Maternal sensitivity in interactions with their 2-month-old infants in Rio de Janeiro - Brazil

Latin American Attachment studies: A narrative review

Attachment theory´s core hypotheses (universality, normativity, sensitivity, and competence) are assumed to be applicable worldwide. However, the majority of studies on attachment theory have been conducted in Western countries, and the extent to which these core hypotheses are supported by research conducted in Latin America has never been systematically addressed. The purpose of this systematic narrative literature review is to provide an integrative discussion of the current body of empirical studies concerning attachment theory conducted in Latin American countries. For that purpose, a search was conducted in four electronic databases (Web of Science, PsycInfo, SciELO, and Redalyc) and 82 publications on attachment and/or sensitivity met inclusion criteria. None of the studies reported cases in which an attachment relationship was absent, and a predominance of secure attachment patterns was found, mainly for non-risk samples (NRS). Sensitivity levels were generally deemed adequate in NRS, and related to attachment quality. Attachment security and caregivers' sensitivity were positively associated with child outcomes. Attachment-based intervention studies mostly showed efficacy. In conclusion, Latin American research supports the key theoretical assumptions of attachment theory, mainly in samples of urban middle-class NRS. However, the field of attachment-related research would be enriched by also investing in Latin American studies on caregiving rooted in local concepts and theories.

Attachment theory's core hypotheses in rural Andean Peru

This is the first study aiming to test two universality claims of attachment theory within a rural Andean sample from Cusco, Peru. A total of 69 mothers and their children (6 to 36 months) participated. Child attachment security was assessed with the Attachment Q-set (AQS), maternal sensitivity was measured during three naturalistic episodes (free interaction, bathing, and feeding) with the Ainsworth sensitivity scale and the Maternal Behavior Q-sort (MBQS), and a cumulative maternal risk variable was calculated. Results revealed that most children displayed less characteristic secure base behaviors in the interactions with their mothers, compared to other reference samples. Furthermore, an association between maternal sensitivity and child attachment security was found, and a negative relation between maternal sensitivity and the cumulative risk variable. These results support some of the attachment theory's universality claims, and suggest new avenues for research on assessment issues in rural samples in the Global South.

Using video observation in the family context: The association between camera-related behaviors and parental sensitivity

Research on parental sensitivity often relies on video observation of parent-infant dyads. However, to date, no study has assessed both infants' and parents' interactions with the camera, and how this relates to parental sensitivity levels. This exploratory study micro-coded camera-related behaviors (CRB) by 4-month olds and their mothers and fathers on a 1-s time base, and examined the associations between those behaviors and parental sensitivity in 75 Dutch families. While parents' CRB made up only 0.8% of total interaction time, infants' made up 12%. Multi-level time-series analyses showed that infants' CRB predicted mothers'. Infants' CRB predicted fathers' CRB, and vice versa. Maternal sensitivity was significantly lower when children looked at the camera for over one-third of total interaction time (Cohen's d = 1.26). These findings indicate further research is required to better understand how video observation might threaten ecological validity.