Objective. Early mother–infant relationships in preterm populations were evaluated in the context of a systematic review of the literature. Design and setting. A systematic search of three electronic ...databases (PsychINFO, PubMed and Cochrane Library) was undertaken. Three studies of maternal attachment, 18 studies of mother–preterm infant interaction and eight studies of infant attachment were included. Studies of preterm infant attachment were also evaluated using a meta‐analysis. Results. Studies of mother–preterm infant interactions showed that the differences in maternal interaction behavior between mothers of preterm infants and mothers of full‐term infants seem to be most evident during the first six months of life. Differences in the preterm infant's interaction behavior seem also to continue for six months after birth. However, five of 18 studies showed an equal or even higher quality of mother–infant interaction in groups of preterm compared to groups of full‐term infants. Studies of maternal and infant attachment indicated that preterm infants and their mothers are not at higher risk of insecure attachment than full‐term infants and their mothers. Conclusions. The mother–preterm infant relationship is complex, and some relational patterns forecast greater psychological risk than others. It is important to decrease maternal stress and early separation in every possible way during hospitalization as well as after discharge.
There is evidence for the relevance of attachment style and anger expression for the manifestation of social anxiety disorder (SAD).
In a cross-sectional study 321 individuals with social anxiety ...disorder (41% men, age 38.8 ± 13.9) were compared with 94 healthy controls (37% men, age 35.8 ± 15.1) on several questionnaires (Attachment Styles Questionnaire, State Trait Anger Inventory, Social Phobia Inventory, Beck Depression Inventory).
Individuals with SAD showed moderate-sized reduced levels of secure and large-sized increased levels of fearful and preoccupied attachment style compared to healthy controls (all p < 0.001) as well as small-sized increased levels of trait anger (p = 0.03) and moderate-sized increased levels of anger-in (p < 0.001). Attachment style and anger regulation could predict 21% (R
= 0.21, p < 0.001) of the extent of social anxiety (SPIN) in SAD; secure (β = - 0.196, p < 0.01) and preoccupied attachment style (β = 0.117, p < 0.05), as well as anger-in (β = 0.199, p < 0.01) were significant cross-sectional predictors. Further analysis revealed that the relationship between preoccupied attachment and social anxiety is partially mediated by anger-in.
Study findings confirm the relevance of preoccupied attachment style and anger suppression for social anxiety. Disentangling the role of anger regulation in early attachment patterns has significant therapeutic implications in SAD.
Highlights • We examined effects of multiple-dose intranasal oxytocin (OT) on attachment. • State and Trait attachment were assessed before and after two-week OT administration. • OT treatment ...decreased attachment avoidance and increased attachment toward peers. • Participants with less secure peer attachment showed most pronounced OT effects. • OT treatment was also associated with changes in mood
In light of the roles of oxytocin (OT) in social bonding and interpersonal relationship, studies have examined the roles of OT in human attachment, but by and large previous findings are ...inconsistent. Here, we conducted - meta-analyses to estimate the associations between peripheral OT level (e.g., blood and salivary OT) and attachment (i.e., attachment dimensions and behaviors of attachment insecurity) and examine the effects of intranasal OT administration on behaviors of attachment insecurity. The analyses indicated that: (1) Peripheral OT level was not significantly associated with attachment dimensions (e.g., attachment anxiety and attachment avoidance) and behaviors of attachment insecurity; (2) intranasal OT administration significantly reduced behaviors of attachment insecurity of neutral contexts, particularly behaviors of attachment avoidance. The findings suggest that intranasal OT administration is an available approach for reducing behaviors of attachment insecurity of interpersonal situations with ambiguous social cues, which implicates suggestions for therapeutic treatments of attachment-related dysfunctions.
•Peripheral OT level is not associated with attachment dimensions.•Peripheral OT level is not associated with behaviors of attachment insecurity.•Intranasal OT administration significantly reduces behaviors of attachment avoidance.
Previous studies have emphasized the effect of insecurity attachment on youth's Internet and smartphone addiction. In this study, we examine the mediating role of alexithymia, impulsivity, and ...general psychological distress in the relationship between insecure attachment dimensions and technology addiction. Data were collected from 539 adolescents and young adults, mostly women (
= 378; 70.1 percent), aged 19.76 ± 1.99 years. Participants completed self-report measures of attachment insecurity, psychological risk factors (i.e., impulsivity, psychological distress, and alexithymia), and technology addiction (i.e., problematic Internet use, smartphone, and Internet addiction). The gender-related (i.e., multi-group) mediation model was tested through a path analysis with both observed and latent variables. Attachment anxiety had no direct effect on technology addiction, whereas attachment avoidance had a small negative direct effect, but only among women. Insecure attachment dimensions were significantly associated with psychological risk factors, whereas the latter had a significant, direct association with technology addiction. Psychological risk factors significantly mediated the association between insecure attachment dimensions and technology addiction. Finally, the tested model was gender-invariant. Findings suggest that insecure attachment dimensions have an indirect effect on the development of technology addiction mediated almost entirely by higher levels of psychological risk factors. Such findings might have relevant implications to inform any treatment plan for young adults who are overinvolved with technology activities and so to deliver patient-tailored interventions.
