Adult attachment representations and the quality of romantic and parent–child relationships: An examination of the contributions of coherence of discourse and secure base script knowledge.

Abstract

Attachment theory suggests that early experiences with caregivers are carried forward across development in the form of mental representations of attachment experiences. Researchers have investigated at least two representation-based constructs when studying attachment and successful adaptation in adulthood: (1) coherence of autobiographical discourse/memories and (2) knowledge of the secure base script. Here we present data examining the unique contributions of coherent discourse regarding childhood caregiving experience and secure base script knowledge in a prospective high-risk longitudinal study, the Minnesota Longitudinal Study of Risk and Adaptation (MLSRA). The current study included three indicators of the quality of romantic relationships: (1) observed quality of interaction with romantic partners, (2) self-reported relationship satisfaction, and (3) interview-rated effectiveness of romantic engagement. Parent-child relationship quality was also assessed across three key outcomes: (1) infant attachment security, (2) observations of supportive parenting, and (3) interview-rated supportive parenting. When examining both attachment representations simultaneously, each representation-based construct was uniquely associated with different relationship quality indices. Specifically, secure base script knowledge was uniquely associated with infant attachment security in the next generation, and coherence of discourse was uniquely associated with observations of romantic relationships quality and interview-rated supportive parenting.

Maternal sensitivity during the first 3½ years of life predicts electrophysiological responding to and cognitive appraisals of infant crying at midlife.

“…Specifically, adults who experienced greater maternal sensitivity during childhood also had better awareness of cognitive scripts regarding caregivers’ potential availability as a responsive provider of comfort in response to a child’s distress (i.e., secure base script knowledge; Waters et al, 2017). More awareness of these cognitive scripts is also associated with greater parenting competence in adulthood (Waters, Raby, Ruiz, Martin, & Roisman, under review). Viewed together, these findings highlight the need to identify physiological responses and cognitive processes that may explain the enduring predictive significance of early caregiving experiences on adult social development.…”

Increasing secure base script knowledge among parents with Attachment and Biobehavioral Catch-up

“…In addition, adults’ knowledge of the secure base script has its origins, at least in part, in childhood experiences with parents (Nivison et al, 2020; Schoenmaker et al, 2015; Steele et al, 2014; Waters, Ruiz, & Roisman, 2017) and appears to guide adults’ behavior when interacting with their own children. Specifically, parents’ secure base script knowledge is associated with the degree to which they interact with their young children in a sensitive manner (Bárrig-Jó et al, 2016; Coppola et al, 2006; Hawkins et al, 2015; Huth-Bocks, Muzik, Beeghly, Earls, & Stacks, 2014; Trumbell, Hibel, Mercado, & Posada, 2018; Waters, Raby, Ruiz, Martin, & Roisman, 2018). Consistent with these findings, parents’ knowledge of the secure base script is also positively associated with the likelihood that their children develop secure attachment representations, as assessed through observations of children's attachment behaviors or narrative-based assessments (Bost et al, 2006; Monteiro, Veríssimo, Vaughn, Santos, & Bost, 2008; Vaughn et al, 2007; Veríssimo & Salvaterra, 2006; Waters, Bosman, Vandevivere, Dujardin, & Waters, 2015; Waters et al, 2018; Wong et al, 2011).…”

Assessing Representations of Close Relationships Among Chinese and Japanese Adolescents and Young Adults: Commonalities and Differences in the Two Confucian Cultures

“…Social network theory posits that human beings, throughout their life span, have relationships with concurrent multiple significant others, including parents, siblings, peers, romantic partners, and others (Antonucci, Birditt, & Ajrouch, ; Ciarrochi, Morin, Sahdra, Litalien, & Parker, ; Lewis & Takahashi, ; Padilla‐Walker, Dyer, Yorgason, Fraser, & Coyne, ). The theory is proposed to complement the dyadic paradigm of close relationships, in which attachment theory typically insists that the quality of the first attachment relationship between an infant and her/his primary caregiver is generalized and/or transferred to a new pair‐bond with a close friend or a romantic partner in adolescence and adulthood (Bowlby, ; Feeney, Cassidy, & Ramos‐Marcuse, ; Ratto, Doyle, & Markiewicz, ; Waters, Raby, Ruiz, & Roisman, ).…”