Attachment representations in 6-year-olds: Related longitudinally to the quality of attachment in infancy and mothers' attachment representations

Abstract

A new method to assess attachment representations in children by applying a story completion procedure in doll play (SCPDP) is presented. Transmission and continuity of attachment were tested in 28 German families by using the Strange Situation procedure (SS) with the mother and her infant, the Adult Attachment Interview (AAI) with the mother when the child is 5 years old, and the attachment representations (SCPDP) of the 6-year-olds. Relying on the twofold distinction (secure/insecure), results revealed a significant continuity of attachment from 1 to 6 years of age, and a correspondence between maternal AAI and child's attachment quality in SS, as well as a correspondence between maternal AAI and the 6-year-olds' attachment representations. Using configural frequency analysis, we found continuity in patterns of security and insecurity when looking across the measures of infant and pre-school attachment and maternal adult attachment. Processes underlying the high match of mothers' and children's attachment representations are discussed.

Bindungsqualität bei sehr kleinen Frühgeborenen (< 1500 g) und ihren Müttern

“…Durch die Untersuchungen zur intergenerationalen Transmission von Bindungsqualität konnte in mehreren Studien empirisch belegt werden, dass eine gewisse Konkordanz in der Bindungsqualität von Mutter und reifgeborenem Kind zu erwarten ist (van Ijzendoorn, 1995;Gloger-Tippelt, Gomille, Koenig, Vetter, 2002).…”

Concordance of Attachment Representations in Mother-/Father-Child Dyads and between Siblings

“…Two of the three previous studies of this topic demonstrated concordance (Gloger-Tippelt et al, 2002;Miljkovitch et al, 2003) and the other independence (Goldwyn, Stanley, Smith, & Green, 2000). We also explored concordance between sibling's attachment representations, something that no previous study has attempted.…”

“…Gloger-Tippelt, Gomille, Koenig, and Vetter (2002) found an intergenerational transmission of 78% between mothers' AAI classification and children's ASCT attachment representations. This percentage was very similar to that obtained by van Ijzendoorn (1995) for the link between parents' attachment representations (assessed with the AAI) and children's attachment behaviour (assessed with the SSP).…”

The role of length of maternity leave in supporting mother–child interactions and attachment security among American mothers and their infants

“…Attachments begin to form from birth, they are established by the ninth month of life, and by 12-14 months, they are finalized. Once attachments are formed, they remain relatively stable through childhood (Gloger-Tippelt et al 2002), adolescence (Hamilton 2000), and adulthood (Waters et al 2000).…”