Maternal Depression and Child Externalizing Behaviors: The Role of Attachment Across Development in Low-income Families

Carlone, Christina; Milan, Stephanie

doi:10.1007/s10802-020-00747-z

Cited by 6 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 45 publications

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“…Importantly, these different measures allow for increased clinical utility of the attachment literature by allowing clinicians to utilize these tools in their clinical practice and apply the research findings directly to their work. Carlone and Milan (2021) demonstrated that parent‐report of insecure attachment behaviors in their child moderated the relationship between exposure to maternal depression and externalizing outcomes for the child later in development. This finding may translate into clinical settings since the parent‐report measure of child attachment is feasible to administer in a community clinic.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Although a mother's attachment captured some of the variance, PRF was a significant predictor of child attachment status (Slade et al., 2005). Of note, secure attachment status likely serves as a protective factor in shaping children's trajectories throughout development (Carlone & Milan, 2021; Fearon et al., 2010; Sroufe et al., 1999). Emotion regulation is one mechanism through which early attachment affects later outcomes, and PRF is also associated with both mothers’ and toddlers’ emotion regulation skills (Borelli et al., 2020; Milan et al., 2013; Schultheis et al., 2019).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Self‐report measure of parental reflective functioning: A study of reliability and validity across three samples of varying clinical risk

Carlone

Milan

DeCoste

et al. 2023

Infant Mental Health Journal

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The Parental Reflective Functioning Questionnaire (PRFQ) provides an efficient way to measure a parent's capacity to recognize their child's mental states and to understand the relationship between underlying mental states and behavior. To date, limited work evaluates its psychometric properties beyond initial validation studies. Here we examined the reliability and validity of the PRFQ in three samples of varying clinical risk (e.g., community sample, previous mental health diagnosis, substance use disorder diagnosis). Across samples, the majority (e.g., 75%–78%) of mothers identified as White; all mothers were from the USA. We compared the PRFQ to task‐based measures of mentalization, the Parent Development Interview (PDI), and measures of the parent‐child relationship. The PRFQ was a reliable measure across samples, and it was associated in theoretically consistent ways with task‐based measures of mentalization. Parental RF across the PDI and PRFQ were not highly correlated in a sample of mothers with substance use disorders. Existing RF measures may be tapping into a different component of the broader construct of parental reflective functioning (PRF). The PRFQ was further validated by demonstrating relationships with parent‐report measures of the parent‐child relationship. Taken together, these findings provide additional support for the reliability and validity of the PRFQ.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Self‐report measure of parental reflective functioning: A study of reliability and validity across three samples of varying clinical risk

Carlone

Milan

DeCoste

et al. 2023

Infant Mental Health Journal

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“…In their review, Beatson and Taryan (2003) concluded that secure attachment serves as a buffer in the relationship between HPA dysregulation and the development of depressive symptoms later in life. Thus, one can conclude “early attachment quality may be a lasting source of vulnerability or protection in children’s development” ( Carlone and Milan, 2021 , p. 603).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…For example, the effect of insecure attachment on cortisol response seems more pronounced in infants of depressed mothers ( Luijk et al, 2010 ). Furthermore, insecurely and disorganized attached children seem more prone to develop behavioral and cognitive deficits when exposed to parenting distress or maternal depression than securely attached children ( Tharner et al, 2012 ; Carlone and Milan, 2021 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

From Early Micro-Temporal Interaction Patterns to Child Cortisol Levels: Toward the Role of Interactive Reparation and Infant Attachment in a Longitudinal Study

