Cultural adaptation and validation of the Italian version of the current relationship interview.

Background: The study of romantic relationships is based on attachment theory and the Current Relationship Interview (CRI) is a powerful tool that allows the optimal investigation of attachment representations toward romantic partners. However, evidence in this field is still unsatisfactory and further research is needed. This study aims to examine the associations between the adult attachment to partner, the style of conflict resolution, and dyadic adjustment. Methods: We administrated the Italian version of the CRI, the Dyadic Adjustment Scale (DAS), and the Rahim Organizational Conflict Inventory questionnaire - Section II (ROCI II) - to a sample of 100 heterosexual couples. Results: Individuals with preoccupied attachment reported lower levels of dyadic adjustment and men, but not women, with preoccupied attachment reported lower levels of dyadic cohesion. Levels of dyadic adjustment reported by women/men did not vary according to their attachment types. Levels of dyadic adjustment reported by couples and by women did not vary according to the matching status of attachment types between partners. However, men in romantic relationship characterized by a mismatch between attachment types reported higher levels of consensus compared to their counterparts. Conclusion: The Italian version of the CRI proves an useful tool to investigate processes underlying romantic relationships. The role of current attachment in these processes appears to be highly complex and its investigation might be impacted by methodological issues, calling for additional studies.

The Relation of Anxiety and Avoidance Dimensions of Attachment to Intimate Partner Violence: A Meta-Analysis About Perpetrators.

OBJECTIVE: The attachment theory is a useful framework for interpreting the phenomenon of intimate partner violence (IPV) perpetration. Although several studies have examined the relationship between attachment and IPV perpetration, a meta-analysis of these results has yet to be conducted. METHOD: After a search on five databases (PsycINFO, PsycARTICLES, MEDLINE, Scopus, Web of Science, and PubMed) and a screening of 3,852 records recruited, 52 studies comprising 13,653 individuals met the inclusion criteria for this meta-analysis. RESULTS: Results showed a significant effect size for both the anxiety and avoidance dimensions of attachment. However, while the effect sizes for anxiety were consistent (r = .19-.35) for all types of violence considered, the effect size for avoidance was not significant for generic violence (r = .07), low for physical (r = .12) and psychological violence (r = .14), and medium for sexual violence (r = .20). Only a few of the examined moderators were significant. CONCLUSIONS: The findings highlight some differences in the roles of the two attachment dimensions in IPV. The results underscore the need for additional research to explore the role of other potential moderating and mediating variables in the relationship between attachment and IPV perpetration in order to better support the development of prevention and treatment interventions.

From pregnancy to 3 months after birth:the beginning of mother-infant relationship from a maternal perspective.

BACKGROUND: An early positive mother-child relationship is a central factor in the development of a psychologically balanced personality. The study aims to identify risk and protective factors for the development of a balanced maternal-infant postnatal attachment. We explored the association between maternal-infant attachment and prenatal and postnatal variables potentially implicated in the development of this early bond: maternal-foetal prenatal attachment, social support, memories of parental care, romantic attachment, dyadic adjustment, parity, breastfeeding, planning pregnancy, woman's and infant's age, and difficulty of delivery. METHODS: 123 pregnant women participated in the longitudinal study; they were assessed on the MAAS, PBI, ECR-R, MSPSS (t1: pregnancy), MPAS (t2: 3-months postnatally), DAS , and CES-D (t1, t2). RESULTS: Four significant predictors of maternal-infant postnatal attachment (MPAS) emerged: maternal-foetal prenatal attachment (ß = 0.379, p < .001), anxiety in the romantic relationships (ß=-0.237, p=0.019), prenatal and postnatal dyadic adjustment (t1, ß=-0.323, p=0.025 ;t2, ß=0.329, p=0.014) in the couple's relationship. These variables explained 20.2% of variance in mother-infant attachment (R2adjusted=0.202). DISCUSSION: The study highlights associations of maternal-infant postnatal attachment with prenatal and postnatal relational variables and with other variables related to the woman's reproductive and pregnancy history. Clinical attention to these factors could help protect the well-being of mother and child.

Can the family drawing be a useful tool for assessing attachment representations in children? A systematic review and meta-analysis.

