No abstract

A number of studies have examined the role of coparenting relationships on the development of children's attachment to their mothers and fathers. However, previous research tends to interpret this link as unidirectional, thereby ignoring the possibility that, in reverse, child-parent attachment relationships could also predict the quality of the coparenting relationship. Furthermore, there is limited work examining how the child-father and the child-mother attachment relationships may interact to predict coparenting. In response to these limitations, the current study drew from an integrative family systems framework and observational measures to examine these possible relations in biparental heterosexual families. To assess child-parent attachment security, 144 preschool-aged children (83 girls; M ϭ 46.89 months, SD ϭ 8.77) completed independent separation-reunion procedures with their mother and father during counterbalanced laboratory visits. During a subsequent home visit, parents engaged in triadic play with their child, from which coparenting cooperation and competition were evaluated. Results showed that child-mother and child-father attachment security were not independent predictors of coparenting; rather, their interaction significantly predicted the quality of the coparenting relationship. In line with theoretical models calling for a family systems approach, study findings highlight the importance of considering the interactive effects of child-father and child-mother attachment relationships when examining family dynamics. Public Significance StatementThe current study suggests that the interaction between children's attachment security toward their father and mother is a more important predictor of the quality of the coparenting relationship than is either individual child-parent attachment relationship. On a broader level, these results show the need to consider the interplay between the child-father and the child-mother relationship when assessing family dynamics. At a more specific level, we also show that there is lower cooperation and higher competition when child-mother security is high but child-father security is low, whereas there is higher cooperation and lower competition when both child-parent attachment relationships present high levels of security. These results suggest that when mothers are successful in fostering a secure attachment relationship, whereas fathers are not, the coparenting relationship may suffer as a result of increased competition and decreased cooperation between parents. As such, assuming positive family dynamics based on the examination of one relationship in isolation might be short-sighted.

Limited research exists on the impact of psychopathy within romantic relationships. We examined mental and physical health consequences reported by intimate partners of individuals with psychopathic traits. Additionally, we explored whether psychopathy severity and coping impacted the severity of posttraumatic stress disorder and depression symptoms. Four hundred fifty-seven former and current intimate partners of individuals with psychopathic traits were recruited from online support groups. Victims reported a variety of abusive experiences and various negative symptomatology involving emotional, biological, behavioral, cognitive, and interpersonal consequences. Psychopathy severity and maladaptive coping were significantly related to increased PTSD and depression, while adaptive coping was only related to decreased depression. Regression analyses revealed that experiencing many forms of victimization predicted increased PTSD and depression symptoms. Examining the specific consequences experienced by intimate partners of individuals with psychopathic traits can aid the development of individualized treatment interventions aimed at symptom mitigation, recovery, and prevention of future victimization.

This study examined profiles of specific emotion deficits, including poor emotion awareness, reluctance to express emotion, sadness inhibition and dysregulation, and anger inhibition and dysregulation. Self-report questionnaires assessed adolescents' emotion skills and nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) engagement, frequency, severity, methods, and age of onset. Latent profile analysis yielded a three-profile solution: Low Deficit (LD; n = 49), Unaware/Anger Dysregulated (UAD; n = 24), and Anger Inhibited (AI; n = 20) profiles. Adolescents in the UAD profile were more likely to engage in NSSI, displayed a higher NSSI frequency, and reported a higher number of NSSI methods when compared to adolescents in the LD profile. No links emerged for NSSI severity or age of onset.

Background: Numerous years of theory and research have informed our understanding of the caregiving experiences that confer vulnerability for dissociation. This work has resulted in widespread agreement on the role of childhood maltreatment as an aetiological factor. Objective: With clear integration of this perspective, the current paper draws attention to the spectrum of vulnerability that can exist over and above the trauma of maltreatment within early caregiving experiences. Method: An integrative review of the developmental literature on dissociation is presented. Results: We first review and integrate existing developmental theories of dissociation into a more unified perspective, highlighting a combination of defensive and intersubjective pathways towards dissociative outcomes. Next, we present empirical research demonstrating which specific caregiving experiences are associated with dissociation. Lastly, we review recent neurodevelopmental research demonstrating that (non-extreme) caregiving stressors during infancy impact the developing limbic structures in the brain. We conclude by offering directions for future research. Conclusion: Findings make the case for approaching assessments of the caregiver-child relationship with discernment of factors beyond the presence/absence of maltreatment when conceptualizing risk pathways toward dissociation. Perspectivas basadas en apego y desarrollo sobre la disociación: más allá de los efectos del maltrato Antecedentes: Varios años de teoría, investigación y avances clínicos sustentan nuestra comprensión de experiencias particulares en el cuidado temprano que confieren vulnerabilidad para la disociación. Este trabajo ha dado lugar a un acuerdo generalizado sobre el papel del maltrato infantil como un factor etiológico. Objetivo: Con una clara integración de esta perspectiva, el presente artículo enfatiza el espectro de vulnerabilidad que puede existir más allá del trauma que constituye el maltrato dentro de las experiencias de cuidado tempranas. Método: Se presenta una revisión integradora de la literatura del desarrollo sobre la disociación. Resultados: Primero, revisamos e integramos las teorías del desarrollo existentes sobre la disociación en una perspectiva más unificada, resaltando una combinación de vías defensivas e intersubjetivas que resultan en disociación. Luego, presentamos una investigación empírica que demuestra qué experiencias específicas en el cuidado temprano están asociadas con la disociación. Finalmente, revisamos una investigación reciente en neurodesarrollo que demuestra que los estresores (no extremos) durante el cuidado en lainfancia impactan el desarrollo de las estructuras límbicas del cerebro. Conclusión: Los hallazgos justifican abordar las evaluaciones de la relación cuidador-niño con el discernimiento de factores más allá de la presencia/ausencia de maltrato al conceptualizar las vías de riesgo de disociación.