differences at Time 2 whilst controlling for Time 1 variables. Results showed small but significant improvements in loneliness, thwarted belongingness, and object attachment for the novel item for participants who received the loneliness intervention relative to control participants. Mediational analyses revealed that the change in loneliness mediated the effect of the intervention on insecure object attachment. Consistent with attachment theory, these results indicate that reducing loneliness might lead to lower object attachment in hoarding disorder. Trials with clinical participants using more intensive loneliness interventions are warranted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Women have less interaction with the fetus in unplanned pregnancies. This study aimed to determine the effect of an antenatal training program on maternal-fetal attachment in unplanned pregnancies. Methods: This single-blind clinical trial was performed in the north of Iran in 2019. By simple randomization, 76 mothers with unplanned pregnancies were allocated to the intervention and control groups. Mothers in the intervention group attended three sessions (90 minutes per session) of training based on interaction with the fetus in small groups. The control group only received routine care. Data collection instruments included a demographics checklist, London Measure of Unplanned Pregnancy, and Cranley’s Maternal-Fetal Attachment scale. Descriptive statistics, Chi-square, Fisher’s Exact test, t-test, analysis of covariance, and multivariate analysis of variance were used for data analysis. Results: The mean difference of maternal-fetal attachment before and after training was 3.41±2.08 (P=0.112) in the intervention group and 3.96±2.17 (P=0.078) in the control group. However, the differences between and within groups were not significant. The differences in the subscales of attachment with the fetus were not also significant between the groups after the intervention. Although the post-intervention attachment score for unwanted pregnancy was lower than mistimed pregnancy in the intervention (mean difference: 14±3.61) and control groups (mean difference: 3.70±1.87), it was not significantly different based on the type of pregnancy between the groups. Conclusion: Maternal-fetal attachment training did not boost interaction with the fetus in mothers with unplanned pregnancies; thus, deeper psychological interventions are needed.

Attachment begins in the early years of life, is linked to human development, attachment assessment requires the use of reliable instruments. Objective: to present the internal structure of the Brazilian Adult Attachment Scale. Internal structure was assessed via exploratory (EFA) and confirmatory (CFA) factor analysis with participants of both sexes from the general population (n = 808). The scale presented good adjustment indexes for 4 factors, explaining 48,89% of the variance (EFA / CFA: RMSEA = 0.0357 / RMSEA = 0.065; CFI = 0.925; TLI = 0.918 / CFI = 0.920; TLI = 0.914). The final version presented 34 items and its factors demonstrated good reliability indexes: secure α = 0.84; fearful α = 0.88; preoccupied α = 0.89; dismissing α = 0.83. Ebrapeg-A 34 presents itself as a relevant tool for psychologists working in clinical and mental health contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since its inception more than 50 years ago, attachment theory has become one of the most influential viewpoints in the behavioral sciences. What have we learned during this period about its fundamental questions? In this paper, we summarize the conclusions of an inquiry into this question involving more than 75 researchers. Each responded to one of nine "fundamental questions" in attachment theory. The questions concerned what constitutes an attachment relationship, how to measure the security of attachment, the nature and functioning of internal working models, stability and change in attachment security, the legacy of early attachment relationships, attachment and culture, responses to separation and loss, how attachment-based interventions work, and how attachment theory informs systems and services for children and families. Their responses revealed important areas of theoretical consensus but also surprising diversity on key questions, and significant areas of remaining inquiry. We discuss central challenges for the future.

We describe research results on the implication of company pets in socio-emotional aspects in young university students from La Araucanía, Chile. We used a qualitative research method from a descriptive approach; eight university students participated. The main results reveal the construction of an affective bond with the pet based on a reciprocal relationship, which promotes the development of empathy and positively affects academic training. In addition, the existence of emotions that affect their state of mind is revealed. We discuss the influence of the human-pet relationship on the socio-emotional development of university students from the attachment theory lens. We conclude that the human-pet relationship has effects in different areas of life of university students, psychologically, emotionally, socially and economically, which affects integral development and socio-emotional well-being. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Increasingly, attachment representations are being assessed via secure base script knowledge - the degree to which individuals show awareness of the temporal-causal schema that summarizes the basic features of seeking and receiving effective support from caregivers during times of need. Limited research has assessed the links between secure base script knowledge and aspects of adult functioning and the role that secure base script knowledge may play in accounting for associations between early caregiving quality and adulthood functioning. We used follow-up assessments of the NICHD Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development cohort (N = 585) to examine whether secure base script knowledge at age 18 years: (a) is associated with later romantic relationship quality, depressive symptoms, and body mass index (BMI) at age 26 years, and (b) mediates expected associations between the quality of maternal and paternal sensitivity across the first 15 years of life and age-26 outcomes. More access to, and elaborated knowledge of the secure base script predicted less extreme hostility with romantic partners, and better emotional and physical health. Moreover, secure base script knowledge mediated the links between early maternal and paternal sensitivity and both later romantic partner hostility and depressive symptoms, but not BMI.