A systematic review and meta-analysis were conducted to evaluate the quality and validity of Family Drawings (FD) with an Attachment-Based Coding System in assessing attachment representations among pre-school and school-age children. A literature search in notable databases identified 645 records, of which 20 were eligible after screening and quality assessment. Results showed: 1) ABCD attachment distribution in community children was: 48% secure, 20% avoidant, 21% ambivalent, 11% disorganized. Security prevailed both in classifications and Fury et al.' scales. 2) No significant differences according to the cultural background; 3) At-risk/clinical children showed higher insecurity than community ones using scales; 4) Girls were more secure than boys. In conclusion, FD may be a culture-fair method to assess attachment representations in children. Global scales seem more reliable than ABCD classifications for discriminating at-risk and clinical children, but further studies on these groups are needed.

Corrigendum: Parental Attunement, Insightfulness, and Acceptance of Child Diagnosis in Parents of Children With Autism: Clinical Implications.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2020.01849.].

Parental Attunement, Insightfulness, and Acceptance of Child Diagnosis in Parents of Children With Autism: Clinical Implications.

Early parent-child relationships are an important factor influencing many domains of child development, even in the presence of autism. In this study, we investigated the associations between parent-child attunement during play, parental insightfulness, and parental acceptance of their child's diagnosis of an autism spectrum disorder. A sample of 50 parents (26 mothers and 24 fathers) of 26 children aged between 24 and 58 months were videotaped during parent-child play interactions and then interviewed about what they thought had gone through their child's head during the play interaction, and about their feelings and thoughts about their child's diagnosis. Play interactions were evaluated using a coding protocol to assess parental attunement. The results showed that parents who were more able to accept their child's diagnosis and to see things from their child's perspective were more likely to also be attuned during play interactions with their children. These findings highlight the importance of studying the parental ability of insightfulness and acceptance of their child diagnosis of ASD for the implementation of intervention programs for supporting parental attunement and improving the interactions between the parents and the children with autism spectrum disorders.

A Comparison of Attachment representations to Mother and Father using the MCAST.

The aim of the current study was to examine the factorial structure of the Manchester Child Attachment Story Task (MCAST), using a father doll to address the child's attachment representation to father. While the MCAST, a doll story completion task measuring attachment representations in early childhood, has been validated for use with a mother doll, its use for assessing attachment to father is relatively unexplored. Thus, an additional aim was to compare the factorial structure of the child's attachment representation to father and mother, respectively. We analyzed data from 118 first-grade children who underwent counterbalanced administration of the MCAST with a mother and father doll, respectively, within a period of three months. Exploratory factorial analysis revealed similar, three-factor solutions for attachment to father and mother, with a first factor capturing the child's (scripted) knowledge of secure base/safe haven and a second factor reflecting intrusive and conflict behavior. The third factor was different in the father and mother representations, capturing self-care and role-reversal in attachment to father and disorganization in attachment to mother. Findings support the potential usefulness of the MCAST for exploring the father-child relationship and highlight a need for further research on early attachment representations to father.

Influence of maternal reflective functioning on mothers' and children's weight: A follow-up study.

Based on cross-sectional research linking poor reflective functionining (RF) to eating disorders, the current follow-up study tested whether maternal RF would explain the variance of mothers' and children's weight beyond the effects of maternal emotional dysregulation. During pregnancy (Time 1 [T1]), 51 women were administered the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS) and interviewed using the Adult Attachment Interview (AAI). Seven months after delivery (Time 2 [T2]), mother-baby dyads who remained in the study (n = 44) were videotaped (Feeding Scale) during their feeding interaction. Last (Time 3 [T3]), the weight of the 34 children who were still in the study was collected at 3 years of age. Maternal AAI-RF at T1 did not correlate with the DERS at T1 nor with the quality of the feeding interacions at T2. However, it correlated, significantly, with maternal body mass index (BMI) at T1, r = -.298, P = .034, and marginally significantly with baby's BMI at T3, r = -.296, P = .089. Moreover, multiple regression models showed a trend indicating that maternal AAI-RF might explain the variance of mothers' and children's weight beyond the effects of maternal emotional dysregulation. These findings suggest that working on maternal mentalization might contribute to helping prevent childhood obesity from pregnancy.

