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Pace CS, Muzi S, Morganti W, Steele H. Attachment Stability and Longitudinal Prediction of Psychotic-like Symptoms in Community Adolescents over Four Months of COVID-19 Pandemic. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2023; 20:6562. [PMID: 37623148 PMCID: PMC10454594 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph20166562] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2023] [Revised: 07/26/2023] [Accepted: 08/03/2023] [Indexed: 08/26/2023]
Abstract
Background: The Friends and Family Interview (FFI) is assumed to be a valid method to study attachment stability and attachment-related psychopathological processes in adolescence, but no studies have yet tested the test-retest reliability of this interview or the longitudinal association of attachment patterns in response to the FFI from adolescents with symptoms such as psychotic-like experiences (e.g., hallucinations, bizarre behavior, dissociation, self-harm) that are known to have increased during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: This study involved 102 community adolescents (M = 14.64, SD = 1.63, 46% males) assessed twice: during a severe COVID-19-related lockdown (in Italy) (T1) and four months later (T2). Measures were the FFI (assessing attachment patterns: secure-autonomous, insecure-dismissing, insecure-preoccupied, and insecure-disorganized) and the thought problems scale of the Youth Self-Report to assess psychotic-like symptoms. Results: revealed high stability of four-way attachment classifications over four months (93.5%), with a modest yet significant link between higher disorganization at T1 and higher scores of thought problems at T2, p = 0.010. Conclusions: The FFI shows high test-retest reliability and can be a valid, age-adapted option to assess adolescents' attachment. Attachment disorganization should be further investigated as possibly related to psychotic-like experiences in community adolescents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cecilia Serena Pace
- Department of Educational Sciences, University of Genoa, 16128 Genoa, Italy; (S.M.); (W.M.)
| | - Stefania Muzi
- Department of Educational Sciences, University of Genoa, 16128 Genoa, Italy; (S.M.); (W.M.)
| | - Wanda Morganti
- Department of Educational Sciences, University of Genoa, 16128 Genoa, Italy; (S.M.); (W.M.)
| | - Howard Steele
- Center for Attachment Research, New School for Social Research, New York, NY 10011, USA;
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Del Giudice M, Haltigan JD. A new look at the relations between attachment and intelligence. DEVELOPMENTAL REVIEW 2023. [DOI: 10.1016/j.dr.2022.101054] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022]
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3
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Williams R, Andreassi S, Moselli M, Fantini F, Tanzilli A, Lingiardi V, Laghi F. Relationship between Executive Functions, Social Cognition, and Attachment State of Mind in Adolescence: An Explorative Study. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2023; 20:2836. [PMID: 36833531 PMCID: PMC9957111 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph20042836] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2022] [Revised: 01/30/2023] [Accepted: 02/03/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The passage from pre-adolescence to adolescence is presented as a turning point for the achievement of those abilities in social understanding as they commonly appear in adulthood. Developmental perspectives point to the possible role of neuro-cognitive maturation and social experiences to facilitate this growth. This paper has the goal to goalsto propose a valid and reliable measure of the new quantitative and qualitative advancements in social understanding occurring in the adolescent passage; relying on this, the research has two main objectives (a) to establish the associations between the advancements in social understanding and the executive functions held responsible for the neuro-cognitive rearrangements of adolescence; (c) to evidence the significant associations between attachment models and the development of social understanding in this phase of life. METHODS 100 subjects (50 boys and 50 girls, aged 11-15) were administered with AICA, SCORS, CNT, Stroop Color-Word Test, and WISC-III. RESULTS Advancements in the complexity of self-other representations and mentalization of interpersonal exchanges significantly occurs in the passage from pre-adolescence to adolescence and seem to be promoted by increased performances in executive control and cognitive shifting. Dismissing state of mind with respect to attachment is associated with lower development of social understanding in adolescence. The neurocognitive reorganization that underlies the passage from pre-adolescence to adolescence seems to provide the scaffolding for more sophisticated interpretations of the social world. Past and current affective experience can boost or hinder the full deployment of such human maturational potential. Given the importance of social cognition for adjustment and psychopathology, clinical intervention should target the amelioration of individual and family abilities in social reasoning and mentalization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Riccardo Williams