Background: Smart device overdependence adversely affects the overall development of preschool children. This study aimed to provide an emotion coaching group programme to mothers raising preschool children who are overly dependent on smart devices and to confirm the programme's effectiveness. Methods: This concurrent embedded mixed methods study used a non-equivalent control group pre-post design to verify the quantitative effect of the programme, and a descriptive research design to verify the qualitative effect. The study collected data from June 2019 to March 2021 from 51 (25 experimental, 26 control) mothers raising children aged 3–6 years in South Korea. The quantitative study examined the effects of an eight-session programme, conducted once a week for two hours, on mothers' emotional intelligence, parenting behaviour, and their children's attachment stability and smart device overdependence using a non-equivalent control group pre-post design. The analysis used a generalized estimate equation. For qualitative research, focus group interviews were used as a descriptive research design method, and content analysis was used for analysis. Results: Quantitatively, the results showed significant differences between the experimental and control groups in terms of changes in maternal emotional intelligence (χ2 = 14.99, p =.001), maternal positive parenting behaviour (χ2 = 9.32, p =.009), children's unstable attachment to their mothers (χ2 = 9.49, p =.009), and children's overdependence on smart devices (χ2 = 14.48, p =.001). Qualitatively, the study derived five themes for the experiences of mothers who participated in the programme: "hope for desirable parenting without emotional difficulties," "feelings touched by reflection," "warm but authoritative parenting," "children who became responsible by gaining psychological stability," and "changed view of my home." Conclusions: The emotion coaching group programme was effective in improving the emotional intelligence and parenting behaviour of mothers raising preschool children. The programme also improved preschool children's attachment stability to their mothers and overdependence on smart devices. The programme can be useful in community practice, and the present study can be used as evidence for education and research related to device overdependence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study aimed to: 1) Assess if Attachment dimensions can be predictive of early maladaptive schemas (EIDs); 2) Analyze the relationship between Attachment style and EIDs; 3) Access the relationship between activation of EIDs and the variables "living alone", "with parents" or "with peers". Sixty university students of both sexes aged between 18 and 26 years participated. A cross-sectional method of data collection was used, with the application of instruments for evaluating attaachment schemes and styles. The data analysis had a quantitative approach. It was identified that students with secure attachment styles present fewer activated EIDs and that attachment dimensions are able to predict the activation of schemas in the first domain. Still, there are statistical differences regarding the activation of the EIDs when comparing the variables living alone and with a partner. The importance of secure attachment for lower activation of EIDs in university students is discussed, as well as its implications. Also, the importance of the close support network at this time of development is emphasized. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Extreme object attachment in adults can form as a way to compensate for a lack of interpersonal attachment or as a symptom of hoarding disorder; however, normative levels of object attachment also exist across the lifespan. Although the importance of secure interpersonal attachment as a protective factor for older adults has been well established, research into object attachment in older adults is still a nascent field. As individuals age, they inevitably experience a series of cognitive, emotional, and physical changes that may influence their attachment to objects. Life events may impact the way that we view our possessions, particularly over time. Given individual differences, multiple pathways may affect normative object attachment as we age.

Attachment insecurity is determined early in life, is a risk factor for psychopathology, and can be measured on two separate continuous dimensions: attachment anxiety and attachment avoidance. Therapeutic changes toward more secure attachment correlate with reduction in psychiatric symptoms. Psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy has demonstrated promise in the treatment of psychopathology, such as treatment-resistant depression and substance use disorders. We hypothesized that psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy would reduce attachment anxiety and attachment avoidance, thus increasing attachment security. We also hypothesized that baseline measures of attachment insecurity, which can reflect a diminished capacity for trust and exploration, would inform the quality of the psilocybin session. Participants were male long-term AIDS survivors with moderate-severe demoralization (n = 18). Using the Experiences in Close Relationships scale, we measured attachment insecurity at baseline as well as immediately, and 3 months, after completion of a brief group therapy course, which included a single midtreatment open-label psilocybin session conducted individually. Clinically important aspects of the psilocybin session were assessed using the revised Mystical Experience Questionnaire and the Challenging Experience Questionnaire the day following psilocybin administration. Self-reported ratings of attachment anxiety decreased significantly from baseline to 3-months post-intervention, t(16) = -2.2; p = 0.045; d rm = 0.45; 95% CI 0.01, 0.87. Attachment avoidance did not change significantly. Baseline attachment anxiety was strongly correlated with psilocybin-occasioned mystical-type experiences, r(15) = 0.53, p = 0.029, and baseline attachment avoidance was strongly correlated with psilocybin-related challenging experiences, r(16) = 0.62, p = 0.006. These findings have important implications for the general treatment of psychopathology as well as optimizing psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy as a broadly applicable treatment modality.

S U M M A R Y: Purpose: The study aimed to translate the Paternal Postnatal Attachment Scale (PPAS) into Korean and to evaluate the validity and reliability of the Korean version of the PPAS (K-PPAS). Methods: The PPAS was translated, back-translated, and reviewed by 12 experts and 5 fathers following the World Health Organization's guideline. A convenience sample of 396 fathers with infants in their first 12 months participated in this study. For construct validity, an underlying factor structure and model fit was assessed with an exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis. Convergent and discriminant validity and reliability of the K-PPAS were evaluated. Results: The construct validity of the K-PPAS with 11 items was identified by two-factor structures: healthy attachment relationship, and patience and tolerance. The final model fit was shown acceptable with the normed chi-square = 1.94, comparative fit index = .94, Tucker–Lewis index = .92, root mean square error of approximation = .07, and standardized root mean square residual = .06. This model had acceptable convergent and discriminant validity for each construct with the values of the composite reliability and heterotrait–monotrait ratio at a satisfactory level. Discriminant validity with known groups showed that fathers with no postnatal depression had significantly higher scores on the K-PPAS than those with postnatal depression. Cronbach's α and McDonald's omega coefficient of the K-PPAS was .84 and .83. Conclusions: The K-PPAS would be beneficial to measure postnatal attachment among fathers with infants aged 12 months or younger in Korea. However, further studies are suggested to evaluate the applicability of the scale considering the various family structures, such as single or foster parents and multicultural families that exist within the Korean population.

Abstract Background As with the increasing prevalence of loneliness among college students, it seems necessary to investigate the early grounds of its formation. Therefore, the present study was conducted to examine the relationship between attachment styles and loneliness through the mediating role of early maladaptive schemas (EMS). Methods This research was correlational, of structural equations modeling (SEM) type. The statistical population included all the college students of the universities of Kermanshah in the academic year 2020–2021, of whom 338 were selected using convenience sampling. The measures used in this study included DiTomasso et al.’s social and emotional loneliness of adults, Hazan and Shaver’s adult attachment, and Young’s schema scales. For data analysis, Pearson’s correlation coefficient and SEM were used in Lisrel 8.8 and SPSS-22 software. Results The results illustrated that the hypothesized model of the study has a good fit in the studied sample. It was also found that both the avoidant and ambivalent attachment styles are related to loneliness through two EMS of disconnection-rejection and other-directedness. Conclusions Based on the findings, measures are recommended to increase information regarding the basic and underlying factors affecting loneliness for therapists and psychological specialists.

