The longitudinal and concurrent relationship between caregiver sensitivity and preschool attachment: A systematic review and meta-analysis

O'Neill, Monica C; Badovinac, Shaylea; Riddell, Rebecca Pillai; Bureau, Jean‐François; Rumeo, Carla; Costa, Stéfano

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0245061

Cited by 16 publications

(19 citation statements)

References 60 publications

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“…It was used since the children were of late preschool and early school age. The validity of this procedure for classifying attachment behavior in preschool and early school age children has been repeatedly demonstrated (Moss et al, 2004 ; Groh et al, 2012 ; Badovinac et al, 2018 , 2021 ; O'Neill et al, 2021 ).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 93%

“…In preschool and school-aged children, secure (B), avoidant (A), ambivalent (C), disorganized-controlling (Dcont) (caregiving-type and punitive type) and behaviorally disorganized (BehD) attachment patterns have been identified (Main and Cassidy, 1988 ; Cassidy et al, 1992 ). Studies linking these attachment patterns to parental psychological wellbeing, parental sensitivity, and child outcomes have been the object of recent systematic reviews and meta-analyses (Badovinac et al, 2018 , 2021 ; O'Neill et al, 2021 ). According to attachment theory, when caregivers are sensitive, warm, predictable, responsive, and accessible, children are more likely to develop a secure attachment (B) to their caregiver (Bowlby, 1969/1982 ; Ainsworth et al, 1978 ).…”

Section: Attachment Iu and Gadmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Childhood behavioral inhibition and attachment: Links to generalized anxiety disorder in young adulthood

Zdebik

Pascuzzo²,

Bureau³

et al. 2022

Front. Psychol.

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Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) is under-treated yet prevalent among young adults. Identifying early risk factors for GAD would contribute to its etiological model and identify potential targets for intervention. Insecure attachment patterns, specifically ambivalent and disorganized, have long been proposed as childhood risk factors for GAD. Similarly, childhood behavioral inhibition has been consistently associated with anxiety disorders in adulthood, including GAD. Intolerance of uncertainty (IU), the tendency to react negatively to uncertain situations, has also been shown to be a crucial component of GAD. Furthermore, maternal anxiety is an important feature of developmental models of anxiety including GAD. Yet, to date, no study has examined, within a comprehensive model, how attachment and behavioral inhibition in childhood, maternal anxiety in adolescence, and IU in emerging adulthood contribute to GAD in adulthood. The present study thus examines these links using a longitudinal design with 62 Canadian participants and their mothers. At age 6, participants' attachment and behavioral inhibition were assessed observationally. Maternal anxiety was measured when participants were 14 years of age. IU and GAD were assessed when participants were 21 and 23 years of age, respectively. Structural equation modeling showed that IU mediates the relationships between behavioral inhibition and GAD, while controlling for maternal anxiety. Ambivalent and disorganized-controlling attachment patterns are also indirectly associated with increased GAD symptoms via greater IU scores. Furthermore, a direct and positive effect of behaviorally disorganized attachment was found on GAD symptoms. This longitudinal study supports integrating attachment, behavioral inhibition, and IU in a model of GAD.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 93%

Section: Attachment Iu and Gadmentioning

confidence: 99%

Childhood behavioral inhibition and attachment: Links to generalized anxiety disorder in young adulthood

Zdebik

Pascuzzo²,

Bureau³

et al. 2022

Front. Psychol.