Objetivo: con base en la investigación de naturaleza transversal que conecta el pobre funcionamiento con reflexión (RF) con los trastornos de alimentación, el presente estudio de seguimiento examinó si el RF materno podría explicar la variación del peso de las madres y de los niños más allá de los efectos de la desregulación emocional materna. Método: durante el embarazo (T1), a 51 mujeres se les administró la Escala de Regulación de las Dificultades en la Emoción (DERS) y se les entrevistó usando la Entrevista de la Afectividad Adulta (AAI). Siete meses después del parto (T2), las díadas mamá-bebé que permanecían en el estudio (n = 44) fueron grabadas en video (Escala de Alimentación) durante su interacción de alimentación. Por último (T3), se determinó el peso de los 34 niños que aún estaban en el estudio a los tres años de edad. Resultados: la información materna de AAI-RF al T1 no se correlacionó con DERS al T1, ni tampoco con la calidad de las interacciones de alimentación al T2. Sin embargo, sí se correlacionó, significativamente, con BMI materno al T1 (r = −.298, p = .034), y marginalmente significativo, con el BMI del bebé al T3 (r = −.296, p = .089). Es más, los modelos de regresión múltiple mostraron una tendencia indicando que la AAI-RF materna pudiera explicar la variación del peso de las madres y de los niños más allá de los efectos de la desregulación emocional materna. Conclusiones: estos resultados sugieren que trabajar en la mentalización materna pudiera contribuir a ayudar a prevenir la obesidad en la niñez desde el embarazo.

Objectif: Se basant sur des recherches transversales liant un faible fonctionnement de réflexion (RF) aux troubles du comportement alimentaire, cette étude de suivi a testé si le RF maternel pouvait ou non expliquer la variance des poids des mères et des enfants au-delà des effets de la dysrégulation émotionnelle maternelle. Méthode: Durant la grossesse (T1), 51 femmes ont reçu l'Echelle de Difficultés de Régulation de l'Emotion (en anglais Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale, soit la DERS) et ont passé un entretien utilisant l'Entretien d'Attachement Adulte (Adult Attachment Interview, AAI). Sept mois après l'accouchement (T2), les dyades mère-bébé encore dans l'étude (n = 44) ont été filmées (Echelle d'Alimentation) durant leur interaction alimentaires. Enfin (T3), le poids des 34 enfants étant encore dans l'étude a été pris à l'âge de trois ans. Résultats: Le RF-AAI maternel au T1 n'était pas en corrélation avec la DERS au T1, ni avec la qualité des interactions alimentaires au T2. Cependant, il était corrélé, et de manière importante, avec l'IMC maternel au T1 (r = −,298, p = ,034), et de manière marginalement importante, avec l'IMC du bébé au T3 (r = −,296, p = ,089). De plus plusieurs modèles de régression ont montré une tendance indiquant le le RF-AAI maternel pourrait expliquer la variance des poids des mères et des enfants au delà des effets de la dysrégulation émotionnelle maternelle. Conclusions: Ces résultats suggèrent que le fait de travailler sur la mentalisation maternelle peut contribuer à aider à prévenir l'obésité de l'enfance dès la grossesse.

Representations of health, illness and care by Eastern European, South American and Italian nurses: A qualitative study.

This qualitative study analyses the social representations of health, illness and care, considering the similarities and differences between 30 nurses from different regions. We conducted three intra-ethnic focus groups and two inter-ethnic focus groups. This study shows similarities between the nurses' representations. All participants believed that the psychological sphere affects individual's health, that disease is an imbalance between physical and psychological factors and that interpersonal aspects are essential for care. Differences emerged regarding many facets. Eastern European nurses placed more importance on psychological aspects, South American nurses emphasised interpersonal relationships and Italian nurses focused their attention on economic aspects and their impact on health, illness and care.

Psychometric properties of the Postpartum Bonding Questionnaire and correlates of mother-infant bonding impairment in Italian new mothers.