Abstract Background The mother-infant relationship is complex and dynamic, informing the psychological development of the infant through bonding and attachment. Positive early interactions influence the quality of this relationship. Midwives are well placed to support the developing relationship between the mother and baby, yet there has been limited research exploring the role of the midwife in this context. Aim To explore interventions that have been provided by the midwife which support the development of the maternal-fetal or mother-infant relationship amongst a low-risk population from pregnancy, and up to six weeks postnatal. The review also sought to understand the types of interventions developed, format and delivery, outcomes measured and if cultural considerations had been incorporated. Methods A scoping review of the research literature was undertaken using the Joanna Briggs Institute framework. Five online databases were searched for relevant articles published in English from 2000 to 2021. Findings Sixteen articles met the inclusion criteria. Three themes emerged: (1) viewing the fetus as separate from the mother, (2) focused activities on the maternal-infant relationship and (3) targeted educational interventions. Discussion Providing focused activities and targeted education during the pre and postnatal periods support the development of the mother-infant relationship. Significantly, there was insufficient research that considered the influence of culture in supporting the mother-infant relationship. Conclusion Further research is required to develop interventions that include a diverse sample to ensure culturally appropriate activities can be integrated into care during pregnancy and/or the postnatal period provided by midwives.

ObjectivesHaving friends in old age is linked to higher levels of happiness and life satisfaction. Yet, we know little about older adults' emotional experiences when they encounter friends throughout the day. This study examined whether older adults reported (a) more pleasantness, (b) fewer conversations about stressful experiences, and (c) better mood when they had contact with friends compared to when they had contact with other social partners or were alone throughout the day. We also examined whether these experiences varied by the friendship closeness.MethodAdults aged 65+ (n = 313) from the Daily Experiences and Well-being Study provided background information and listed and described their close social partners. Participants then completed ecological momentary assessment (EMA) surveys every 3 hr for 5 to 6 days where they reported their encounters with social partners, rated the pleasantness and indicated whether they discussed stressful issues during these encounters, and rated positive and negative mood.ResultsMultilevel models revealed that encounters with friends were more pleasant and were associated with fewer discussions about stressful experiences compared to encounters with romantic partners or family members throughout the day. Encounters with friends were also associated with better mood, though this link only held for encounters with friends who were not considered close.DiscussionFindings are discussed in terms of functionalist theory, socioemotional selectivity theory, relationship ambivalence, and the benefits of less close ties. This work facilitates the understanding of how daily contact with friends can promote older adults' emotional well-being.

OBJECTIVE:Neonates with seizures have a high risk of mortality and neurological morbidity. We aimed to describe the experience of parents caring for neonates with seizures. DESIGN:This prospective, observational and multicentre (Neonatal Seizure Registry) study enrolled parents of neonates with acute symptomatic seizures. At the time of hospital discharge, parents answered six open-ended response questions that targeted their experience. Responses were analysed using a conventional content analysis approach. RESULTS:144 parents completed the open-ended questions (732 total comments). Four themes were identified. Sources of strength: families valued medical team consensus, opportunities to contribute to their child's care and bonding with their infant. Uncertainty: parents reported three primary types of uncertainty, all of which caused distress: (1) the daily uncertainty of the intensive care experience; (2) concerns about their child's uncertain future and (3) lack of consensus between members of the medical team. Adapting family life: parents described the many ways in which they anticipated their infant's condition would lead to adaptations in their family life, including adjusting their family's lifestyle, parenting approach and routine. Many parents described financial and work challenges due to caring for a child with medical needs. Emotional and physical toll: parents reported experiencing anxiety, fear, stress, helplessness and loss of sleep. CONCLUSIONS:Parents of neonates with seizures face challenges as they adapt to and find meaning in their role as a parent of a child with medical needs. Future interventions should target facilitating parent involvement in clinical and developmental care, improving team consensus and reducing the burden associated with prognostic uncertainty.

This article examines early childhood antecedents of adults' political orientation. Using longitudinal data from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development, we investigate associations between parenting beliefs and behaviors, child temperament, and attachment security during early childhood in relation to adult political ideology and party affiliation at age 26 years (N = 1,364). Young children's fearful temperament and anxious attachment security, as well as mothers' authoritarian parenting beliefs in early childhood, predicted conservative political orientations at age 26. Children's abilities to focus attention and avoidant attachment security predicted liberal orientations. These findings provide evidence that multiple aspects of early developmental experience-temperament, parenting, and infant-mother attachment-are associated with later political orientations. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).

This study evaluated methods for training community-based clinicians to deliver a mentalization-based parenting intervention in an addiction treatment setting. Mothering from the Inside Out (MIO) targets psychological deficits associated with early stages of addiction recovery by fostering improvement in parental reflective functioning, the capacity to make sense of strong emotions in oneself and the child. Fifteen addiction counselors were randomized to training in MIO versus a Parent Education comparison, and completed eight training sessions and a clinically-supervised 12-session training case. As predicted, MIO and PE counselors demonstrated fidelity to their respective interventions during the training case. At the end of training, MIO counselors showed greater improvement than PE counselors in clinical reflective functioning, the capacity to make sense of a patients' mental and emotional experiences. Implications for training community-based counselors in evidence-based attachment interventions are explored.

Attachment theory emphasizes both the importance of the availability of caring, supportive relationship partners, beginning in infancy, for developing a sense of safety and security, and the beneficial effects of this sense of security on psychosocial functioning and physical and mental health. In this article, we briefly review basic concepts of attachment theory, focusing on the core construct of attachment security and present evidence concerning the ways in which this sense can be enhanced in adulthood. Specifically, we review findings from laboratory experiments that have momentarily enhanced the sense of attachment security and examined its effects on emotion regulation, psychological functioning, and prosocial behavior. We then review empirical findings and ideas concerning security enhancement by actual relationship partners, non-human symbolic figures, and societal systems in a wide variety of life domains, such as marital relationships, psychotherapy, education, health and medicine, leadership and management, group interactions, religion, law, and government.