Hammen (1991) provided evidence for a stress generation process in which individuals with a history of depression contributed to the occurrence of stressors, especially interpersonal and conflict ...events. However, few studies have examined the factors contributing to stress generation. This study examines aspects of individuals' interpersonal style, operationalized as attachment, dependency, and reassurance seeking, as predictors of conflict stress generation within romantic relationships. These effects were examined both prospectively over a 4-week period and cross-sectionally using a 14-day daily diary in a sample of female college students. Overall, there was significant evidence that interpersonal style contributes to the occurrence of interpersonal stressors. Specifically, anxious attachment and reassurance seeking prospectively predicted romantic conflict stress over a 4-week period, and a variety of interpersonal behaviors were associated with romantic conflict stressors on a daily basis. These results are interpreted in relation to previous literature, and limitations and directions for future research are discussed.
to provide a principle-based analysis of the concept of maternal–infant bonding.
principle-based method of concept analysis for which the data set included 44 articles published in the last decade ...from Pubmed, CINAHL, and PyschINFO/PsychARTICLES.
literature inclusion criteria were English language, articles published in the last decade, peer-reviewed journal articles and commentary on published work, and human populations.
after a brief review of the history of maternal–infant bonding, a principle-based concept analysis was completed to examine the state of the science with regard to this concept. The concept was critically examined according to the clarity of definition (epistemological principle), applicability of the concept (pragmatic principle), consistency in use and meaning (linguistic principle), and differentiation of the concept from related concepts (logical principle). Analysis of the concept revealed: (1) Maternal–infant bonding describes maternal feelings and emotions towards her infant. Evidence that the concept encompasses behavioural or biological components was limited. (2) The concept is clearly operationalised in the affective domain. (3) Maternal–infant bonding is linguistically confused with attachment, although the boundaries between the concepts are clearly delineated.
despite widespread use of the concept, maternal–infant bonding is at times superficially developed and subject to confusion with related concepts. Concept clarification is warranted. A theoretical definition of the concept of maternal–infant bonding was developed to aid in the clarification, but more research is necessary to further clarify and advance the concept.
nurse midwives and other practitioners should use the theoretical definition of maternal–infant bonding as a preliminary guide to identification and understanding of the concept in clinical practice.
Anthropomorphism is the tendency to treat non-human items as if they were human. Children 3–5 years (N = 139) were tested on their anthropomorphism of two favorite toys from home, with both explicit ...judgments (e.g., think, feel happy) and behavioral interactions (e.g., resource distributions). Parents reported on their child’s object attachments and anthropomorphizing behaviors at home. Children anthropomorphized objects with faces more than those without. Parents also reported that children attached to a toy with a face engaged in more anthropomorphism in their behaviors at home than those without. On the lab-based task battery, attachment status did not predict overall levels of anthropomorphism, although differences did emerge in the predicted direction on a small number of tasks, for both face and no-face attachment objects. The results of this exploratory study are discussed with regard to the diverse nature of anthropomorphism in childhood, and the role of context in eliciting this perspective.
•Examined preschoolers’ anthropomorphism of owned objects, with diverse measures.•Children anthropomorphized objects with faces more than those without.•Somewhat more anthropomorphism for attachment objects, specially in parent reports.•Anthropomorphism in childhood varies substantially across tasks and contexts.
In clinically referred children, boys and those with disorganized mother–child attachments tend to show the most maladaptive externalizing trajectories; however, additional research is necessary to ...test whether these findings hold in a community sample. Therefore, 235 community children (106 boys) were followed from ages 6 to 15 years across six time points. Multiple-group linear growth curves with mother–child attachment as a time-invariant covariate were fit to the data to explore externalizing trajectories for boys and girls. Results showed that boys had higher initial externalizing levels than girls, and children generally experienced a decline in symptoms over time. No significant trajectory differences were found for girls, and boys with different attachment classifications did not differ on their initial externalizing levels; however, boys with avoidant attachments (with resistant attachments trending) experienced a steeper decline in externalizing symptoms longitudinally. Implications for intervention and prevention are discussed.
Objective
the aim of this longitudinal study was to evaluate the impact of COVID‐19 epidemic on Eating Disorders (EDs) patients, considering the role of pre‐existing vulnerabilities.
Method
74 ...patients with Anorexia Nervosa (AN) or Bulimia Nervosa (BN) and 97 healthy controls (HCs) were evaluated before lockdown (T1) and during lockdown (T2). Patients were also evaluated at the beginning of treatment (T0). Questionnaires were collected to assess psychopathology, childhood trauma, attachment style, and COVID‐19‐related post‐traumatic symptoms.
Results
A different trend between patients and HCs was observed only for pathological eating behaviors. Patients experienced increased compensatory exercise during lockdown; BN patients also exacerbated binge eating. Lockdown interfered with treatment outcomes: the descending trend of ED‐specific psychopathology was interrupted during the epidemic in BN patients. Previously remitted patients showed re‐exacerbation of binge eating after lockdown. Household arguments and fear for the safety of loved ones predicted increased symptoms during the lockdown. BN patients reported more severe COVID‐19‐related post‐traumatic symptomatology than AN and HCs, and these symptoms were predicted by childhood trauma and insecure attachment.
Discussion
COVID‐19 epidemic significantly impacted on EDs, both in terms of post‐traumatic symptomatology and interference with the recovery process. Individuals with early trauma or insecure attachment were particularly vulnerable.
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