The association of unresolved attachment status and cognitive processes in maltreated adolescents

Abstract

This exploratory investigation sought to gain a better understanding of the mental representations of attachment in maltreated adolescents, and how, if at all, unresolved attachment representations are related to cognitive processes in this population. Measures of cognitive functioning, attachment state of mind and parent ratings on attention were obtained from 38 adolescents with a history of maltreatment. Results showed that maltreated adolescents with unresolved states of mind in regard to attachment scored significantly lower on measures of cognitive processes of attention, working memory and cognitive efficiency, even when intelligence was controlled for in the analyses. KEY WORDS: attachment; child maltreatment; cognitive processes; adolescents A central premise of attachment theory is that the child's early experiences with a primary caregiver impact on the child's interpersonal relationships as well as emotional regulation across the lifespan. Bowlby (1979) predicted that early attachment experiences and the representations of those experiences affect relationships, self-esteem, and self-regulation of emotion and behaviour. Emotion-relevant regulation can be defined as 'the process of initiating, maintaining, modulating, or changing the occurrence, intensity, or duration of internal feeling states, emotion-related

The Effect of Maltreatment Type on Adolescent Executive Functioning and Inner Speech

“…DePrince et al, 2009;Kirke-Smith et al, 2014;Webster et al, 2009). The findings from this study support this literature, reflecting generally lower EF performance in all of the maltreated groups in relation to the TD group.…”

“…For children subjected to maltreatment, EF impairments have been reported in a range of investigations (e.g. Carrion, Garrett, Menon, Weems, & Reiss, 2008;DePrince, Weinzierl, & Combs, 2009;Kirke-Smith, Henry, & Messer, 2014;Webster, Hackett, & Joubert, 2009). However, to our knowledge, no studies have focused on differences according to maltreatment type during adolescence.…”

Locus of control in maltreated children: the impact of attachment and cumulative trauma

“…It is not by chance that 90 % of children victims of maltreatment develop disorganized bonds , with respect to attachment, a percentage that remains high even at an older age (Crittenden 1985;Crittenden 1992;Moss et al 2007). From other studies a high percentage of avoidant patterns has been noted (Crittenden & Ainsworth 1989), while the percentage of disorganization patterns during adolescence remains higher than those related to avoidance (Neufeld Bailey et al 2007;Webster et al 2009).…”

Unresolved Attachment Status and Trauma-Related Symptomatology in Maltreated Adolescents: An Examination of Cognitive Mediators

“…The formal scoring leads to a classification of the individual's attachment organization, consistent with the criteria outlined by Main [29]. Validation studies conducted to date have provided support for the use of the AAP as a measure of attachment organization in adolescents and adults [30][31][32][33][34].…”