- Department of Dynamic and Clinical Psychology, and Health Studies, Faculty of Medicine and Psychology, Sapienza—University of Rome, Via degli Apuli 1, 00185 Rome, Italy
| | - Silvia Andreassi
- Department of Dynamic and Clinical Psychology, and Health Studies, Faculty of Medicine and Psychology, Sapienza—University of Rome, Via degli Apuli 1, 00185 Rome, Italy
| | - Marta Moselli
- Department of Dynamic and Clinical Psychology, and Health Studies, Faculty of Medicine and Psychology, Sapienza—University of Rome, Via degli Apuli 1, 00185 Rome, Italy
| | - Fiorella Fantini
- Department of Dynamic and Clinical Psychology, and Health Studies, Faculty of Medicine and Psychology, Sapienza—University of Rome, Via degli Apuli 1, 00185 Rome, Italy
| | - Annalisa Tanzilli
- Department of Dynamic and Clinical Psychology, and Health Studies, Faculty of Medicine and Psychology, Sapienza—University of Rome, Via degli Apuli 1, 00185 Rome, Italy
| | - Vittorio Lingiardi
- Department of Dynamic and Clinical Psychology, and Health Studies, Faculty of Medicine and Psychology, Sapienza—University of Rome, Via degli Apuli 1, 00185 Rome, Italy
| | - Fiorenzo Laghi
- Department of Developmental and Social Psychology, Faculty of Medicine and Psychology, Sapienza—University of Rome, Via dei Marsi 78, 00185 Rome, Italy
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Pace CS, Muzi S, Madera F. Emotional-behavioral problems, attachment and verbal skills in late-adopted adolescents: The role of pre-adoption adversities and adoption variables. CHILD ABUSE & NEGLECT 2022; 130:105188. [PMID: 34274127 DOI: 10.1016/j.chiabu.2021.105188] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2021] [Revised: 06/21/2021] [Accepted: 06/24/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND There are few studies on late-adopted adolescents' outcomes -e.g., emotional-behavioral problems, attachment and cognitive status- and their possible predictive factors, none from Italy. OBJECTIVE This paper aimed to investigate emotional-behavioral problems, attachment representations, and verbal skills in late-adopted adolescents in Italy and to explore the predictive role of pre-adoption adversities and adoption variables for worse adoptees' outcomes. PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING The study included N = 79 late-adopted (mean age at adoption = 6 years) adolescents, between 11 and 18 years, placed via both intercountry and domestic adoption. METHODS Parents provided information about pre-adoption and adoption history and filled the Children's Behavior Checklist 6-18 for measuring participants' emotional-behavioral problems. Attachment representations were assessed through the Friend and Family Interview administered directly to adolescents, like the verbal comprehension index of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (4th edition) for measuring participants' verbal IQ. RESULTS Maltreatment and its interaction with multiple placements were the main predictors of other problems-i.e., social, thought, and identity difficulties (respectively, p = .007 and p = .029)-while intercountry adoption was the unique predictor of both externalizing and total problems (respectively, p = .047 and p = .015). However, domestic adoption was the most important predictor both for higher insecurity and disorganized attachment representations and lower verbal skills (all p < .044); even stronger if domestic adoption interacted with pre-adoptive institutionalization. CONCLUSIONS Pre-adoption adversities as well as domestic vs. intercountry adoption, but not the age at placement, contributed to adolescent adoptees' developmental outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Stefania Muzi
- Department of Educational Science (DISFOR), University of Genoa, Genoa, Italy
| | - Francesco Madera
- Department of Educational Science (DISFOR), University of Genoa, Genoa, Italy
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5
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Skandrani S, Moro MR, Harf A. The Search for Origin of Young Adoptees-A Clinical Study. Front Psychol 2021; 12:624681. [PMID: 34366954 PMCID: PMC8346243 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.624681] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2020] [Accepted: 06/28/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