Associations between subjective maternal bonding recalled from the first 16 years of life and current sleep indices were investigated in a clinical sample of 34 adults with major depressive disorder and 36 normal controls (n = 70) using the self-report parental bonding instrument and wrist actigraphy. Results of multiple linear regression analyses indicated that reports of maternal bonding indices were associated with several sleep indices in adulthood independent of depression status. Higher levels of maternal care were associated with greater time in bed and total sleep time. Higher levels of maternal overprotection were associated with fewer awakenings. Findings indicate that reported maternal bonding characteristics in childhood are related to objectively measured sleep characteristics in adulthood, independent of mood state.

Background: Marital trust as a fiduciary relationship is very important for ensuring the continuity of married life, and identifying its factors are critical. Female nurses are prone to marital problems due to involvement in stressful jobs with different work shifts and long working hours. Accordingly, the present study aimed to investigate the mediating role of covert aggression in relationships between attachment behaviors and marital trust in female nurses. Methods: This correlational study was conducted using structural equation modeling (SEM) from March to June 2021. The statistical population consisted of all married female nurses (aged 25-55 years) working in hospitals in Shiraz City, Iran. Of whom, 310 were selected as the sample through two-stage cluster random sampling. The research instruments included the Trust in Close Relationships scale, the brief accessibility, responsiveness, and engagement (BARE) scale, and the couples relational aggression and victimization scale (CRAViS). The proposed model was evaluated by SEM, and indirect relationships were examined using the Bootstrap method in AMOS-24. The significance level was considered to be 0.05. Results: The results showed that both indirect paths of dimensions of attachment behaviors and a marital trust, mediated by covert aggression (destruction of social image and emotional withdrawal), were statistically significant (P

A growing literature associates the neuropeptides oxytocin (OT) and arginine vasopressin (AVP) with affiliative and cognitive outcomes. The majority of this work in humans, however, considers these neuropeptides separately. Also, despite evidence that OT and AVP interact with gonadal hormones, still warranted is an examination of sex and age variations in endogenous neuropeptide levels, their interrelations, and their functional relationships with attachment and cognition in humans. This study measured endogenous plasma OT and AVP levels in generally healthy young (18-31 years) and older (63-81 years) men and women to (i) determine levels of and interrelations between OT and AVP; (ii) explore functional relationships with self-reported attachment (attachment anxiety and avoidance) and performance-based cognition (processing speed, verbal memory); and (iii) identify variations in these effects by sex and age. We observed sex- and age-differential patterns of results: Women had higher plasma OT levels than men and older adults had higher plasma AVP levels than young adults. The two neuropeptides were highly negatively intercorrelated across all groups. Functionally, higher AVP levels were associated with greater attachment anxiety and higher OT and lower AVP levels were associated with faster sensorimotor processing speed, with sex and age moderating these effects. This integrated approach identifies variations in endogenous peripheral neuropeptide levels in humans, supporting their sex- and age-specific role as "difference makers" in attachment and cognition.

ObjectiveWomen exposed to childhood maltreatment (CM) are more likely to exhibit insensitive parenting, which may have consequences for their offspring's development. Variation in the oxytocin-receptor gene (OXTR) moderates risk of CM-associated long-term sequelae associated with mother-child attachment, although functionality of previously investigated single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) remained elusive. Here, we investigated the role of OXTR rs237895, a brain tissue expression quantitative trait locus (eQTL), as a moderator of the relationship between CM and maternal behavior (MB) and the association between MB and offspring attachment security.MethodOf 110 women with information on rs237895 genotype (T-allele = 64, CC = 46), 107 had information on CM (CTQ) and 99 on standardized observer-based ratings of MB at 6 months postpartum (responsivity and detachment), which were used in principal component analysis to obtain a latent factor representing MB. Offspring (n = 86) attachment was evaluated at 12 months of age. Analyses predicting MB were adjusted for socioeconomic status, age, postpartum depression, and genotype-based ethnicity. Analyses predicting child attachment were adjusted for infant sex, socioeconomic status, and postpartum depression.Resultsrs237895 significantly moderated the relationship between CM and MB (F1;66 = 7.99, p < .01), indicating that CM was associated with maternal insensitivity only in high-OXTR-expressing T-allele carriers but not in low-OXTR-expressing CC homozygotes. Moreover, maternal insensitivity predicted offspring insecure attachment (B = -0.551; p < .05).ConclusionWomen with a high OXTR expressing genotype are more susceptible to CM-related impairments in MB that, in turn, predict attachment security in their children, supporting the role of the OT system in the intergenerational transmission of risk associated with maternal CM.

Background: Family's socio-economic status may significantly influence parenting style. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the relationship between attachment styles of 7 to 12-year-old children, parenting styles, and the socio-economic status of parents. Methods: This was a cross-sectional and correlational study. The study population included 7 to 12 children who studied in elementary schools of Tehran in 2021. A sample of 95 individuals were selected by random sampling method and evaluated by questionares regarding Socio-Economic status (SE) (Ghodratnama, 2013), Parenting Style (PS) (Baumrind, 1973), Kinship Center Attachment (KCA) (Halpern and Kappenberg, 2006). The information obtained from the samples was analysed by Pearson correlation coefficient through SPSS 22 software. The level of significance was considered 5%. Results: There was a a significant correlation between the attachment styles of the children and parenting styles and the socio-economic status of parents (r= -.284, p

