Identity exploration in the dating domain: The role of attachment dimensions and parenting practices

We examined relations among perceived parenting practices (support and psychological control), attachment dimensions for romantic relationships (anxiety and avoidance) and exploration of the dating identity among actively dating adolescents in two high school aged samples. In the all female sample of Study 1 (n = 653) and the gender balanced sample of Study 2 (n = 1003), parenting practices contributed to adolescent exploration of the dating identity. Parent psychological control, but not parental support, also contributed to elevated feeling of avoidance and anxiety in romantic relationships. Avoidance, in turn, was related to less exploration of the dating identity while anxiety seemed to increase it. Gender moderated the model, with parenting practices predicting exploration only for girls and with the links for avoidance and anxiety with exploration stronger for boys than girls. Indirect effects for parenting practices through attachment dimensions on exploration of the dating identity were also noted.     

The relationship of maternal and child HIV infection to security of attachment among Ugandan infants

This study was designed to examine the relationship of maternal and child human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection to the security of attachment of Ugandan infants. The attachment patterns of two groups of Ugandan mother-infant pairs: 35 HIV-positive mothers and their infants and 25 HIV-negative mothers and their infants were compared. We tested the hypothesis that infants of HIV-positive mothers would demonstrate less secure attachment as measured by the Waters Attachment Q-set than infants of HIV-negative mothers. No differences were found in the security of attachment of infants of HIV-positive versus HIV-negative mothers. Infants of HIV-positive mothers with Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) were less securely attached than infants of mothers without AIDS. These findings underscore the relationship of infant security of attachment to maternal HIV infection in the presence of AIDS-related symptoms but not to asymptomatic maternal HIV infection.     

Predictors and consequences of developmental changes in adolescent girls' self-reported quality of attachment to their primary caregiver

In an at-risk community sample of 2101 girls, we examined trajectories, predictors, and consequences of changes in a central aspect of adolescents' perceived quality of attachment (QOA), i.e., their reported trust in the availability and supportiveness of the primary caregiver. Results demonstrated two distinct epochs of change in this aspect of girls' perceived QOA, with a significant linear decrease in early adolescence (ages 11–14) followed by a plateau from 14 to 16. Baseline parent-reported harsh punishment, low parental involvement, single parent status, and child-reported depression symptoms predicted steeper decreases in attachment during early adolescence, which in turn predicted greater child-reported depression and conduct disorder symptoms in later adolescence. Results suggest that both parent and child factors contribute to trajectories of self-reported QOA in adolescence, and a faster rate of decrease in girls' perceived QOA to caregivers during early adolescence may increase risk for both internalizing and externalizing symptoms.     

Identity and perceived peer relationship quality in emerging adulthood: The mediating role of attachment-related emotions

Identity formation and the perceived quality of one’s peer relationships are theorized to be intimately linked in emerging adulthood. The present study examined the associations between identity styles (i.e., information-oriented, normative, and diffuse-avoidant styles) and the quality of relationships with peers (as indexed by friendship quality and loneliness) in a sample of 343 college students from Belgium. High scores for the information-oriented style were positively related to friendship quality, whereas high scores for the diffuse-avoidant identity style were positively related to loneliness. These direct associations were mediated, at least in part, by attachment-related emotions (i.e., avoidance and anxiety). These associations, both direct and indirect, provide the first evidence linking identity styles and the quality of peer relationships. Suggestions for future research are provided, both at the methodological and the conceptual level.     

Infant attachment in a sample of adolescent mothers

Thirty-eight, healthy, full-term, first-born infants of adolescent mothers were assessed in a standardized laboratory setting using a modified Ainsworth Strange Situation procedure for assessing attachment. The security rate within this sample was 23.7% which differed considerably from that reported in most white middle class samples of approximately 55–65%. Within this sample, 31.6% were classified as insecure/disorganized which contrasts with 12% in middle class white samples reported by Main & Weston. A racial difference was evident. Fewer black infants were securely attached than were white. This paper presents the findings according to race, sex and age and discusses the implications.A portion of this paper was presented at the meetings of the World Association for Infant Mental Health, September 13, 1992, Chicago, IL. This research was funded in part by the Pittsburgh Child Guidance Center Foundation and the Howard Heinz Endowment.     