In the current area of social media propagation, the adoptees' search for the birth family is increasingly reversed: more and more adopted adolescents are contacted directly by their birth parents, even if they did not search for them. This study explores the impact of these new forms of contact between adoptive family members and birth family members, through the qualitative analysis of clinical protocols of five adoptive families that sought counseling in a clinical setting devoted to international adoption. The interpretative phenomenological analysis revealed three themes. Two of them shared by the parents and their children: the feelings of anxiety and intrusion, as well as the feelings of guilt and debt. The last theme concerns only the parents: feelings of endangered family relations and can be divided into two sub-themes: feelings of threat by the birth family, feelings of an undermined parental role. Nevertheless, these new kinds of confrontations with the children's origins bear a potential of renegotiating adoptive family relationships and positive effects on mutual feeling of filiation. Exploring the impact of the search of adoptees by the birth family enables professionals involved in adoption to improve preventive and supportive work in the adoption process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sara Skandrani
- EA 4430, Université Paris Nanterre, Nanterre, France.,Hôpital Cochin, Paris, France
| | - Marie-Rose Moro
- Hôpital Cochin, Paris, France.,Université Paris Descartes, Paris, France.,Université Paris-Saclay, Saint Aubin, France
| | - Aurelie Harf
- Hôpital Cochin, Paris, France.,Université Paris-Saclay, Saint Aubin, France
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Muzi S, Sansò A, Pace CS. What's Happened to Italian Adolescents During the COVID-19 Pandemic? A Preliminary Study on Symptoms, Problematic Social Media Usage, and Attachment: Relationships and Differences With Pre-pandemic Peers. Front Psychiatry 2021; 12:590543. [PMID: 33986698 PMCID: PMC8110826 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2021.590543] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2020] [Accepted: 03/29/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Italian adolescents were confined at home for 3 months due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which exposed them to feelings of fear, uncertainty, and loneliness that may have increased their vulnerability to emotional-behavioral symptoms (e.g., anxiety) and binge-eating attitudes. Potential risk factors for these psychopathological symptoms are problematic social media usage and attachment insecurity. Therefore, this study aimed: (1) to assess emotional-behavioral symptoms, binge eating, problematic social media usage, and attachment representations of adolescents during the pandemic, comparing them with prepandemic similar samples; (2) to investigate relationships among variables, exploring the role of problematic social media usage and insecure attachment as risk factors for more psychopathological symptoms. Participants were 62 community adolescents aged 12-17 years, enrolled through schools, and assessed online through the following measures: Youth Self-Report for emotional-behavioral problems, Binge-Eating Scale for binge eating, Social Media Disorder Scale for problematic social media usage, and the Friends and Family Interview for attachment. The main results were: (1) 9.4% of adolescents showed clinical rates of emotional-behavioral symptoms and 4.8% of binge eating attitudes. The comparison with pre-pandemic samples revealed that pandemic teenagers showed lower internalizing, but higher other problems (e.g., binge drinking, self-destructive behaviors) and more problematic social media usage than pre-pandemic peers. No differences in binge-eating attitudes and attachment were revealed (76% secure classifications). (2) Problematic social media usage was related to more binge eating and emotional-behavioral problems, predicting 5.4% of both delinquent and attention problems. Attachment disorganization predicted 16.5% of internalizing problems, somatic complaints, and social and identity-related problems. In conclusion, confinement did not increase adolescents' internalizing symptoms -i.e., vulnerability to mood disorders of an anxious-depressive type- which even decreased. However, teenagers may have expressed their discomfort through other problems and symptoms of social media disorder. Further studies should explore the role of adolescents' problematic social media usage and attachment insecurity as risk factors for additional psychopathological symptoms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stefania Muzi
- Department of Education Sciences, School of Social Sciences, University of Genoa, Genoa, Italy
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Muzi S, Pace CS. Multiple facets of attachment in residential-care, late adopted, and community adolescents: an interview-based comparative study. Attach Hum Dev 2021; 24:169-188. [PMID: 33719926 DOI: 10.1080/14616734.2021.1899386] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
In this study, 117 adolescents (12-19 years) from three groups (39 each), two groups from adverse caregiving environments as placed in residential-care (RC; i.e. istitutions) or late-adopted (LA; i.e. adopted after 12 months), and one of low-risk community adolescents (COM), were compared for the attachment distribution of categories in the Friends and Family Interview (FFI), and in several attachment-related domains where RC and LA showed difficulties during childhood. Only institutionalized adolescents showed more insecure and disorganized categories than both late-adopted and community peers, who did not differ. In the attachment-related domains, only RCs showed lower coherence, reflective functioning, secure-base/safe-haven parents, social and school competence, adaptive response, and more parental anger and derogation than the other two groups. Late-adoptees only showed higher hostility towards sibling(s) than COM.Therefore, only residential-care adolescents were at "high-risk" in attachment, but the analysis of attachment-related domains helped to detect vulnerabilities in both groups.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stefania Muzi
