The Chilean government commissioned a quasi-experimental study with a pre-/postintervention design that had two general aims: (a) to assess infants' psychoaffective developmental levels (pre-intervention phase) and (b) to evaluate whether an intervention based on the promotion of socioemotional development modifies the infant's psychoaffective development. Sixty-two institutionalized infants and their alternative caregivers were evaluated at a pre-intervention stage. An intervention then took place, with the caregivers trained according to an "attachment sensitivity manual." Results showed normal ranges of psychomotor development (64% normal, 9% delayed) and a very high frequency of attachment insecurity, as compared to the normative population (53%).The intervention significantly improved social orientation and object orientation as well as activity and reactivity levels. We conclude that although institutionalized infants in Chile do not exhibit high levels of atypical attachment, socioemotional deterioration may lead to vulnerability in present and future development. Finally, the scope of this study affected public policies regarding children, initiating a change to a foster family system and a variety of modifications in the strategies for adopting institutionalized infants.

ResumenUna de las actuales tendencias dentro de la Teoría del Apego consiste en la comprensión de las trayectorias desviadas en el desarrollo del vínculo, a saber, lo que se conoce como apego desorganizado (apego D). Dos décadas de investigación sobre los antecedentes y consecuentes de este tipo de apego han generado un importante acopio de conocimiento empírico y teórico. Sin embargo, en relación a los modelos etiológicos parentales que buscan explicar los procesos y mecanismos que generan que los niños desarrollen el apego D, la evidencia es contradictoria e incompleta. Dada la enorme relevancia que tiene para la elaboración de estrategias de intervención infantil poseer un conocimiento específi co y empíricamente validado sobre los procesos y mecanismos parentales predisponentes al desarrollo de la desorganización del vínculo, es que el presente artículo establece una revisión de los modelos disponibles con miras a aclarar el estado actual del conocimiento en esta temática.Palabras clave: Apego desorganizado, conductas parentales, psicopatología. AbstractOne of the actual tendencies within Attachment Theory is about the understanding of atypical trajectories in development of attachment, specifi cally referred to Disorganized Attachment (D attachment). Two decades of research about antecedents and consequents of this pattern of attachment have spawned a huge amount of empirical and theoretical knowledge. However, parental etiological models who seek to explain processes and mechanisms of D attachment have shown contradictory and incomplete evidence. Due to the important contribution that this kind of models can have for infant and child interventions, this paper seek to review existing model in order to clarify the state of the art of this important research and clinical subject.

(Rev Med Chile 2011; 139: 474-479).

The aim of this study was to develop an adapted version of the Early Adolescent Temperament Questionnaire-Revised (EATQ-R) that would be valid and reliable for assessing temperament and its components in Chileans between 12 and 18 years of age. Originally, Ellis and Rothbart (2001) developed this questionnaire (EATQ-R) to be used in North American adolescents. For the study in Chile, a translation protocol was developed, to maintain the original instrument's cultural and linguistic equivalence in the adapted version. Psychometric properties of the EATQ-R, such as factor structure, internal consistency, and convergent validity, were also assessed. The adaption and validation was carried out in two stages, with two different studies. The first study, which included 612 adolescent students from educational establishments in the cities of Santiago and Concepcion, Chile, developed the Chilean version of the 83-item EATQ-R, which has 13 dimensions, belonging to 4 theoretical factors with adequate internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha = 0.79–0.82). The second study assessed the questionnaire's convergent validity, through its application to 973 adolescent students in Santiago. Results show that the effortful control subscale was significantly inversely related to indicators of adolescent maladjustment, such as substance abuse and behavioral problems. In addition, it was directly associated with indicators of self-concept, including self-esteem and self-efficacy. The opposite pattern was observed when considering negative affect. These findings coincide with current knowledge on the relationship between temperament and adjustment in adolescents.