Consumers often experience negative emotions when confronted with a product defect. This is especially true when the product is integrated into many aspects of the consumer's life, such as the case with automotive vehicles. In this research, we draw on the consumer expectations and attachment literature to explore the impact of defect severity and product attachment, operationalized via both ownership length/usage (mileage) and the psychological construct of object attachment, on the negative emotions consumers experience. Using sentiment analysis of archived data of consumers' complaints from the Defective Product Administrative Center in China and a controlled experiment among US consumers, we find that defect severity and mileage/attachment interact in a novel curvilinear manner to influence the amount of negative emotion consumers experience. When defect severity is low, our results indicate a U‐shape relationship between mileage/attachment and negative emotions. However, when defect severity is high, an inverted U‐shaped relationship emerges. Furthermore, we link the specific emotion of anger to consumers' downstream perceptions (loyalty, quality, satisfaction, and more) of their vehicle, manufacturer, and retailer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: As with the increasing prevalence of loneliness among college students, it seems necessary to investigate the early grounds of its formation. Therefore, the present study was conducted to examine the relationship between attachment styles and loneliness through the mediating role of early maladaptive schemas (EMS). Methods: This research was correlational, of structural equations modeling (SEM) type. The statistical population included all the college students of the universities of Kermanshah in the academic year 2020–2021, of whom 338 were selected using convenience sampling. The measures used in this study included DiTomasso et al.'s social and emotional loneliness of adults, Hazan and Shaver's adult attachment, and Young's schema scales. For data analysis, Pearson's correlation coefficient and SEM were used in Lisrel 8.8 and SPSS-22 software. Results: The results illustrated that the hypothesized model of the study has a good fit in the studied sample. It was also found that both the avoidant and ambivalent attachment styles are related to loneliness through two EMS of disconnection-rejection and other-directedness. Conclusions: Based on the findings, measures are recommended to increase information regarding the basic and underlying factors affecting loneliness for therapists and psychological specialists. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The mother-infant relationship is complex and dynamic, informing the psychological development of the infant through bonding and attachment. Positive early interactions influence the quality of this relationship. Midwives are well placed to support the developing relationship between the mother and baby, yet there has been limited research exploring the role of the midwife in this context. Aim: To explore interventions that have been provided by the midwife which support the development of the maternal-fetal or mother-infant relationship amongst a low-risk population from pregnancy, and up to six weeks postnatal. The review also sought to understand the types of interventions developed, format and delivery, outcomes measured and if cultural considerations had been incorporated. Methods: A scoping review of the research literature was undertaken using the Joanna Briggs Institute framework. Five online databases were searched for relevant articles published in English from 2000 to 2021. Findings: Sixteen articles met the inclusion criteria. Three themes emerged: (1) viewing the fetus as separate from the mother, (2) focused activities on the maternal-infant relationship and (3) targeted educational interventions. Discussion: Providing focused activities and targeted education during the pre and postnatal periods support the development of the mother-infant relationship. Significantly, there was insufficient research that considered the influence of culture in supporting the mother-infant relationship. Conclusion: Further research is required to develop interventions that include a diverse sample to ensure culturally appropriate activities can be integrated into care during pregnancy and/or the postnatal period provided by midwives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Optimal maternal caregiving is critical for children's healthy development, yet quality of maternal caregiving may be influenced by a negative birth experience. We examined whether the birth experience was associated with maternal caregiving attitudes and behavior throughout the first year. We conducted secondary analysis of the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children birth cohort on perinatal data. The birth experience was assessed using self-report data on level of support in labor. Maternal caregiving variables were self-report maternal attitudes at one and eight postnatal months, and observed maternal behavior at 12 postnatal months. Data were analyzed using multivariable logistic regression models adjusting for critical covariates at one (N = 4389), eight (N = 4580), and 12 (N = 842) postnatal months. Feeling supported in labor was associated with a report of "immediately falling in love" with one's baby after birth, surveyed at 1 month (adjusted OR 1.41 [95% CI 1.20-1.65]), and with more positive parenting scores at 8 months (adjusted OR 1.56 [95% CI 1.36-1.79]), but not with more positive observed maternal behavior at 12 months. Additional risk factors were identified. Our findings suggest that we may be able to modify the risk of poor postnatal maternal caregiving by supporting women in labor and facilitating a positive birth experience.

Abnormal eye gaze is common in schizophrenia and linked to functional impairment. The hypothalamic neuropeptide oxytocin modulates visual attention to social stimuli, but its effects on eye gaze in schizophrenia are unknown. We examined visual scanning of faces in men with schizophrenia and neurotypical controls to quantify oxytocin effects on eye gaze. In a randomized, double-blind, crossover study, 33 men with schizophrenia and 39 matched controls received one dose of intranasal oxytocin (40 IU) and placebo on separate testing days. Participants viewed 20 color photographs of faces while their gaze patterns were recorded. We tested for differences in fixation time on the eyes between patients and controls as well as oxytocin effects using linear mixed-effects models. We also tested whether attachment style, symptom severity, and anti-dopaminergic medication dosage moderated oxytocin effects. In the placebo condition, patients showed reduced fixation time on the eyes compared to controls. Oxytocin was associated with an increase in fixation time among patients, but a decrease among controls. Higher attachment anxiety and greater symptom severity predicted increased fixation time on the eyes on oxytocin versus placebo. Anti-dopaminergic medication dosage and attachment avoidance did not impact response to oxytocin. Consistent with findings that oxytocin optimizes processing of social stimuli, intranasal oxytocin enhanced eye gaze in men with schizophrenia. Further work is needed to determine whether changes in eye gaze impact social cognition and functional outcomes. Both attachment anxiety and symptom severity predicted oxytocin response, highlighting the importance of examining potential moderators of oxytocin effects in future studies.

A diverse sample of 239 primarily low-income couples participated in a random controlled trial of the Supporting Father Involvement couples group intervention. In this report, we examined the value of adding measures of fathers' attachment style and parenting to mothers' measures in order to explain variations in children's behavior problems. We also tested the hypothesis that the link between intervention-induced reductions in couple conflict and reductions in anxious/harsh parenting can be explained by intervention effects on parents' attachment insecurity or on anxiety and depression. Fathers' attachment security and parenting behavior added significantly to mothers' in accounting for children's internalizing and externalizing problem behaviors. Fathers' anxious attachment style and anxiety/depression mediated the link between post-intervention reductions in parental conflict and anxious/harsh parenting. For mothers, only improvements in attachment security accounted for those links. The findings support the need for attachment researchers to consider the contributions of both parents to their children's development.