- Department of Educational Sciences (DISFOR), University of Genoa, Genoa, Italy
| | - Cecilia Serena Pace
- Department of Educational Sciences (DISFOR), University of Genoa, Genoa, Italy.,Centro Italiano Aiuti all'Infanzia (CIAI)
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McConnachie AL, Ayed N, Foley S, Lamb ME, Jadva V, Tasker F, Golombok S. Adoptive Gay Father Families: A Longitudinal Study of Children's Adjustment at Early Adolescence. Child Dev 2020; 92:425-443. [PMID: 32880910 DOI: 10.1111/cdev.13442] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
Findings are presented from the second phase of a UK longitudinal study of 33 gay father, 35 lesbian mother, and 43 heterosexual parent families when their adopted children reached early adolescence. Participants predominantly lived in urban/suburban areas and were mostly white and well-educated. Standardized interviews, observations, and questionnaires of parental mental health, parent-child relationships, and adolescent adjustment were administered to parents, children, and teachers between 2016 and 2018. There were few differences between family types. However, adjustment problems had increased in all family types, with better parenting quality and parental mental health associated with fewer adjustment problems. The findings contribute to adoption policy and practice, and to theoretical understanding of the role of parental gender in child development.
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10
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Finet C, Waters TEA, Vermeer HJ, Juffer F, Van IJzendoorn MH, Bakermans-Kranenburg MJ, Bosmans G. Attachment development in children adopted from China:The role of pre-adoption care and sensitive adoptive parenting. Attach Hum Dev 2020; 23:587-607. [DOI: 10.1080/14616734.2020.1760902] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Chloë Finet
- Department of Psychology, New York University - Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
- Clinical Psychology, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Theodore E. A. Waters
- Department of Psychology, New York University - Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
| | - Harriet J. Vermeer
- Centre for Child and Family Studies, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Femmie Juffer
- Centre for Child and Family Studies, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Marinus H. Van IJzendoorn
- Department of Psychology, Education and Child Studies, Erasmus University Rotterdam, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
- Primary Care Unit, School of Clinical Medicine, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | | | - Guy Bosmans
- Clinical Psychology, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
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11
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Pace CS, Guerriero V, Zavattini GC. Children’s attachment representations: A pilot study comparing family drawing with narrative and behavioral assessments in adopted and community children. ARTS IN PSYCHOTHERAPY 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/j.aip.2019.101612] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
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12
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Psouni E, Breinholst S, Hoff Esbjørn B, Steele H. Factor structure of the
Friends and Family
interview. Scand J Psychol 2020; 61:460-469. [DOI: 10.1111/sjop.12604] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/14/2019] [Accepted: 11/07/2019] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Elia Psouni
- Department of Psychology Lund University Sweden
| | | | | | - Howard Steele
- Department of Psychology The New School for Social Research New York USA
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13
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Santona A, De Cesare P, Tognasso G, De Franceschi M, Sciandra A. The Mediating Role of Romantic Attachment in the Relationship Between Attachment to Parents and Aggression. Front Psychol 2019; 10:1824. [PMID: 31447749 PMCID: PMC6691345 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2019.01824] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2018] [Accepted: 07/23/2019] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND A secure attachment style could promote more intimacy in romantic relationships, while an insecure attachment style could be correlated with less positive romantic relationships in adulthood. Numerous studies have noted that a secure attachment to parents was correlated with lower levels of aggression, whereas insecure attachments were associated with higher levels of aggression. We aimed to investigate the role of the attachment