Applicability and attachment findings of the Strange Situation Paradigm in infants with visual impairment.

Attachment studies with diverse populations enrich the understanding of infants' socioemotional development by documenting both universal and idiosyncratic aspects of attachment. Given the effects of attachment in children's socioemotional outcomes, such studies are necessary to investigate the impact of children's sensory impairments on attachment development. Yet, very little attachment research has focused on infants with visual impairment (VI infants), a population in which infant-caregiver emotional exchanges through visual means are reduced/absent. We investigated the applicability of the Strange Situation Paradigm (SSP), with added instructions to compensate for degraded visual input, in 20 VI infants (with no additional disabilities and who were receiving developmental counseling). In all but 1 of the SSPs coded, VI infants displayed observable attachment behavior that was classifiable. Nineteen VI infants showed attachment by 12 months of age. Across the ages tested (fractional age range = 0.9-2.33 months), most VI infants' attachment patterns were classified as secure and organized.

Los estudios sobre la afectividad con grupos diversos enriquecen la comprensión acerca del desarrollo socio-emocional de los infantes ya que documentan tanto los aspectos universales como idiosincráticos de la afectividad. Dados los efectos de la afectividad en los resultados socio-emocionales de los niños, tales estudios son necesarios para investigar el impacto que los impedimentos sensoriales de los niños tienen en el desarrollo de la afectividad. Aun así, poca investigación sobre la afectividad se ha enfocado en infantes con impedimentos visuales (infantes VI), un grupo en el cual los intercambios emocionales por medios visuales entre el infante y quien le cuida son reducidos o no existen. Nosotros investigamos la aplicabilidad del Paradigma de la Situación Extraña (SSP), con instrucciones adicionales para compensar por la debilitada interacción visual, en 20 infantes VI (que no presentaban ninguna discapacidad adicional y quienes recibían consejería sobre el desarrollo). En todos los casos codificados como SSP, excepto en uno, los infantes VI mostraron una conducta de afectividad observable la cual era clasificable. Diecinueve infantes VI mostraron afectividad para los 12 meses de edad. A lo largo de la gama de edades examinadas (promedio de edad fraccional = 0.9-2.33), la mayoría de los patrones de afectividad de los infantes VI fueron clasificados como seguros y organizados.

Les études sur l'attachement avec des populations diverses enrichissent la compréhension du développement socio-émotionnel des nourrissons en documentant à la fois les aspects universels et les aspects idiosyncratiques de l'attachement. Au vu des effets de l'attachement dans les résultats socio-émotionnels des enfants, de telles études sont nécessaires afin d'enquêter sur l'impact des déficiences sensorielles des enfants sur le développement de l'attachement. Cependant très peu de recherches sur l'attachement ont porté sur le handicap visuel des nourrissons (nourrissons VI), une population chez qui l'échange émotionnel nourrisson-personne s'occupant du nourrisson au travers de moyens visuels est réduit/absent. Nos recherches ont porté sur l'applicabilité du Paradigme de Situation Etrange (SSP), avec des directives ajoutées pour compenser la saisie visuelle dégradée, chez 20 nourrissons (sans aucun autre handicap et qui étaient en consultation pour leur développement). Dans tous sauf 1 des points SSP codés, les nourrissons VI ont fait état d'un comportement d'attachement observable qui était classifiable. Dix-neuf des nourrissons CI ont fait preuve d'attachement à l'âge de 12 mois. Au travers des âges testés (étendue fractionnelle d'âge = 0,9-2,33), la plupart des patterns d'attachement des nourrissons ont été classifiés comme étant sécures et organisés.

Association between maternal childhood maltreatment and mother-infant attachment disorganization: Moderation by maternal oxytocin receptor gene and cortisol secretion.

This study examined maternal oxytocin receptor (OXTR, rs53576) genotype and cortisol secretion as moderators of the relation between maternal childhood maltreatment history and disorganized mother-infant attachment in the Strange Situation Procedure (SSP). A community sample of 314 mother-infant dyads completed the SSP at infant age 17 months. Self-reported maltreatment history more strongly predicted mother-infant attachment disorganization score and disorganized classification for mothers with more plasticity alleles of OXTR (G), relative to mothers with fewer plasticity alleles. Maltreatment history also more strongly predicted mother-infant attachment disorganization score and classification for mothers with higher SSP cortisol secretion, relative to mothers with lower SSP cortisol secretion. Findings indicate that maltreatment history is related to disorganization in the next generation, but that this relation depends on maternal genetic characteristics and cortisol.

Preoccupied but not dismissing attachment states of mind are associated with nonsuicidal self-injury.

In this investigation the factor structure of the Adult Attachment Interview was studied in a partially at-risk sample of 120 young adults. More specifically, 60 participants had engaged in nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI; 53 females, M age = 20.38 years), and 60 were non-self-injuring controls matched by age and sex. Theoretically anticipated differential associations between preoccupied (but not dismissing) states of mind and NSSI were then examined. Exploratory factor analyses identified evidence for two weakly correlated state of mind dimensions (i.e., dismissing and preoccupied) consistently identified in factor analyses of normative-risk samples. As hypothesized, results further showed that preoccupied (but not dismissing) states of mind were associated with NSSI behavior. Findings support existing arguments suggesting that the regulatory strategy adults adopt when discussing attachment-related experiences with primary caregivers, particularly passive, angry, or unresolved discourse patterns, is uniquely correlated with NSSI.

Children's judgments about ownership rights and body rights: Evidence for a common basis.

We report two experiments supporting the theory that children's understanding of ownership rights is related to their notions of body rights. Experiment 1 investigated 4- to 7-year-olds' (N=123) developing sensitivity to physical contact in their judgments about the acceptability of behaving in relation to owned objects and body parts. Experiment 2 used a simpler design to investigate this in 3- and 4-year-olds (N=112). Findings confirmed two predictions of the theory. First, in both experiments, children's judgments about ownership and body rights were similarly affected by physical contact. Second, judgments about both kinds of rights were yoked in development; age-related changes in judgments about ownership rights were paralleled by changes in judgments about body rights. Our findings have additional import for theories of ownership rights because they suggest that physical contact may be a crucial factor in whether behaviors targeting property are judged to be permissible.