College of Education

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Now showing 1 - 4 of 4
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    Maternal depressive symptoms and child behavior problems: Attachment security as a protective factor
    (Cambridge University Press, 2022-01-31) Whittenburg, Paige N.; Stern, Jessica A.; Brett, Bonnie E.; Straske, M. Davis; Cassidy, Jude
    Maternal depressive symptoms (MDS) have been linked to both child internalizing and externalizing behavior problems. Theory suggests that child attachment security may be a protective factor against the negative effects of MDS. This study examined child attachment security as a buffer of the link between MDS and child internalizing and externalizing behavior problems at two time points in a predominantly African American sample. Participants included mothers (N = 164; M age = 29.68 years; 76% African American) and their preschool-aged children (60% girls; M age = 44.67 months) recruited from four Head Start centers in low-income neighborhoods in Baltimore, Maryland. MDS were concurrently associated with child internalizing and externalizing behavior problems at both time points. No significant main effects of child attachment security on behavior problems emerged; however, child attachment moderated the association between MDS and child internalizing behavior problems at Time 2, such that MDS predicted greater child internalizing problems when attachment security was low, and the effect was attenuated when attachment security was high. No interaction emerged for child externalizing problems. Findings suggest that secure attachment in early childhood can serve as a protective factor in the context of parental risk. We discuss implications for intervention and the intergenerational transmission of psychopathology.
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    Attachment style, relationship satisfaction, intimacy, loneliness, gender role beliefs, and the expression of authentic self in romantic relationships
    (2008-05-28) Downing, Vanessa Lynn; Fassinger, Ruth; Counseling and Personnel Services; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)
    The current study sought to explore the possible facilitators and inhibitors of the expression of authentic self in heterosexual romantic relationships, and specifically, to increase understanding about the possible influence of gender role attitudes. Additionally, the study sought to assess the factor structure of the Authenticity in Relationships Scale (AIRS; Lopez & Rice, 2006)--initially normed on a college population--in a sample of post-college adults involved in a range of romantic attachments. A non-experimental field survey explored how variables of interest related to each other in a sample 241 male and female heterosexuals between the ages of 25 and 38. Analyses revealed strong associations between authenticity and attachment style, relationship satisfaction, intimacy, loneliness, and egalitarianism. Findings also included significant differences in regards to authenticity, relationship satisfaction, intimacy, and loneliness among participants depending on relationship type. Exploratory factor analysis suggested that Lopez & Rice's two-factor solution did not hold for this non-college sample, and suggested a one-factor solution for the AIRS. Implications of the study and suggestions for future research building upon the findings are discussed.
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    Maternal and Paternal Parenting and Girls' and Boys' Attachment Security in Middle Childhood
    (2005-10-05) Dwyer, Kathleen; Rubin, Kenneth H; Human Development; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)
    Current attachment security is presumed to reflect both early experiences and current relationships with attachment figures. However, few researchers have examined the parenting behaviors that are linked with attachment during middle childhood. The overall purpose of the present study was to investigate the relations among maternal and paternal parenting behaviors (sensitivity, encouragement of autonomy) and girls' and boys' attachment security with respect to their mothers and fathers. It has been suggested that fathering becomes more important as children grow older and form relationships outside the family. In addition, the type of sensitivity that promotes attachment security with mother may differ from the type of sensitivity that promotes attachment security with father. A perspective on attachment that encompasses security in both attachment and exploration suggests that parents must both respond sensitively to child distress and support autonomy. It was hypothesized that mothers are more likely to act as a safe haven and respond to child distress, whereas fathers are more likely to act as a secure base for exploration. Data from the NICHD Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development (NICHD SECCYD) were analyzed. Participants were restricted to "traditional nuclear" families. Data relevant to the current study were collected at laboratory and home visits when children were in Grades 3, 4, and 5. Parental sensitivity and respect for autonomy were observed in child-parent interactions in Grades 3 and 5. Parent-reported encouragement of autonomy was assessed at Grades 3 and 4. Child-reported felt security with respect to each parent, observed dyadic felt security, and parent-reported child attachment behaviors were assessed in Grades 3 and 5. Structural equation modeling was used to test the study hypotheses. The model that emerged contained significant correlations between maternal and paternal sensitivity and between child-mother and child-father attachment at both Grades 3 and 5, stability of both sensitivity and attachment, and predictive relations only within Grade 5. Taken as a whole, the results point to the need to take a developmental pathways perspective and to examine the reciprocal relations between children and parents in middle childhood.
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    EXPLORING THE ROLE OF SELF-DISCLOSURE AND PLAYFULNESS IN ADULT ATTACHMENT RELATIONSHIPS
    (2005-08-02) Mount, Mandy K.; Hoffman, Mary Ann; Counseling and Personnel Services; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)
    This study utilized attachment theory as a framework for investigating aspects of relationship adjustment and emotional exploration, including self-disclosure and playfulness, in the romantic relationships of adults. 132 participants completed an online survey that included measures of adult attachment, relationship adjustment, playfulness, self-disclosure to partner, generalized exploration, and social desirability. Participants were also given the opportunity to write about dimensions of play behaviors in their relationships. A series of hierarchical linear regressions indicated that attachment orientation may be related in important ways to playfulness and self-disclosure, while these variables serve an important role in the successful adjustment of adult attachment relationships. The data suggested that avoidant attachment was negatively related to the intent, honesty, depth, amount and valence of self-disclosure while anxious attachment was positively related to the depth of self-disclosure. Additional regression analyses determined that avoidant attachment was also negatively related to playfulness with one's partner. Both avoidance and anxiety were found to contribute significantly to poor relationship adjustment, while playfulness and all dimensions of self-disclosure except intent were positively related to overall relationship adjustment. The present study also utilized a cluster analysis to identify ways that natural groupings of individuals formed on the variables of interest. The clusters indicated that people in better-adjusted relationships tended to be more playful with their partners on a more consistent basis and reported greater honesty, depth and amount self-disclosure relative to those in less well-adjusted relationships. The valence of self-disclosure had a particularly strong relationship with adjustment such that those who disclosed more positive information were also those found in well-adjusted relationships. The area of adult attachment is still in its early stages of development, but helping individuals understand developmental relationship patterns and the impact of "working models" may be of great importance for individuals' psychological and emotional well-being. The findings of this study support the importance of using attachment theory as a model for understanding the ways that behavioral systems, such as exploration, may play a role in the development and maintenance of adult romantic relationships.