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…Finally, although the value of parental sensitivity and family mental health has been well established among clinicians and researchers (O’Neill et al ., 2021 ; Foster, O’Brien & Korhonen, 2011), their understanding within the triadic dynamic has been less studied (Barrows, 2004 ; Favez et al ., 2006; Sweeney & MacBeth, 2016). Thus, our study highlights the relevance of developing clinical screening and interventions that consider the mother-father- child triad in a dynamic way where every partner makes a significant contribution to family interactions (Favez, et al ., 2011 ; Favez, Frascarolo & Tissot, 2017 ; Fosco & Grych, 2013 ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Family dynamics. An exploration of parental sensitivity and depressive symptoms among mothers and fathers of toddlers

Muzard

Olhaberry

Immel

et al. 2021

RES PSYCHOTHER-PSYCH

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In studies of maternal sensitivity, the influence of mothers’ depressive symptomatology has been consistently highlighted. Additionally, the relevance of both maternal and paternal sensitive responses to children’s development has been recognized. However, literature regarding the dynamics of the mother-father-toddler triad is scarce. This is particularly true when understanding how parental sensitivity may be bidirectionally shaped by both parents’ (i.e., mothers’ and fathers’ depressive symptomatology) and children’s characteristics (i.e., age). Hence, the present study aims to describe and analyse the associations between parental depression, paternal sensitivity and children’s socioemotional difficulties and age with mothers’ sensitive responses to highlight the appropriateness of considering fathers’ depressive symptoms and sensitivity to better understand the impact of maternal depressive symptomatology on mothers’ sensitivity. The participants included 80 Chilean mother-father-child triads in which all children were between 1 and 3 years of age and presented some degree of socioemotional difficulty. The results reveal no differences in maternal and paternal sensitivity or higher depressive symptomatology in mothers than in fathers. Additionally, while mothers’ depression was significantly associated with their sensitivity, this was not the case for fathers. Paternal depressive symptomatology was associated with the mother’s depression. Finally, paternal sensitivity emerged as a mediator between maternal depressive symptoms and sensitivity. This result calls attention to the use of paternal variables to understand how maternal depression impacts mothers’ sensitivity and to thus develop appropriate interventions that expand the scope of such impacts from the dyad to the triad.

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“…Several empirical studies have found that maternal sensitivity (i.e., mothers who can sensitively identify children's emotional and behavioral characteristics and respond promptly and appropriately) could predict the formation of children's secure attachment (see O'Neill et al, 2021 for a review). In addition, a meta‐analysis study showed that the mother's ability to perceive the infant's internal states (commonly referred to as mentalization) also positively predicted mother–infant attachment security (Zeegers et al, 2017).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The effect of maternal empathy on infants’ attachment security: Moderation by maternal emotion regulation and infant temperament

Cheng

Ruan

et al. 2023

PsyCh Journal

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This study examined the relationship between maternal empathy and infants’ attachment security and tested the moderating effects of maternal emotion regulation and infant negative emotional temperament. Participants were sampled from 215 families whose infants were 6 months old (T1) and from 170 families of the same cohort whose infants were 14 months old (T2). At T1, mothers were measured for their empathy (empathic concern and perspective taking), emotion regulation (reappraisal and suppression), and infant negative emotional temperament (sadness, falling reactivity, fear, and distress to limitations). At T2, mothers were again measured for their emotion regulation, and infant attachment was measured using the Strange Situation Procedure. Maternal empathic concern (EC) and perspective taking (PT) were found to be positively related to infant attachment security, while maternal reappraisal and infant temperamental sadness moderated the relationship between maternal PT and infant attachment security. No significant moderation effects were found between maternal EC and infant attachment security. Simple slope results showed that for infants with higher maternal reappraisal or infant sadness, maternal PT could positively predict infant attachment security. These findings highlight the importance of how the individual characteristics of mothers and infants may interact with maternal empathy during the critical period of infant attachment formation.

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The longitudinal and concurrent relationship between caregiver sensitivity and preschool attachment: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Cited by 16 publications

References 60 publications

Childhood behavioral inhibition and attachment: Links to generalized anxiety disorder in young adulthood

Childhood behavioral inhibition and attachment: Links to generalized anxiety disorder in young adulthood

Family dynamics. An exploration of parental sensitivity and depressive symptoms among mothers and fathers of toddlers

The effect of maternal empathy on infants’ attachment security: Moderation by maternal emotion regulation and infant temperament

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