OBJECTIVE: impaired maternal bonding is a risk factor for problems with infant well-being and development. The investigation of perinatal variables related to disorders of the mother-infant relationship as well as the administration of reliable and valid screening tools to new mothers in the postpartum can help identify early signs of a disturbed mother-child relationship. The Postpartum Bonding Questionnaire (PBQ) has been shown to be a valid screening instrument, but its dimensional structure is still controversial. An analysis of the literature demonstrated the need for research into the perinatal correlates of the quality of mother-newborn bonding as measured by the PBQ, and for information about the reliability and validity of the Italian version of the questionnaire. AIM: to (a) carry out preliminary analysis of the psychometric properties of an Italian version of the PBQ and (b) explore how mother-infant disturbances are related to relevant perinatal psychological variables. DESIGN: the research design consisted of a prenatal and a postnatal phase. SETTING: prenatal education classes delivered in public and private institutions. PARTICIPANTS: 123 pregnant Italian women were recruited from prenatal education classes. MEASUREMENTS: in the prenatal period participants completed a questionnaire measuring maternal-fetal attachment; at the postnatal assessment (3 months postpartum) participants completed the Italian PBQ together with measures of mother-infant attachment, the couple's adjustment and maternal psychological well-being. Exploratory factor analysis was used to investigate the factor structure of the PBQ. Internal consistencies were evaluated using Cronbach's alpha. Nomological validity was assessed via Pearson correlations. FINDINGS: a three-factor model provided the most meaningful representation of the PBQ data, with one factor reflecting annoyance and anger towards the infant, another reflecting detachment and rejection and the third reflecting anxiety about infant care. Internal consistencies were good. Impaired mother-infant bonding was negatively correlated with prenatal and postnatal mother-infant attachment and couple adjustment, as well as being positively correlated with maternal depressive symptoms. KEY CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: the Italian PBQ is a reliable, valid screening instrument and can be used for research, including transcultural comparisons in perinatal psychiatry. It can also be used clinically to detect signs of a disordered mother-child relationship. Knowledge of the variables generally associated with mother-infant bonding problems combined with data from postpartum administration of the PBQ could be used in midwifery to develop preventive programmes based on the specific needs of new mothers.

Attachment to Mother and Father at Transition to Middle Childhood.

The present study investigated concordance between representations of attachment to mother and attachment to father, and convergence between two narrative-based methods addressing these representations in middle childhood: the Manchester Child Attachment Story Task (MCAST) and the Secure Base Script Test (SBST). One hundred and twenty 6-year-old children were assessed by separate administrations of the MCAST for mother and father, respectively, and results showed concordance of representations of attachment to mother and attachment to father at age 6.5 years. 75 children were additionally tested about 12 months later, with the SBST, which assesses scripted knowledge of secure base (and safe haven), not differentiating between mother and father attachment relationships. Concerning attachment to father, dichotomous classifications (MCAST) and a continuous dimension capturing scripted secure base knowledge (MCAST) converged with secure base scriptedness (SBST), yet we could not show the same pattern of convergence concerning attachment to mother. Results suggest some convergence between the two narrative methods of assessment of secure base script but also highlight complications when using the MCAST for measuring attachment to father in middle childhood.

Prenatal Attachment Inventory: expanding the reliability and validity evidence using a sample of Italian women.

BACKGROUND: The Prenatal Attachment Inventory (PAI) is a widely used questionnaire to measure prenatal attachment. However, its internal structure is controversial. None of the previous studies have investigated the dimensions of the Italian version of the scale using both an exploratory and a confirmatory approach. There is also a need to explore extensively the external validity of the Italian PAI. OBJECTIVE: We designed a study aimed at shedding further light on the dimensionality of the questionnaire and expanding the evidence of its reliability and validity. METHOD: Five-hundred and thirty-five Italian expectant mothers participated in the prenatal phase; a subsample of 100 women participated in the postnatal phase of the study. The PAI was administered together with other scales measuring maternal-fetal attachment, psychological wellbeing and relational variables. RESULTS: The hypothesised relationships with external criteria were substantiated overall. The five dimensions described in the Italian study by Barone, Lionetti, and Dellagiulia also emerged from our factor analyses, with the exception of two items. Internal consistency was adequate for the total scale and for four of the five subscales. CONCLUSION: As the Fantasy subscale showed poor internal consistency, we advise against its use as an independent measure. However, when used as a global score, the PAI is a reliable and valid measure of prenatal attachment in Italian women. Thus, it can be used for research purposes. The use of the PAI could also be very helpful in clinical settings, in order to identify expectant mothers who have difficulty in establishing an affective bond with their unborn infants. To this end, further research should study the characteristics of the PAI on high-risk groups and clinical samples in order to obtain clinical cut-offs.

Gambling Disorder and Affect Regulation: The Role of Alexithymia and Attachment Style.

The aim of the present study was to explore the dimensions of alexithymia and attachment styles in a group of disordered gamblers and to evaluate the relationship between alexithymia, attachment styles, and the severity of gambling disorder. Sixty disordered gamblers diagnosed according to the diagnostic and statistical manual-5 filled out the Kurzfragebogen zum Glücksspielverhalten, the 20-Item Toronto Alexithymia Scale, and the Experiences in Close Relationships-Revised. Approximately 70 % of the sample displayed 'intermediate' and 'severe' gambling severity levels on the Kurzfragebogen zum Glücksspielverhalten, and 77 % showed 'high' or 'borderline' levels of alexithymia on the Toronto Alexithymia Scale (mean = 56.40). Regarding attachment styles, 70 % of the sample displayed an 'insecure' attachment, with a particularly high prevalence of the 'fearful' style (26.66 %). A linear regression analysis revealed that only the anxiety dimension of the Experiences in Close Relationships questionnaire predicted the severity of gambling. Our data appear to confirm that gambling disorder is characterised by emotional and relational dysregulation, and that pathological gambling behaviours may serve as external regulators of internal undifferentiated emotional states.