system as a mediator of the expression of aggressiveness during adolescence. Specifically, we considered that the attachment to parents and peers could influence one's attachment to a romantic partner. METHODS We empirically tested whether there were relationships of parent and peer attachment on aggressiveness mediated by romantic attachment style. Participants of the study included 411 students. RESULTS Results indicated that for males an insecure father-child attachment style seems to be associated with higher levels of anxiety and avoidance in romantic attachments and then with aggressiveness. For females, an insecure mother-child attachment style seems to be associated with higher levels of aggressiveness. CONCLUSION The attachment to parents and to peers plays a key role in defining romantic attachment according to gender, and these dimensions in turn tend to affect the levels of aggressiveness.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Paola De Cesare
- Department of Psychology, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Giacomo Tognasso
- Department of Psychology, University of Milano-Bicocca, Milan, Italy
| | | | - Andrea Sciandra
- StarLab, Socio Territorial Analysis and Research, University of Padua, Padua, Italy
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Pace CS, Di Folco S, Guerriero V, Muzi S. Late-adopted children grown up: a long-term longitudinal study on attachment patterns of adolescent adoptees and their adoptive mothers. Attach Hum Dev 2019; 21:372-388. [PMID: 30714511 DOI: 10.1080/14616734.2019.1571519] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
Abstract
This paper reports on a long-term follow-up of a longitudinal study conducted in Italy that assessed attachment patterns of late-adopted children (placed between 4 and 8 years old) and their adoptive mothers, in three phases: T1, at placement; T2, in childhood (7-8 months after adoption); and T3, in adolescence (current study). The following hypotheses were tested: 1) children' IWMs will shift from insecurity towards security in a long-term follow-up; and 2) there will be a significant association between adoptees' and adoptive mothers' IWMs in adolescence. Participants were 22 late-adopted adolescents (aged 11-16) and their adoptive mothers, all assessed in previous phases. Participants completed several measures of attachment, including the Separation-Reunion Procedure (T1, T2), Manchester Child Attachment Story Task (T2), Friends and Family Interview (T3), and Adult Attachment Interview (T1, T3). Late-adopted adolescents showed both an increase in attachment security and a decrease in disorganized attachment from childhood to adolescence. Adoptive mothers' (T3) secure states of mind were associated significantly to their adopted children attachment security in adolescence. These findings reinforce the importance of taking attachment into account for adoptive families from the beginning of adoption.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Simona Di Folco
- b School of Health in Social Science, Clinical Psychology , University of Edinburgh , Scotland , UK
| | - Viviana Guerriero
- c Department of Dynamic and Clinical Psychology, Sapienza , University of Rome , Rome , Italy
| | - Stefania Muzi
- a Department of Educational Science , University of Genoa , Genoa , Italy
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15
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Raby KL, Dozier M. Attachment across the lifespan: insights from adoptive families. Curr Opin Psychol 2019; 25:81-85. [PMID: 29621692 PMCID: PMC6158124 DOI: 10.1016/j.copsyc.2018.03.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2018] [Accepted: 03/19/2018] [Indexed: 01/30/2023]
Abstract
Research with adoptive families offers novel insights into longstanding questions about the significance of attachment across the lifespan. We illustrate this by reviewing adoption research addressing two of attachment theory's central ideas. First, studies of children who were adopted after experiencing severe adversity offer powerful tests of the unique consequences of experiences in early attachment relationships. Although children who experience early maltreatment or institutionalization show remarkable recovery in the quality of their attachments after being placed with their adoptive families, experiencing pre-adoptive adversity also has long-lasting repercussions for these individuals' later attachment representations. Second, adoptive families allow for genetically-informed examinations of the intergenerational transmission process. Indeed, despite the lack of genetic relatedness, adoptive parents' attachment representations are associated with their children's attachment behaviors and representations across childhood and adolescence.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Mary Dozier
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Delaware, USA
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Pace CS, Di Folco S, Guerriero V. Late-adoptions in adolescence: Can attachment and emotion regulation influence behaviour problems? A controlled study using a moderation approach. Clin Psychol Psychother 2017; 25:250-262. [PMID: 29193445 DOI: 10.1002/cpp.2158] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2016] [Revised: 01/16/2017] [Accepted: 10/23/2017] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