Purpose of reviewThe purpose of the following paper is to review recent literature trends and findings in hoarding disorder (HD). Our goal is to highlight recent research on etiology, associated features, and empirically based treatments.Recent findingsRecent literature has added support for cognitive differences as a risk factor for HD; however, there is evidence that individuals with HD may overestimate their level of cognitive impairment. Several associated features have been highlighted in recent studies, including emotion regulation, intolerance of uncertainty and distress intolerance, and attachment. Finally, several psychotherapeutic treatments for hoarding have been recently validated, including group-based therapy and treatments using the cognitive-behavioral model. Although recent research demonstrates that hoarding can be effectively treated with available psychotherapeutic modalities, the effectiveness of current treatments is not as robust as that for other psychiatric disorders and more work is needed in treatment precision.

ObjectiveInterpersonal dysfunction is an important marker of individual differences in personality and well-being. Existing research on interpersonal dysfunction focuses primarily on the problematic behaviors of individuals without considering how sensitivity to others' behavior impacts functioning. In this study, we test the structure and correlates of a model of relationship dysfunction that integrates the problems individuals bring to relationships with their sensitivities to others' behavior. We specifically examine the conjoint structure of interpersonal problems and sensitivities using a circumplex framework and associations between dimensions derived from this structure and personality, well-being, attachment, and response style variables.MethodWe evaluated competing measurement models and examined validity correlations of interpersonal problems and sensitivities in two samples (Study 1: N = 955; 79.2% women; Mage = 19.43; Study 2: N = 1,005; 72.1% women; Mage = 19.77).ResultsSix factors capturing general (nonspecific problems and sensitivities) and stylistic (warmth and dominance for both problems and sensitivities) variation in interpersonal dysfunction were empirically distinguishable and provided incremental information about external criteria.ConclusionsResults support problems and sensitivities as overlapping but distinct sources of information about interpersonal dysfunction, and they specifically suggest an integrative six-factor model with considerable potential for future research.

The oxytocinergic system is a primary biological system involved in regulating a child's needs for bonding and for protection from threats. It is responsive to social experiences in close relationships, though evidence across studies is not entirely consistent. Guided by previous literature, we investigated individual and environmental factors predicting and presumably affecting children's oxytocin (OT) response during mother-child interaction. by focusing on children's OXTR genotype, and maternal behavior, respectively. This was achieved by assessing salivary OT levels of 88 Portuguese preschoolers prior to and following a mother-child interaction task, and by genotyping children's OXTR SNP rs53576. Maternal interactive behavior was assessed using Ainsworth scales. Results indicated that child genotype and mother's sensitive responsiveness interacted in predicting change in child OT concentrations from before to after the interaction. Specifically, Genotypic differences emerged under conditions of low maternal sensitive responsiveness: OT levels increased over time for children with the GG genotype when maternal sensitive responsiveness was low, but no such genotypic differences were evident when mothers were highly sensitive responsive. Findings provide preliminary support for the notion that increased understanding of children's OT and close relationships requires consideration of both individual and environmental factors.

In this article, we discuss theory and research on social support and caregiving processes in adult close relationships. We first outline key theoretical principles of attachment theory and of a theoretical perspective on thriving through relationships that builds on attachment theory. We then review empirical research that has tested key theoretical postulates regarding the importance of relational support for both attachment and exploration needs. The empirical review is divided into two components that reflect the two major functions of support/caregiving in close relationships, and that reflect the two different life contexts in which relational support/care is crucial (support in adversity and support for exploration and pursuit of opportunities). We conclude by emphasizing important directions for future research.

This paper uses attachment theory as a lens for reviewing contemporary research on how adults cope with marital separation and loss. The first section of the paper discusses the process of normative attachment reorganization, or the psychology of adaptive grief responses following relationship transitions. We argue that changes two processes, in particular, can be uses to track changes in this normative reorganization process: narrative coherence and self-concept clarity. The second section of the paper suggest that individual differences in attachment anxiety and avoidance shape the variability in this normative reorganization process, largely as a result of the characteristic ways in which these styles organize emotion-regulatory tendencies. The paper closes with a series of integrative questions for future research, including a call for new studies aimed at understanding under what contexts anxiety and avoidance may be adaptive in promoting emotion recovery to separation and divorce experiences.

Individuals' social experiences are associated with their mental health, physical health, and even mortality. Over the last 30 years, researchers have examined the ways in which these social experiences might be associated with chronic inflammation - a component underlying many of the chronic diseases of aging. Little research, however, has examined the role of adults' attachment style as a specific social component that might be associated with inflammation. In the present study, we utilized data from a sample of 59 African-American adults from the Maryland Adolescent Development in Context Study (MADICS) to examine the links between attachment avoidance and attachment anxiety and C-reactive protein (CRP) and interleukin (IL)-6. After controlling for demographic characteristics, body mass index, and depressive symptoms, attachment avoidance and anxiety were associated with IL-6 but not CRP. This study adds to the growing body of research identifying the wide range of social experiences associated with inflammation and further suggests that attachment relationship experiences may have implications for biological processes relevant to many chronic diseases of aging.

BackgroundTreatment adherence and viral suppression remain suboptimal in the United States. Attachment insecurity may be one understudied factor affecting adherence. According to attachment theory, people develop generalized internal working models of interpersonal relationships, which shape their perceptions of the availability of others at times of stress and how they handle stressors as an individual. Two dimensions of attachment insecurity are attachment-related avoidance (avoidance of intimacy with others and avoidance of negative emotions) and attachment-related anxiety (feeling unable to deal with stressors without others' help). For people living with chronic stressful health conditions that require life-long self-management, attachment-related avoidance and attachment-related anxiety may diminish the ability to cope with stressors as an individual leading to negative health outcomes.MethodsWe examined cross-sectional associations of the 2 attachment-related insecurity dimensions with antiretroviral treatment (ART) adherence, HIV visit adherence, CD4 cell counts, and viral suppression. Survey and clinical data from 453 women living with HIV in 4 US cities were analyzed controlling for age, education, income, time on ART, illicit drug use, and race.ResultsAttachment-related avoidance was the only unique predictor of suboptimal ART adherence, viral failure, and low CD4 count, and attachment-related anxiety was the only unique predictor of missed HIV care visits. These effects were over and above the effects of all covariates. ART adherence mediated the association of attachment-related avoidance with both viral failure and low CD4 counts.ConclusionsInterventions may need to focus on the vulnerable subpopulation with high attachment insecurity and incorporate existing strategies that address insecure attachment models.