Contribution of attachment insecurity to health-related quality of life in depressed patients

AIM: To examine the individual contributions of insecure attachment styles and depression symptom severity to health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in patients diagnosed with adjustment disorder (AJD) with depressed mood.METHODS: Participants were 67 patients diagnosed with International Classification of Diseases, Tenth edition AJD with depressed mood, who completed standardised self-report questionnaires measuring study variables. Mean scores and SDs were computed for the outcome and predictor measures. Pearson correlations among the measures were computed. The study hypotheses were tested using analysis of variance (ANOVA) and multiple regression analyses. All analyses were performed using the SPSS-17 software package (SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL, United States).RESULTS: ANOVA showed a significant main effect of the insecure attachment styles on depression symptom severity and life satisfaction scores. The results suggest that depressive symptoms were more severe (F = 4.13, df = 2.67, P < 0.05) and life satisfaction was poorer (F = 5.69, df = 2.67, P < 0.01) in both anxious-ambivalently and avoidantly attached patients compared with their securely attached counterparts, whereas the two insecure groups did not significantly differ by these variables. The anxious/ambivalent attachment style and depression symptom severity significantly contributed to HRQoL, accounting for 21.4% and 29.7% of the total variance, respectively [R² = 0.79; Adjusted R² = 0.77; F (5, 67) = 33.68, P < 0.0001], even after controlling for gender, marital and employment status confounders.CONCLUSION: The results show that the anxious/ambivalent attachment style together with depression symptom severity substantially and independently predict the HRQoL outcome in AJD with depressed mood.     

Anger and hostility in adolescents: relationships with self-reported attachment style and perceived parental rearing styles

OBJECTIVE: To examine relationships between self-reported attachment style and parental rearing behaviors, on the one hand, and anger/hostility, on the other hand, in a sample of nonclinical adolescents (N=441). METHOD: Participants completed (a) a single-item measure of attachment style; (b) a questionnaire measuring perceptions of parental rearing behaviors; and (c) two scales assessing anger and hostility. RESULTS: Self-reported attachment style was related to anger/hostility. That is, adolescents who defined themselves as avoidantly or ambivalently attached displayed higher levels of anger/hostility than adolescents who classified themselves as securely attached. Furthermore, perceived parental rearing was also related to anger/hostility. More specifically, low levels of emotional warmth and high levels of rejection, control, and inconsistency were accompanied by high levels of anger/hostility. Finally, regression analyses showed that both attachment status and parental rearing behaviors accounted for a unique and significant proportion of the variance in anger/hostility. CONCLUSION: These findings are in keeping with the notion that family environment factors such as attachment style and parental rearing are involved in the development of anger/hostility in youths.     

基于结构方程模型探讨青少年睡眠质量与负性生活事件、应对方式的关系

目的 采用结构方程模型探讨青少年睡眠质量与负性生活事件、应对方式之间的关系,为改善青少年睡眠质量提供参考。方法 于2021年12月-2022年5月,选取重庆市3所中学767名初中生为研究对象,采用匹兹堡睡眠质量指数量表（PSQI）、青少年生活事件量表（ASLEC）和简易应对方式量表（SCSQ）评估青少年睡眠质量、负性生活事件以及应对方式。采用结构方程模型分析睡眠质量与负性生活事件、应对方式之间的关系。结果 检出存在睡眠障碍者222人（28.94%）,青少年PSQI评分与ASLEC评分、SCSQ消极应对维度评分均呈正相关（r=0.612、0.590,P均<0.01）,与积极应对维度评分呈负相关（r=-0.435,P<0.01）。构建负性生活事件、应对方式和睡眠质量关系的结构方程模型,结果显示,青少年负性生活事件对睡眠质量有直接和间接正向效应（β=0.448、0.322,P<0.05）,积极应对对睡眠质量有直接负向效应（β=-0.368,P<0.05）,消极应对对睡眠质量有直接正向效应（β=0.442,P<0.05）。结论 负性生活事件和消极应对对青少年睡眠质...     