A growing body of research suggests that, compared to normative adolescence, adoptive adolescence could be considered a specific risk condition characterized by more psychiatric problems, attachment insecurity, and emotional regulation difficulties as consequences of negative experiences in preadoption relationships. The current study explores (a) a moderation model of adoption status on the association between attachment representations (secure, dismissing, preoccupied, and disorganized) and behavioural problems and (b) a moderation model of adoption status on the association between emotion regulation processes (cognitive reappraisal and expressive suppression) and behavioural problems. Both the moderation models were controlled for verbal skills. Forty-six adopted adolescents and a control group of 34 nonadopted peers (12-16 years old) living with both their biological parents were assessed using the Friends and Family Interview, the Emotion Regulation Questionnaire for Children and Adolescents, the Child Behaviour Check List 6-18, and the verbal subtests of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children, the latter as control measure. Results showed that adoption status (but not attachment) positively predicted externalizing and total behaviour problems, whereas attachment disorganization (but not adoption status) positively predicted internalizing problems in both group. Moreover, low cognitive reappraisal had a negative impact on externalizing problems only for adopted adolescents, but not for nonadopted youths. The clinical implications of these findings are discussed in order to enhance effective intervention with adopted adolescents and their parents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cecilia Serena Pace
- Department of Educational Science, University of Genoa, Genoa, Italy.,CIAI (Centro Italiano Aiuti all'Infanzia), Milan, Italy
| | - Simona Di Folco
- School of Health and Social Science, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Viviana Guerriero
- Department of Dynamic and Clinical Psychology, Universita degli Studi di Roma La Sapienza, Rome, Italy
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Walczak M, Esbjørn BH, Breinholst S. Attachment as a predictor of non response to CBT treatment in children with anxiety disorders. Attach Hum Dev 2017; 19:635-653. [DOI: 10.1080/14616734.2017.1339099] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Monika Walczak
- Department of Psychology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | | | - Sonja Breinholst
- Department of Psychology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
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Santona A, Tognasso G. Attitudes Toward Homosexuality in Adolescence: An Italian Study. JOURNAL OF HOMOSEXUALITY 2017; 65:361-378. [PMID: 28409704 DOI: 10.1080/00918369.2017.1320165] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
This study investigates Italian adolescents' attitudes toward gay men and lesbians and same-sex marriage, and their beliefs about the origins of homosexuality. The sample consists of 449 subjects (226 males), aged between 14 and 21 years. The principal instruments used are: the Attitudes Toward Lesbians and Gay men (ATLG), the Modern Homonegativity Scale (MHS), and the Attitudes Toward Same-Sex Marriage (ATSM). Results suggest that males show a more negative attitude than females toward homosexuals. Furthermore data reveal that respondents with a lack of personal direct contact with gay people have less positive attitudes toward homosexual people and same-sex marriage. The data in this study suggest that homophobia could be deeply rooted in a traditional value system that refutes gender equality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alessandra Santona
- a Department of Psychology , University of Milano-Bicocca , Milan , Italy
| | - Giacomo Tognasso
- a Department of Psychology , University of Milano-Bicocca , Milan , Italy
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Pace CS, Guiducci V, Cavanna D. Attachment in eating-disordered outpatients with and without borderline personality disorder. J Health Psychol 2016; 22:1808-1818. [DOI: 10.1177/1359105316636951] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
This study aims at examining the attachment states of mind in 50 female outpatients with eating disorders compared with 50 matched control participants using the Adult Attachment Interview. Moreover, the differences in attachment states of mind among eating-disordered women with and without borderline personality disorders’ diagnosis were explored. The results showed an over-representation of insecure-dismissing and unresolved states of mind in clinical group compared to controls. Patients with both diagnosis showed higher scores on involving anger and unresolved loss compared with those with only eating disorder. Implications for further research and clinical practice are discussed.
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