Background: Marital trust as a fiduciary relationship is very important for ensuring the continuity of married life, and identifying its factors are critical. Female nurses are prone to marital problems due to involvement in stressful jobs with different work shifts and long working hours. Accordingly, the present study aimed to investigate the mediating role of covert aggression in relationships between attachment behaviors and marital trust in female nurses. Methods: This correlational study was conducted using structural equation modeling (SEM) from March to June 2021. The statistical population consisted of all married female nurses (aged 25-55 years) working in hospitals in Shiraz City, Iran. Of whom, 310 were selected as the sample through two-stage cluster random sampling. The research instruments included the Trust in Close Relationships scale, the brief accessibility, responsiveness, and engagement (BARE) scale, and the couples relational aggression and victimization scale (CRAViS). The proposed model was evaluated by SEM, and indirect relationships were examined using the Bootstrap method in AMOS-24. The significance level was considered to be 0.05. Results: The results showed that both indirect paths of dimensions of attachment behaviors and a marital trust, mediated by covert aggression (destruction of social image and emotional withdrawal), were statistically significant (P<0.05). In addition, the results demonstrated a significant and direct relationship between dimensions of attachment behaviors and marital trust (P<0.01). Conclusion: The study results show the acceptable goodness of fit of the proposed model. Therefore, policymakers, family consultants, and psychiatric nurses are recommended to pay special attention to the effects of attachment behaviors and covert aggression on the marital trust of female nurses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Background As smart device overdependence among preschoolers could adversely affect their overall development, it is essential to understand the related factors of such overdependence. Mothers have a large influence on preschoolers; however,, the relationship between mothers’ emotional intelligence, negative parenting behaviour, preschoolers’ attachment instability, and smart device overdependence remain unclear. This study aims to develop and test a structural model to explain smart device overdependence among preschoolers. Methods The study collects and analyses data from January to May 2021 from 283 mothers raising children aged 3–6 years in South Korea. Questionnaires regarding mothers’ emotional intelligence and negative parenting behaviour, as well as preschoolers’ attachment instability and smart device overdependence, were used to collect data. The data were analysed by SPSS23.0 and AMOS 23.0 software and a structural equation model was constructed; p ≤ 0.05 was taken as significant. Results Mothers’ emotional intelligence had a direct negative relationship with mothers’ negative parenting behaviour (β = − 0.44) and an indirect negative relationship with preschoolers’ attachment instability (β = − 0.25) and preschoolers’ smart device overdependence (β = − 0.24). Mothers’ negative parenting behaviour had a direct positive relationship with preschoolers’ attachment instability (β = 0.56) and both direct and indirect positive relationships with preschoolers’ smart device overdependence (β = 0.55). Preschoolers’ attachment instability had a direct positive relationship with preschoolers’s smart device overdependence (β = 0.46). Conclusions Mothers’ emotional intelligence, negative parenting behaviour, and preschoolers’ attachment instability are associated with preschoolers’ vulnerability to smart device overdependence. These results are shown that more attention is needed to these variables in order to reduce preschoolers’ overdependence on smart devices. Additionally, we propose to develop and provide interventions based on these results.

Abstract Objectives: to identify factors resulting from the correlation between mother-child bonding, environment, and infant motor development (MD). Methods: a cross-sectional study was conducted with 130 mothers/guardians and their infants at risk from 3 to 12 months of age, accompanied in an outpatient clinic follow-up at a public maternity. The data were collected using a form with socioeconomic data, mother/child routine at the hospital and home environments, and three other instruments validated in Brazil: Protocolo de Avaliação do Vínculo Mãe-Filho (Mother-Child Bonding Evaluation Protocol), Affordances in the Home Environment for Motor Development – Infant Scale, and Escala Motora Infantil de Alberta (Alberta Infant Motor Scale). Pearson's chi-square test, Fisher's exact test, and a significance level of 5% was used for the correlation. Results: the data showed a predominance of preterm babies (74.5%), low-income families (86.2%), and domestic opportunities below the adequate (93.8%) for good motor development. Regarding the mother-child bonding, 60% of the mothers showed a strong bonding with their children. A total of 62.3% of the children had typical motor development. Concerning the interaction between variables, statistical significance (p˂0.05) was observed in the correlation between bonding and typical motor development. Conclusion: despite the presence of risk factors, motor development was normal in most of the babies in this study, suggesting that the mother-child bonding favored motor development even with environmental and biological adversities.

BackgroundInsecure attachment in infancy is associated with a range of later socioemotional problems; therefore, it is important to identify at-risk children so that support can be provided. However, there are currently no well-validated brief measures of infant attachment. The aim of this study is to create a brief version of the Attachment Q-Sort (AQS), one of the gold-standard measures of attachment.MethodData was used from the National Institute of Child Health and Development Study of Child Care and Youth Development (N = 1,364). The factor structure of the AQS was explored, and Item Response Theory was used to select a reduced number of items. Convergent validity of the shortened measure was assessed through associations with the Strange Situation Procedure. Correlations with sensitivity, externalising, and social competence were also examined.ResultsThe Brief Attachment Scale (BAS-16) was created consisting of two scales of eight items, relating to (a) harmonious interaction with the caregiver and (b) proximity-seeking behaviours. The BAS-16 showed comparable convergent, discriminant, and concurrent validity to the full AQS.ConclusionThis brief version of the AQS shows potential as a screening measure for insecure attachment in infancy. Further development and validation is required in separate samples.

