No abstract

Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR). a controversial treatment suggested for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and other conditions, was evaluated in a meta-analysis of 34 studies that examined EMDR with a variety of populations and measures. Process and outcome measures were examined separately, and EMDR showed an effect on both when compared with no treatment and with therapies not using exposure to anxiety-provoking stimuli and in pre-post EMDR comparisons. However, no significant effect was found when EMDR was compared with other exposure techniques. No incremental effect of eye movements was noted when EMDR was compared with the same procedure without them. R. J. DeRubeis and P. Crits-Christoph (1998) noted that EMDR is a potentially effective treatment for noncombat PTSD, but studies that examined such patient groups did not give clear support to this. In sum. EMDR appears to be no more effective than other exposure techniques, and evidence suggests that the eye movements integral to the treatment, and to its name, are unnecessary.

Stability of adult attachment and transmission of attachment across 3 generations were examined in a longitudinal study of 96 infants, mothers, and maternal grandmothers. The Adult Attachment Interview (AAI) was used to assess attachment in mothers (during pregnancy and when infants were 11 months old) and grandmothers (any time during the study). The Strange Situation (SS) was used to assess attachment in infants at 12 months. Both the 3- and 4-category classification systems of the AAI and SS were used. Mothers' AAI classifications were stable over 12 months in 90% (3-category) and 77% (4-category) of mothers. Mothers' AAI classifications during pregnancy predicted infants' SS classifications in 81% (3-category) and 68% (4-category) of cases, and grandmothers' AAI classifications in 75% (3-category) and 49% (4-category) of cases. Using log-linear analysis, we show that a simple parent-to-child model accounts for transmission of attachment.

No abstract

The stability and predictive validity of classifications of mothers' representations of their infants as determined by the Working Model of the Child Interview (WMCI) were examined. Concordance between mothers' representations of their infants assessed prenatally and again one year later and infant Strange Situation (SS) attachment classifications at 12 months was also examined. WMCI classifications were stable over 12 months in 80% of mothers, compared to 51% expected by chance alone. Pregnancy WMCIs predicted infant SS classifications in 74% of cases, compared to 54% expected by chance. Concordance between 11-month WMCI and 12-months SS classifications was 73% (vs. 55% expected by chance). Problems with the skewed distribution of the sample, the low concordance between pregnancy and 11 months for one of the three classifications, and future directions for research are discussed.