Dissociative Experiences and Psychopathology Among Inmates in Italian and Portuguese Prisons.

The association between dissociation and psychopathological symptoms is well established, yet studies with inmates are lacking. If higher rates of dissociation and psychiatric symptoms are reported in inmate samples, it is not clear whether they represent two separate, albeit related, characteristics. We examined the association between dissociation and psychopathological symptoms among 320 Italian subjects (122 inmates and 198 community participants) and a Portuguese inmate sample ( n = 67). Then, we tested whether dissociation and psychopathology levels were higher among inmates. Both hypotheses were supported, confirming the relevance of dissociative, paranoid, and psychotic symptoms among inmates, as well as their interrelations. Notably, the group difference in dissociation remained significant after partialing out the variance associated with other psychopathological symptoms. Conversely, only the difference in paranoid symptoms remained-marginally-significant when controlling for the influence of dissociation. This finding suggests that dissociation may have unique relevance for the psychological functioning of inmates.

Psychometric properties of a 20-item version of the Maternal-Fetal Attachment Scale in a sample of Italian expectant women.

OBJECTIVE: the Maternal-Fetal Attachment Scale (MFAS), a 24-item self-report questionnaire to measure the antenatal maternal feeling towards the unborn baby, was introduced by Mecca Cranley in 1981. Despite the widespread use of the questionnaire in clinical and research contexts, issues exist about its psychometric properties. An analysis of the literature showed the need for studies aimed at reviewing the MFAS by eliminating some items and modifying and "modernising" others. This study started from these suggestions and aimed to investigate the psychometric properties of a modified 20-item Italian version of the scale. DESIGN: the original MFAS was back translated and then administered to a pilot sample of 20 pregnant women in order to identify items hard to understand, inappropriate or ambiguous. On the basis of qualitative information derived from this pilot phase, we developed a 20-item Italian version of the MFAS that was later administered to a large sample of pregnant women. SETTING: antenatal education classes carried out in public and private structures of Italian central and insular regions. PARTICIPANTS: a sample of 482 women in middle and late pregnancy, attending antenatal education classes between February 2013 and October 2014. MEASUREMENTS: the modified MFAS was administered together with other scales measuring maternal-fetal attachment, psychological well-being, relational variables. Internal consistencies were evaluated using Cronbach׳s alpha. Nomological validity was assessed via Pearson correlations. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were used to test the factor structure. FINDINGS: the hypothesised relationships with external criteria were partially substantiated. Exploratory factor analyses suggested a three-dimensional structure. Confirmatory factor analyses provided general support for an oblique three-factor model. Internal consistency was adequate for the total scale and for two of the three subscales. KEY CONCLUSION AND IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: the 20-item Italian version of the MFAS is a reliable measure of maternal attachment to the fetus in Italian women. Cranley׳s five dimensions were not confirmed; instead, three factors emerged that could be renamed ׳Future parental roletaking׳, ׳Present interaction with the baby׳ and ׳Giving of self and responsibility to the unborn child׳. As maternal-fetal attachment is considered a predictor of the quality of the postnatal mother-child relationship, the MFAS could be a helpful tool in pre- and perinatal research and midwifery care to develop prevention programs based on women specific needs. Moreover, the availability of this questionnaire can assist in expanding research and in facilitating trans cultural comparison in issues related to pregnancy.

Investigating validity and reliability evidence for the Maternal Antenatal Attachment Scale in a sample of Italian women.

This study focused on the development of the emotional tie of the expectant mother towards her unborn child and aimed to achieve structural and external validity evidence for an Italian version of the Maternal Antenatal Attachment Scale (MAAS; Br J Med Psychol 66: 167-183, 1993). The MAAS was translated into Italian and was administered to a sample of 482 Italian expectant women (age 20-43 years), together with other questionnaires measuring maternal-fetal attachment, psychological well-being, and relational variables. The hypothesised relationships with external concurrent and predictive criteria were substantiated. Internal consistencies were adequate for the total scale and for one of the two subscales. Confirmatory factor analyses provided general support for an oblique two-factor model, with minor model misfit. Therefore, an exploratory factor analysis with oblimin rotation was performed. The findings suggested that some items may represent extraneous constructs. Implications for future research regarding the functioning of the instrument are addressed.