Psychotic like experiences (PLE's) are common in the general population, particularly during adolescence, which has generated interest in how PLE's emerge, and the extent to which they reflect either risk for, or resilience to, psychosis. The "attachment-developmental-cognitive" (ADC) model is one effort to model the effect of risk factors on PLEs. The ADC model proposes attachment insecurity as an early environmental insult that can contribute to altered neurodevelopment, increasing the likelihood of PLE's and psychosis. In particular, early-life attachment disruptions may negatively impact numerous aspects of executive function (EF), including behavioral inhibition and emotion regulation. Yet despite the relationship of disrupted attachment to EF impairments, no studies have examined how these factors may combine to contribute to PLE's in adolescents. Here, we examined the relative contributions of daily-life EF and attachment difficulties (avoidance and anxiety) to PLEs in typically developing youth (N=52; ages 10-21). We found that EF deficits and high attachment insecurity both accounted for a significant proportion of the variance in PLE's, and interacted to predict PLE manifestation. Specifically, positive PLEs were predicted by greater trouble monitoring behavioral impact, less difficulty completing tasks, greater difficulty regulating emotional reactions, greater difficulty controlling impulses and higher attachment anxiety. Negative PLEs were predicted by greater difficulty in alternating attention, transitioning across situations, and regulating emotional reactions as well as higher attachment anxiety. These results are consistent with the ADC model, providing evidence that early-life attachment disruptions may impact behavioral regulation and emotional control, which together may contribute to PLEs.

Few studies have examined stability and change in attachment during adolescence. This 5-year longitudinal study (a) examined whether prototype or revisionist developmental dynamics better characterized patterns of stability and change in adolescent attachment (at T1, N = 176; Mage  = 14.0 years, SD = 0.9), (b) tested potential moderators of prototype-like attachment stability, and (c) compared attachment stability in adolescence to stability in adulthood. The results supported the prototype model, which assumes that there is a stable, enduring factor underlying stability and change in attachment. Exploratory moderation analyses revealed that family conflict, parental separation or divorce, minority status, and male sex might undermine the prototype-like stability of adolescent attachment. Stability of attachment was lower in adolescence relative to adulthood.

In this study, we replicated a rigorous test of the proposed mechanisms of change associated with Mothering from the Inside out (MIO), an evidence-based parenting therapy that aims to enhance maternal reflective functioning and mental representations of caregiving in mothers enrolled in addiction treatment and caring for young children. First, using data from 84 mothers who enrolled in our second randomized controlled trial, we examined whether therapist fidelity to core MIO treatment components predicted improvement in maternal reflective functioning and mental representations of caregiving, even after taking fidelity to non-MIO components into account. Next, we examined whether improvement in directly targeted outcomes (e.g., maternal mentalizing and mental representations of caregiving) led to improvements in the indirectly targeted outcome of maternal caregiving sensitivity, even after controlling for other plausible competing mechanisms (e.g., improvement in maternal psychiatric distress and substance use). Third, we examined whether improvement in targeted parenting outcomes (e.g., maternal mentalizing, mental representations of caregiving and caregiving sensitivity) was associated in improvement in child attachment status, even after controlling for competing mechanisms (e.g., improvement in maternal psychiatric distress and substance use). Finally, we examined whether improvement in maternal mentalizing and caregiving representations was associated with a reduction in relapse to substance use. Support was found for the first three tests of mechanisms but not the fourth. Implications for future research and intervention development are discussed.

This study tested predictions from Bowlby's attachment theory about children's memory and suggestibility. Young children (3-5years old, N=88; 76% Caucasians) and their parents took part in the Strange Situation Procedure, a moderately distressing event and "gold standard" for assessing children's attachment quality. The children were then interviewed about what occurred during the event. Children's age and attachment security scores positively predicted correct information in free recall and accuracy in answering specific questions. For children with higher (vs. lower) attachment security scores, greater distress observed during the Strange Situation Procedure predicted increased resistance to misleading suggestions. In addition, for children who displayed relatively low distress during the Strange Situation Procedure, significant age differences in memory and suggestibility emerged as expected. However, for children who displayed greater distress during the Strange Situation Procedure, younger and older children's memory performances were equivalent. Findings suggest that attachment theory provides an important framework for understanding facets of memory development with respect to attachment-related information and that distress may alter assumed age patterns in memory development.

Inhibited attachment disordered behavior (IADB) is characterized by difficulty in establishing an attachment relationship with a primary caregiver; is associated with persistent social and emotional problems; and is observed most frequently in contexts of pathological care such as institutional rearing. Here, we seek to enhance understanding of the conditions that give rise to IADB among institutionalized children by examining prior family experiences of neglect and deprivation and concurrent relational experiences at the institution. The sample is comprised of 146 children, between 36 and 78 months. IADB was assessed using a semi-structured interview administered to the child's primary caregiver. Results revealed that both pre-institutionalization experiences (e.g. parental abandonment) and current relational ones (e.g. low quality of child-caregiver relationship) predicted IADB. Findings are discussed in light of the need to promote conditions which foster the establishment and maintenance of the child's selective attachment to a caregiving figure.

Background and aims: Object attachment is the emotional bond or connection that we have with possessions. Although thought to be ubiquitous, when excessive, object attachment is presumed to contribute to compulsive buying and hoarding problems. Unfortunately, our understanding of this relationship has been limited by the constraints of existing object attachment measures. In this paper, we developed and validated a new self-report questionnaire, called the Object Attachment Security Measure (OASM). Methods: We developed an item pool based on previous measures and consultation with 24 experts in the field. After piloting, we administered this measure to a large sample (Final N = 365), along with self-report measures of hoarding, compulsive buying, and previous object attachment measures. Results: We found that the OASM distinguished between secure and insecure object attachment. Both subscales showed excellent internal consistency and test-retest reliability over a two-week period. Additionally, they demonstrated excellent convergent and divergent validity, and criterion validity with measures of hoarding and compulsive buying symptoms. We also found that insecure, but not secure object attachment, was uniquely related to hoarding and compulsive buying symptomology. Discussion and conclusion: Our findings extend theoretical models, highlighting the role of insecure object attachment. Future research in both clinical and consumer behaviour fields should utilise the OASM, as reducing insecure object attachment and potentially encouraging secure object attachment could decrease maladaptive possession use and increase sustainable consumption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]