et al. 2022

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Parental mental disorders increase the risk for insecure attachment in children. However, the quality of caregiver–infant interaction plays a key role in the development of infant attachment. Dyadic interaction is frequently investigated via global scales which are too rough to uncover micro-temporal mechanisms. Prior research found that the latency to reparation of uncoordinated dyadic states is associated with infant behavioral and neuroendocrine regulation. We investigated the hypothesis that this interactive mechanism is critical in predicting secure vs. insecure attachment quality in infancy. We also assessed the predictive quality of infant attachment regarding neuroendocrine reactivity later in childhood. A subsample of N = 58 dyads (n = 22 mothers with anxiety disorders, n = 36 controls) from a larger study were analyzed. At 3–8 months postpartum, maternal anxiety disorders were diagnosed via a structured clinical interview as well as dyadic interaction during the Face-to-Face-Still-Face (FFSF) was observed and coded on a micro-temporal scale. Infant attachment quality was assessed with the strange situation paradigm at 12–24 months of age. In an overlapping subsample of N = 39 (n = 13 mothers with anxiety disorder; n = 26 controls), we assessed child cortisol reactivity at 5 to 6 years of age. Generalized linear modeling revealed that longer latencies to interactive reparation during the reunion episode of the FFSF as well as maternal diagnosis at 3–8 months of age predict insecure attachment in children aged 12–24 months. Cox regressions demonstrated that dyads with infants who developed insecure attachment at 12–24 months of age were 48% less likely to achieve an interactive reparation at 3–8 months of age. Mixed models revealed that compared to securely attached children, children who had developed an insecure attachment at 12–24 months of age had an increased cortisol reactivity at 5 to 6 years of age during free play. The results confirm the hypothesis that the development of attachment is affected by experienced micro-temporal interactive patterns besides diagnostic categories. They also showed that infants of mothers with postpartum anxiety disorders have a more than fivefold increased risk of developing an insecure attachment than the infants of the control group. Moreover, results imply that these patterns may influence neurohormonal regulation even in preschool aged children.

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“…When the mother is in conflict with her spouse, adolescents will also experience similar negative emotional reactions in the family environment, and this can lead to a decreasing quality of the attachment relationship. Furthermore, this insecurity and emotional and behavioral problems will continue to remain for some time ( Carlone and Milan, 2021 ). Insecurities in emotional experience are reinforced by frequent family conflicts.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Destructive interparental conflict affects Chinese children’s emotional and behavioral problems: Indirect pathways via parent–child attachment and emotional insecurity

Yang

Meng

et al. 2022

Front. Psychol.

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BackgroundPrevious studies have demonstrated that destructive interparental conflict (IPC) is closely related to the emergence of emotional and behavioral problems in adolescents. In addition, in the family system, such conflict also affects the patent–child attachment relationship and emotional insecurity of adolescents.ObjectivesThis study mainly explores the relationship between destructive interparental conflict and adolescents’ emotional and behavioral problems, focuses on the role of parent–child attachment and emotional insecurity, and analyzes whether this relationality plays multiple mediating roles in the influence of destructive interparental conflict on emotional and behavioral problems.MethodsData for the study were obtained through a questionnaire survey conducted on 524 Chinese adolescents from primary and junior high school.ResultsStructural equation modeling was conducted to test direct and indirect pathways between destructive interparental conflict and Chinese adolescents’ emotional and behavioral problems. Destructive IPC negatively predicted parent–child attachment and parent–child attachment negatively predicted emotional and behavioral problems. Destructive Interparental conflict positively predicted emotional insecurity and emotional insecurity positively predicted emotional and behavioral problems.DiscussionThe results show that: (1) Parent–child attachment negatively predicted emotional and behavioral problems, and emotional insecurity positively predicted the same. (2) Parent–child attachment and emotional insecurity act in a multiple mediating role between destructive IPC and adolescents’ emotional and behavioral problems. (3) Parent–child attachment and emotional insecurity constitute two indirect pathways between destructive IPC and adolescents’ emotional and behavioral problems, respectively.ConclusionDestructive IPC can adversely affect emotional and behavioral problems among adolescents; destructive IPC plays a damaging role in their emotional security and parent–child attachment, consequently effecting emotional and behavioral problems.

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Maternal Depression and Child Externalizing Behaviors: The Role of Attachment Across Development in Low-income Families

Cited by 6 publications

References 45 publications

Self‐report measure of parental reflective functioning: A study of reliability and validity across three samples of varying clinical risk

Self‐report measure of parental reflective functioning: A study of reliability and validity across three samples of varying clinical risk

From Early Micro-Temporal Interaction Patterns to Child Cortisol Levels: Toward the Role of Interactive Reparation and Infant Attachment in a Longitudinal Study

Destructive interparental conflict affects Chinese children’s emotional and behavioral problems: Indirect pathways via parent–child attachment and emotional insecurity

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