Scripted secure base knowledge and its relation to perceived social acceptance and competence in early middle childhood.

Attachment theory regards experiences with caregivers as the affective ground for the development of early images of self, possibly embedded in scripted secure-base knowledge as a rudimentary representation of early caregiver-child attachment relationships. However, the possible link between implicit representations of secure base availability - and the image of self in these representations - and explicit evaluations of self, is still unclear. The present study assessed whether implicit knowledge of secure-base interactions with caregivers is related to self-reported self-esteem in early middle childhood (N = 97 second-grade children). Results revealed that children with rich knowledge of secure base interactions perceived themselves not only as more accepted and appreciated by their peers and mothers but also as more cognitively competent, beyond actual differences in cognitive competence. Yet, given the limited strength of this link, the role of contextual factors beyond attachment ought to be considered in the assessment of self-perception in early middle childhood.

Does family drawing assess attachment representations of late-adopted children? A preliminary report.

BACKGROUND: Attachment representations of late-adopted children have usually been measured by attachment narratives or observational procedures. Recently an attachment-based coding system for family drawings was developed by attachment researchers and it was used both with clinical and nonclinical samples, but it has never been used with adoptees. METHOD: This study examined the differences between attachment representations of 29 late-adopted children aged 5-7 years (M = 6.35, 51.7% girls) and 12 non-adopted peers as assessed by family drawings, controlling for demographic variables and children's cognitive status. The attachment-based coding system of family drawings included three levels: (1) 24 individual markers, (2) eight global rating scales (1-7 points), and (3) four attachment categories (secure, avoidant, resistant, and disorganized). RESULTS: Late-adopted children assessed with the family drawings were more insecure on the attachment categories and achieved lower scores on positive global ratings such as the Vitality/Creativity and Family Pride/Happiness scales, higher scores on the Role Reversal scale, and a tendency toward higher scores on the Bizarreness/Dissociation scale. No difference emerged between the two groups regarding the individual markers. CONCLUSIONS: Family drawing seemed to be a useful tool for classifying attachment representations, and able to capture underlying mental states that it was hard for late-adopted children to express in words.

Psychometric properties of an Italian version of the Experiences in Close Relationships-Revised (ECR-R) Scale.

This study examined the psychometric properties of a newly translated Italian version of the Experiences in Close Relationships-Revised (ECR-R) Scale. The sample comprised 1,363 adults (906 women, 456 men, 1 unreported sex; ages 18-64 yr., M = 33.4, SD = 8.9; 84.4% reported being engaged in a romantic relationship, 9.4% declared being single), all living in Italy and speaking Italian as their first language. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses showed the expected bi-factorial (anxiety/avoidance) structure and a close correspondence between factors and scales. Test-retest and internal consistency reliabilities were adequate. Correlations with the Relationship Questionnaire, a categorical measure of attachment, and with the Dyadic Adjustment Scale were consistent with the theoretical relations among the constructs. The findings confirm the transcultural validity of the ECR-R.

The impact of maternal overweight and emotion regulation on early eating behaviors.

Empirical data indicate that the risk for childhood obesity and overweight increases when one or both parents are overweight or obese. Such an association, however, cannot be entirely explained only by biological factors. Based on available literature, we hypothesized that maternal emotion regulation might play a role in explaining the intergenerational transfer of overweight and obesity. We conducted a quasi-experimental, longitudinal study: (step I) during the third trimester of pregnancy of 65 Italian women (33 overweight and 32 non-overweight), the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale were administered to assess the quality of their emotion regulation strategies; and (step II) seven months after the delivery, the feeding interactions between the participants and their babies were evaluated in a 20-minute video-recording, by using the Italian version of the Observational Scale for Mother-Infant Interaction during Feeding. When compared to the non-overweight group, the overweight group had more difficulties in emotion regulation, was more psychologically distressed, and had poorer feeding interactions with their babies. Perhaps more importantly, the extent to which the participants were suffering difficulties in emotion regulation during pregnancy predicted, significantly, and beyond the effects of pre-pregnancy maternal weight, the quality of the mother-child feeding interactions 7months after the delivery.