Intergenerational Transmission of Attachment. Family Interactive Dynamics and Psychopathology: What kind of Relationship in Adolescence?

Abstract

Introduction: This work is an example of empirical research. The aim was to look to the possible transgenerational influence between parents and adolescents attachment bond to their respective parents, infant armonic and/or disarmonic development and functional or dysfunctional family interactions. Methodology: 40 families with adolescents aged from 12 to 18 years (μ = 14.575, σ = 1.716) coming for a psychodiagnostic evaluation were tested with Lausanne Trilogue Play, Parental Bonding Instrument, Child Behaviour Checklist and Youth Self Report. Hypothesis: a) Is there an association between the adolescent's perceived attachment relationship with his parents and his psychopathological symptoms? In this case a non parametric test for k independent groups was Short Research Article INDJ, 4(2): 84-91, 2015; Article no.INDJ.2015.029 85 performed. b) Is there an association between parents-adolescent interactive dynamics and the parents' perceived attachment relationship with their parents (adolescent's grand-parents). In this case correlations and non-parametric test for k independent groups were performed. Results: a) We found significant statistical differences (p < .05) between adolescent psychopathology and the quality of perceived relationship with both the mother and the father. b) we found positive correlations between quality of relationship between the mother and her father (adolescent grandfather) and the scores of some LTP scales concerning normative function; moreover we found negative correlations between the father and his mother (adolescent's grandmother) and the scores of some LTP scales concerning affective function. Conclusion: These results underline a significant association between the internal working model of the mother and her ways to interact and manage the relation with her adolescent son; this is a clinical evidence too. Another relevant result is the association between adolescent's psychopathology and his internal working model. Clinical applications regarding these findings should be taken in account when psychotherapeutically working with adolescents and their families.

The Lausanne Trilogue Play within the outcome evaluation in infant mental health: a preliminary report

“…Secondly, we know from a general qualitative study that the families belonging to the subgroup studied in this work showed particular clinical peculiarities (Gatta et al, 2015a(Gatta et al, , 2015b(Gatta et al, , 2015c. Analyzing the peculiarities of these families we have observed that families with no parental support present at the time of the take in charge better parental competences and lower level of adolescent psychopathology.…”

“…The main goal of this project was to assess the value of the Lausanne Trilogue Play paradigm (LTP; Fivaz-Depeursinge & Corboz-Warnery, 1999) in the diagnostic workup and treatment of families with children or adolescents revealing individual and/or familiar psychological problems Gatta et al, 2015aGatta et al, , 2015c.…”

A Retrospective Study on the Factors Associated with Long-Stay Hospitalization in a Child Neuropsychiatry Unit

“…A different perception of skills, emotional, and behavioral issues as reported in behavior-rating scales by different subjects (mother, father, and patient) is highlighted both in the present study and in national and international literature [72][73][74][75]. The different perception of psychological-psychiatric difficulties by different family members could be due to the stigma that is still attached to such pathologies, to potential feelings of guilt, to misinformation, and/or to the trivialization of psychological distress in children [7].…”