Developmental changes and gender differences in adolescents' perceptions of friendships

This five-wave study aims to investigate the development of adolescents' perceptions of support, negative interaction, and power in best friendships from ages 12 to 20 years. Furthermore, gender differences and linkages between the three dimensions are explored. A total of 593 early adolescents (53.6% boys) and 337 middle adolescents (43.3% boys) participated. A multigroup multivariate accelerated growth curve showed an increase of support for both boys and girls. Negative interaction was found to temporarily increase and then decrease for boys, while remaining stable for girls. Power temporarily increased for boys and decreased for girls. Results indicated that (1) friendships become more supportive during adolescence, (2) power issues are more prominent in friendships of boys and more powerful peers are perceived as more supportive by boys but not by girls, and (3) friendships of boys show a lagged development towards more equality.     

Parent attachment,school commitment,and problem behavior trajectories of diverse adolescents

The purpose of this study was to examine the growth trajectories from early to late adolescence of teacher ratings of students' behavior problems from 9th through 11th grade and student self-reports of alcohol use in a sample of predominately minority adolescents (n = 179, 90% African-American and/or Hispanic, 43% boys, 57% girls) in a large, urban school district. The study investigated whether parent attachment, school commitment, gender, race/ethnicity, and educational placement influenced these outcomes. Multi-level growth modeling was the primary statistical procedure used. Results indicated that increased parent attachment was associated with reduced levels of alcohol use and school commitment was not associated with growth trajectories of problem behavior in the multilevel models, although gender, race/ethnicity and special education placement were significant predictors. Our findings suggest that teachers perceive greater levels of behavior problems for minority students and youth in special education. Student self reports also indicate adolescent frequency of alcohol use increases over time.     

Fear of intimacy in women: relationship between attachment styles and depressive symptoms

BACKGROUND: Preoccupied and fearful attachment have both been associated with depressive symptoms, but it is unclear which attachment style is primarily associated with major depression. While preoccupied attachment denotes a focus on relationships as a source of self-validation, fearful attachment involves an avoidance of relationships for fear of rejection. Present research aims to investigate the relative influence of fearful and preoccupied attachments on self-reported depressive symptoms within both a student and a clinical sample and to examine these associations separately for male and female participants. SAMPLING AND METHODS: All participants completed the Relationship Questionnaire and the Beck Depression Inventory. Study 1 assessed attachment ratings and self-reported severity of depression for 71 patients diagnosed with major depression. Study 2 similarly assessed 245 university students, and study 3 compared attachment ratings of the two samples. RESULTS: Both Pearson correlations and partial correlations were examined for both samples. Fearful attachment was associated with self-reported depression severity for females with depression, but attachment styles were unrelated to depression severity for males with depression (study 1). For female university students, both fearful and preoccupied attachment styles were significantly related to depression severity, but again there were no associations for male university students when partial correlations were utilised (study 2). Study 3 revealed significantly higher levels of fearful attachment for women with depression compared with female university students and no significant differences for males overall. CONCLUSIONS: For females, the avoidance of intimacy for fear of rejection was associated with a broad spectrum of depressive symptoms. Results highlight gender differences in depressive experiences, and have implications for research into the effects of fearful attachment on social support and the therapeutic alliance. Limitations to this study include the reliance on self-report measures of attachment and depression severity, the small number of male participants in the clinical sample, and the use of a cross-sectional rather than longitudinal design.     

