This study examined attachment pattern change of partner violent men over the course of 17 weeks of integrated cognitive-behavioral/psychodynamic group treatment. Results indicated a significant increase in the number of men reporting a secure attachment from pre- to posttreatment. Subsequent analysis indicated that secure-changed men reported significant increases in comfort with closeness and depending on others from pre- to posttreatment. From pre- to posttreatment, insecure and secure-unchanged men reported an increase in avoidance of closeness. Additionally, secure-changed men reported lower anxiety and depression than insecure men at posttreatment. Finally, the total sample reported significant reductions in partner violence from pre to posttreatment. Based on these results, it would be important for clinicians and researchers to distinguish between men who changed to a secure attachment pattern over the course of treatment and securely attached men who remained unchanged. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved).

No abstract

Vagal flexibility is a parasympathetic physiological indicator of emotion regulation and social engagement behaviors, often measured via heart rate variability (HRV). Experiential avoidance reflects psychological inflexibility or emotion dysregulation. We tested the influences of parental vagal flexibility and experiential avoidance on observed emotion-related parenting behaviors among combat deployed fathers. We analyzed data from 92 male National Guard/Reserve members who had been deployed to Iraq and/or Afghanistan since 2001 and recently returned. They were mostly White, in their 30s, middle-class, and married. All fathers participated in home-based assessments with their spouses (if married) and a target child aged between 4-13 years. Emotion-related parenting behaviors were observed during family interaction tasks using a macro-level coding system and quantified into four categories: positive engagement, withdrawal avoidance, reactivity coercion, and distress avoidance. Fathers’ vagal flexibility was measured as the change in cardiac vagal tone (i.e., high frequency HRV) from a neutral reading task to a father-child conflict resolution task. Experiential avoidance was self-reported. Results of multiple regression analysis showed no significant main effects of vagal flexibility on any observed parenting measures. There were significant moderation effects of experiential avoidance by vagal flexibility: among fathers with poorer vagal flexibility, a stronger relationship was found between experiential avoidance and emotion-related parenting behaviors (positive engagement and withdrawal avoidance), whereas among fathers with higher vagal flexibility, no such relationship was shown. These findings have implications for the linkage between emotion regulation and parenting in military fathers.

No abstract