Module 11 - Attachment and Family Environment

Question 1

Romanian adoption study

Answer 1

• 1980s
• orphans spent 18 hours alone
• long lasting effects when adopted: intellectual/attention deficits, emotion regulation difficulties, abnormal social behaviour
• the more time spend in orphanage = more pronounced deficits

Question 2

parent-child bond as classical conditioning

Answer 2

UCS: breast milk
UCR: satiation, pleasure
CR: mother
- mothers were just seen as glorified baby food dispensers
- very over simplistic arguments to why parents develop strong bonds with their care givers

Question 3

harlow’s baby monkeys

Answer 3

provided monkeys with cloth and wire mother
- monkeys were feed by either the cloth or wire mother
- time spent with each mother was recorded
- testing if the babies bond best with the mother that feeds them
- fed by cloth mother, spent most time with cloth mother
- fed by wire mother, still spent more time with the cloth mother (increased as age went up even when this mother provided no food or anything with them)
- monkeys were drawn more to comfort over food

• when in unfamiliar situation, with no cloth mother near, they would be highly distressed
• when mother came around, monkey was able to explore as they had a sense of secruity

Question 4

Bowlby’s attachment theory

Answer 4

• argued that children are biologically predisposed to develop attachments
• caregiver provides a secure base for the children can be able to explore the world
• providing safety and emotional support to the child
• an internal working model of attachment

Question 5

Ainsworth’s strange situation procedure

Answer 5

• factors of caregiver quality: how the infant can rely on the caregiver as a secure base and how the infant reacts to separations/reunions with the caregiver
• stud was a structured observation in which a child is placed in an unfamiliar content (child, caregiver and a stranger)
• 8 episodes or 3 minutes
• used to identify attachment styles
• between-subjects approach
• only sued for children in ages 1-3

Question 6

what are the 8 episodes of the strange situation procedure?

Answer 6

1: intro to the testing environment: parent and child into environment
2: child is allowed to explored the room, parent is stayed seated, looking at how child used the parent
3: intro to stranger, looking at how the infant reacts
4: parent leaves the room, stranger interacts with child, looking at how the child responds to parent leaving and stragner approaching
5. parent comes back and stranger leaves the room, looking at how the child responds to the parent coming back
6. care giver leaves once again, looking at how the child reacts to being alone
7. stranger comes back and interacts with child, looking at wether the child is able to be soother by the stranger
8. parent comes back to reunite with child

Question 7

attachment styles

Answer 7

1. secure: 50-60%
2. insecure/resistant: 9%
   3: insecure/avoidant: 15%
3. disorganized/disoriented: 15%

Question 8

secure attachment

Answer 8

• in strange situation, they with explore the room and check in with their caregiver regularly
• when the aprent leaves, they will express distressed
• when the parent comes back, become quickly soothed

Question 9

insecure resistant attachment

Answer 9

• clingly to parent right from the beginning
• when paretn ealves, become very distraught
• when parent returns, become needy and resistant to being consoled, unable to be soothedin

Question 10

insecure-avoidant attachment

Answer 10

• avoid caregiver and pay very little attention
• when leaves, don’t really care
• when they come back, don’t really care again
• doesn’t show to have a strong sense of worry with stranger interaction

Question 11

disorganized attachment

Answer 11

• no consistent pattern of emotion and behaviour
• confused and mixed emotion
• want to both approach and avoid caregiver

Question 12

influence of parenting on attachment

Answer 12

secure: foster a warm, positive, trusting relationship, high in parental sensitivity (expression of warmth), respond quickly to crying, mutual smiling, predictable

insecure resistant: appears anxious and overwhelmed, responds promptly to distress, show that negative emotions are coming up

insecure avoidant: unresponsive, indifferent, emotionally unavailable, may reject attempts at closeness

disorganized: parents may exhibit frightening, disorienting, abusive behaviour, parent may be struggling with trauma/mental health and may have had disorganzied growing up themselves

Question 13

interventions for attachment

Answer 13

• participation in positive paretning behaviours to increase the likelihood of secure attachment by 3x
• can target parents beliefs and behaviours to challenge their assumptions about child intentions/capacities
• providing healthy behaviours over frightening beahviuors

Question 14

attachment development

Answer 14

• moderately stable over time
• is able to be changed from big events to personal growth
• stranger situation is aged 1-3
• growing up will uses questionnaires and interviews
• adolescence will rely on parents while they start to slowly establish their own autonomy

Question 15

health outcomes of the attachment styles

Answer 15

secure: view sharing emotions with others as important, understand others emotions, better self-regulation, greater mental health

insecure avoidant: more likely to inhibit emotion, avoid seeking comfort in others, higher risk of mental disorders