The relationship of attachment insecurity to subjective stress and autonomic function during standardized acute stress in healthy adults

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to test predicted relationships between adult attachment and stress using subjective and physiological measures. METHODS: Sixty-seven healthy adults completed measures of adult attachment and perceived chronic stress. Subjective stress and the high-frequency (HF) and low-frequency (LF) spectral bandwidths of heart rate variability (HRV) were measured during a standardized stress protocol. RESULTS: Attachment anxiety is associated with between-subject differences in chronic perceived stress (P=.001) and subjective acute stress (P=.01). There is a main effect of attachment avoidance on between-subject differences in HF HRV (P=.004). Attachment avoidance is inversely associated with HF HRV, independent of age and variability in respiration. CONCLUSION: Attachment anxiety is associated with self-reported distress. Attachment avoidance is inversely associated with HF HRV, a marker of vagal influence on cardiac activity, but is not associated with subjective stress.     

The impact of attachment insecurity and sleep disturbance on symptoms and sick days in hospital-based health-care workers

Objective

Adult attachment insecurity is associated with many health outcomes and may be associated with sleep disturbance. The purpose of this study was to test the hypothesis that sleep disturbance mediates the relationship between attachment insecurity and three measures of health (perceived general health, physical symptoms and sick days) in a group that is at high risk of sleep disturbance: hospital based health-care workers.

Methods

One hundred thirty-one nondepressed female hospital workers completed self-report measures of adult attachment, sleep disturbance, depressive symptoms (excluding sleep-related items) and health outcomes. The hypothesis of mediation was tested with sequential regression analyses.

Results

Both attachment anxiety and attachment avoidance were significantly associated with impairment in global sleep quality (ρ=.20 and .19, respectively, P<.05) and physical symptoms (ρ=.21 and .19, P<.05). Attachment anxiety was also associated with depressive symptoms (ρ=.33, P<.001) and sick days (ρ=.21, P<.05). For both physical symptoms and sick days, mediation analyses were consistent with global sleep quality acting as a partial mediator of the relationship between attachment anxiety and physical health. Non-sleep-related depressive symptoms were a stronger mediator.

Conclusions

This study corroborates evidence that attachment insecurity is associated with sleep disturbance and extends this association to the occurrence of physical symptoms and time off work due to sickness among workers in a high-stress occupation.     

Development and validation of a quality of relationship intervention for stroke survivor-family caregiver dyads

ABSTRACT

Background

The relationship between stroke survivors and family caregivers is critical for the well-being of both dyad members. Currently, there are few interventions targeted at dyads and focused on strengthening the relationship between survivors and family caregivers.     

What I like about you: the association between adolescent attachment security and emotional behavior in a relationship promoting context

Because the ability to flexibly experience and appropriately express emotions across a range of developmentally relevant contexts is crucial to adaptive functioning, we examined how adolescent attachment security may be related to more functional emotional behavior during a relationship promoting interaction task. Data were collected from 74 early adolescent girls (Mean age 13.45 years; SD = 0.68; 89% Caucasian) and their primary caregiver. Results indicated that, regardless of the parent’s interaction behavior and the level of stress in the parent–adolescent relationship, greater adolescent security was associated with more positive and less negative behavioral displays, including greater positivity, greater coherence of verbal content and affect, less embarrassment, and less emotional dysregulation in response to a situational demand for establishing intimacy with the parent. Implications for encouraging and fostering adolescents’ capacity to respond to interpersonal contexts in ways that promote the relationship are discussed.     

社交焦虑障碍成人依恋类型及其家庭环境的研究

目的:分析社交焦虑障碍(SAD)患者的成人依恋类型及其家庭环境的关系。方法:以SAD患者40例为研究组,建立配对正常对照组40名,采用成人依恋量表(AAS)及家庭环境量表中文版(FES-CV)进行评估。结果:SAD组与正常对照组相比,在成人依恋安全和不安全型分布上差异有统计学意义(t=15.429,P0.01);SAD组在FES-CV中亲密度、情感表达、矛盾性、知识性及娱乐性等因子与正常对照组相比差异有统计学意义,SAD组患者的成人依恋不安全型与其家庭的亲密度、情感表达、矛盾性、知识性、娱乐性有关。结论:SAD的成人依恋类型以不安全型为主,与其不良家庭环境有关。     

The role of early attachment and parental presence in adolescent behavioral and neurobiological regulation

