Parent–Child Attachment in Early and Middle Childhood

Abstract

has provided one of the best developed theoretical frameworks for understanding parent -child relationships and children ' s social emotional development. This chapter focuses on parent -child attachment in early and middle childhood. We fi rst discuss key concepts of attachment theory, including the defi nition, nature, and assessment of attachment in early childhood (3 to 7 years) and middle childhood (7 to 12 years). Next, we describe factors promoting individual differences in attachment. We also provide a theoretical perspective for the relations between parent -child attachment and children ' s social development, and summarize the main fi ndings in this area. Finally, we identify unanswered questions and future directions. Key Issues Defi nition and p atterns of a ttachmentAttachment (in children) is defi ned as an emotional long -lasting bond that a child forms with an attachment fi gure who is not interchangeable with another person (Ainsworth, 1989 ). The child wishes to maintain proximity to or contact with the attachment fi gure, although the type and extent of contact vary as a function of factors such as the child ' s The Wiley-Blackwell Handbook of Childhood Social Development, Second EditionEdited by P. K. Smith and C. H. Hart

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“…This suggests that improvements in interaction quality can lead to improvements in attachment behaviors, regardless of the surrounding relationship context, at least as operationalized here. This is in accordance with past theory and research, demonstrating that quality interactions with high sensitivity and responsiveness from caregivers encourages the growth of attachment (Ainsworth, ; Bakermans‐Kranenburg, van IJzendoorn, & Juffer, ; Brumariu & Kerns, ).…”

Associations Between Shared Musical Engagement and Parent–Child Relational Quality: The Mediating Roles of Interpersonal Coordination and Empathy

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Psychometric properties of the Danish Parental Stress Scale: Rasch analysis in a sample of mothers with infants

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