Question 16

peer/romantic relationships with attachment styles

Answer 16

secure: closer peer relationships, higher sociability, social competence, more likely to have positive romantic realtionships

insecure resistance: social withdrawal

insecure avoidant: higher rates of aggression and delinquency

Question 17

other attachment figures

Answer 17

• other parent
• grandparents, other family members
• childcare professional
  social support has very positive effects

Question 18

family structure

Answer 18

the number of and the relationships among the people living in a typical house
- 1960: mom, dad and kids
- modern: 30% of children living with lone parent, stepfamily, or apart from their parent
- parents are also getting older for when they have their first child
- families are also smaller in modern times

Question 19

modern families

Answer 19

• same gender parents provide no difference in parenting styles towards their children
• divorce: increase in parental stress (before and after), disruption of routines, children can get caught up in their parents disputes (increase risk of anxiety and depression)
• children of diverse are more prone to mental health issues, school and behavioural problems
• stepfamilies: opportunities for a new supportive adults, behavioural/mental health benefits, problems can occur if that relationship becomes strained or they take on too much control or introduce hostility

Question 20

parenting styles

Answer 20

behaviuors and attitudes that set the emotional climate in ragers to parent-child interactions
- lots of variablilty
- important predictor for child outcomes
- warm/responsiveness
- control/demandingness

Question 21

warm/responsiveness of parents

Answer 21

• how affectionate and pleasant apretns are
• how quickly and appropriately parents responds to child need

Question 22

control/demandingness of parents

Answer 22

• the extent to which parents monitor and manage children’s behaviour with rules
• expectations that the child will follow parents’ guidelines and live up to their standards

Question 23

authoritarian parenting

Answer 23

• high control and low warmth
• exercise harsh authority without providing justification or engaging in dialogue
• value obedience above all
• they want to be in control in all situations, understand hierarchy
• use combos of threats, punishment, and withdrawal of affection

associated with: depression, aggression, low self-esteem, academic and social difficulties, rebelling against parents to integrate values

Question 24

uninvolved parenting

Answer 24

• low warmth and low control
• low levels of emotional support, few boundaries, little parenting monitoring
• general disengagement, parents focus on their own needs over their child

associated with: insecure attachment, lower social competence, low peer relationship quality, poor coping skills

Question 25

permissive parenting

Answer 25

• high warmth and low control
• very lenient, give in to children’s demands
• fail to promote self-regulation
• emphasize freedom over personal responsibility
• few boundaries or expectations
• little to no discipline

associated with: poor self-regulation, high impulsivity, misconduct, drug use, low academic acheivement

Question 26

authoritative parenting

Answer 26

• high control and high warmth
• calm, affectionate, engaged
• allow the child to exercise healthy autonomy but still set boundaries, EXPLAIN why they exist to foster learning

associated with: social and academic competence, coping skills, self-reliance, prosocial behaviour, low rates or risky and problematic behaviours

Question 27

child maltreatment

Answer 27

action or failure toa ct on the part of a aprent of caretaker that results in physical or national harm to a child or a risk of serious harm
- abuse and neglect

Question 28

types of maltreatment

Answer 28

1. neglect: failure to provide physical and psychological necessities (VERY COMMON)
2. physical abuse: use of unreasonable force with children (COMMON)
3. emotional harm: behaviour that demeans or criticizes children, or withholds love from them (COMMON)
4. sexual abuse: sexuala cts of exploitations involving children
5. exposure to family violence: exposure to violence occurring to/between other family members (MOST COMMON)

Question 29

what are some predictors of maltreatment

Answer 29

• parents cognitive/behavioural characteristics
• lack of knowledge about child needs
• difficulties coping with stress and regulating emotions
• lack of necessary support and resources (poverty, housing, etc.)
• physical and mental health issues (intergenerational trauma)
• parents getting maltreatment themselves

Question 30

consequences of maltreatment

Answer 30

short term effects:
- physical harm
- negative emotions (early as 3 months olds)
- greater reactivity to threats and anger cues, fight or flight response
- more likely to develop disorganized attachment

long term effects:
- negative social and emotional outcomes (substance use, suicidality)
- negative impacts of physical health (heart disease, cancer)

Question 31

preventing child maltreatment

Answer 31

1. strengthen economic situations of families
2. changing social norms and promoting positive parenting behaviours
3. provide quality early education to children
4. enhance parenting skills, accessible parent education programs
5. intervene to help children and prevent recurrence of maltreatment