Early attachment shapes brain development underlying emotion regulation. Given that sensitivity to affective cues is heightened during adolescence and effective emotion regulation strategies continue to develop, it is imperative to examine the role of early attachment and parental influence on adolescent regulation. Fifty-one children (M age=32.61 months) participated in a modified Strange Situation with their mother and approximately 10 years later (M age =13.2 years) completed an fMRI scan during which they were presented with appetitive and aversive affective cues (images of adolescent interactions) during a Go-Nogo task. They completed the task alone and in the presence of a parent. Behavioral multilevel models and whole-brain analyses showed attachment-related patterns, such that affective cues elicited greater behavioral and neural dysregulation in insecure (versus secure) adolescents.Furthermore, parental presence buffered behavioral and neural dysregulation toward socially aversive cues for adolescents with early insecure attachment, underscoring the salience of caregivers across development in promoting regulation in their offspring     

大学生生活事件、应对方式和睡眠质量的关系

目的 探讨生活事件、应对方式与大学生睡眠质量的关系,为学校心理健康教育及临床治疗提供依据.方法 采取整群随机抽样方法,抽取某师范院校大学生180名(均为住校生)为研究对象,采用匹兹堡睡眠质量指教(PSQI)、青少年生活事件量表(ASLEC)及简易应对方式问卷对大学生进行测量.结果 (1)大学生睡眠问题检出率为17.2％;(2)大学生的生活事件与睡眠质量呈显著正相关(r=0.320,P＜0.01);消极应对方式与睡眠质量呈显著正相关(r=0.247,P＜0.01).PSQI总分高低分组在生活事件及消极应对方式使用上均存在显著差异;(3)生活事件对睡眠质量有显著预测作用,消极应对方式在社交焦虑对睡眠质量的预测中起部分中介作用.积极应对方式没有中介效应.结论 生活事件对大学生睡眠质量有显著预测作用,消极应对方式具有显著中介作用.     

普遍信任在女性青少年抑郁症患者依恋与抑郁之间的中介作用

背景 女性青少年比男性青少年的抑郁症患病率更高且症状更重。青少年的普遍信任水平与抑郁症状严重程度相关,且依恋与普遍信任水平相关。故本研究基于普遍信任在依恋与抑郁之间的中介作用,探寻女性青少年抑郁症的发病机制。目的 探讨女性青少年抑郁症患者普遍信任在父亲、母亲、同伴依恋与抑郁之间的中介作用,为改善女性青少年抑郁症患者的抑郁症状提供参考。方法 纳入2022年3月-10月在杭州市第七人民医院门诊及住院部治疗的符合《国际疾病分类（第10版）》（ICD-10）抑郁症诊断标准的女性青少年患者73例,采用修订版青少年依恋问卷（IPPA-R）、普遍信任量表（IGTS）和儿童抑郁量表（CDI）进行调查。使用Pearson相关分析探讨各量表评分的相关性。使用Bootstrap法检验普遍信任在依恋与抑郁之间的中介作用。结果 ①女性青少年抑郁症患者CDI评分与IPPA-R中的父亲、母亲、同伴依恋三个分量表评分均呈负相关（r=-0.463、-0.459、-0.447,P均<0.01）;IGTS评分与IPPA-R中的父亲、母亲、同伴依恋三个分量表评分均呈正相关（r=0.372、0.318、0.395,P均<0.01）;IGTS评分与CDI评分呈负相关（r=-0.531,P<0.01）。②中介效应检验显示,女性青少年抑郁症患者父亲、母亲、同伴依恋与抑郁水平的直接效应显著（效应值=-0.138、-0.136、-0.107,95% CI：-0.236~-0.039、-0.242~-0.029、-0.203~-0.012）。③普遍信任在父亲、母亲、同伴依恋与抑郁水平之间的中介效应显著（效应值=-0.069、-0.066、-0.071;95% CI：-0.127~-0.021、-0.137~-0.010、-0.145~-0.018）。结论 父亲、母亲、同伴依恋可以直接影响女性青少年抑郁症患者的抑郁水平,也可以通过普遍信任间接影响抑郁水平。