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Attachment dimensions and problem behaviors in middle-childhood children: a comparative study in terms of maternal mental health

Year 2023, Volume: 34 Issue: 2, 453 - 467, 30.04.2023
https://doi.org/10.33417/tsh.1152568

Abstract

This study aimed to examine the differences between middle-childhood children of mothers receiving and not receiving mental health services in terms of attachment dimensions and problem behaviors, and the relationship of problem behaviors in middle-childhood children with some socio-demographic variables.
Using quantitative research method, this study had two sample groups: the study and comparison groups. Additionally, it involved a total of 127 mothers and 127 children in the 9-14 age group, including 62 mothers and their children in the study group (receiving mental health services) and 65 mothers and their children in the comparison group (not receiving mental health services). For data collection, the following scales were applied to both groups. The data collecting process consisted of the Personal Information Form, the Experiences in Close Relationships Scale II – Middle-Childhood, and the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (AB 4-16).
The results showed that the study group children tended to have insecure attachment and problematic behaviors more than the comparison group children. In addition to mother’s need for mental health services, mother’s educational level, child’s birth after an unplanned pregnancy, and separation from one or both parents for a period were also considered as important factors affecting problem behaviors in children.
This study revealed the preventable factors in the development of problem behaviors in children. These results contribute to the practices of mental health professionals and the role of child welfare systems in developing protective-preventive services.

References

  • Belsky, J. & Fearon, R. M. P. (2008). Precursors of attachment security. In J. Cassidy & P. R. Shaver (Eds.), Handbook of attachment theory and research (2nd ed., pp.295-316). Guilford Press.
  • Biringen, Z., Brown, D., Donaldson, L., Green, S., Krcmarik,S., & Lovas, G. (2000). Adult attachment interview: Linkages with dimensions of emotional availability for mothers and their pre-kindergarteners. Attachment & Human Development, 2, 188–202. https://doi.org/10.1080/14616730050085554.
  • Bowlby, J. (1973). Attachment and loss: Vol. 2. Separation: Anxiety and anger. Basic Books.
  • Bowlby, J. (1988). A secure base: Parent-child attachment and healthy human development. Basic Books.
  • Brenning, K., Soenens, B., Braet, C. & Bal S. (2012). The role of parenting and mother-adolescent attachment in the intergenerational similarity of internalizing symptoms. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 41(6), 802–816. https://doi:10.1007/s10964-011-9740-9. Brook, J. S., Lee, J. Y., Finch, S. J. & Brown, E. N. (2012). The association of externalizing behavior and parent-child relationships: an intergenerational study. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 21(3), 418–427. https://doi:10.1007/s10826-011-9493-9.
  • Brown, L. S., & Wright, J. (2003). The relationship between attachment strategies and psychopathology in adolescence. Psychology and psychotherapy, 76(4), 351–367. https://doi.org/10.1348/147608303770584728.
  • Conger, R. D., Wallace, L. E., Sun, Y., Simons, R. L.,McLoyd, V. C., & Brody, G. H. (2002). Economic pressurein African American families: A replication and extension of the family stress model. Developmental Psychology, 38, 179–193. https://doi.org/10.1037/0012- 1649.38.2.179.
  • Cyr, C., Euser, E. M., Bakermans-Kranenburg, M. J., & van IJzendoorn, M. H. (2010). Attachment security and disorganization in maltreating and high-risk families: A series of meta-analyses. Development and Psychopathology,22, 87–108. https://doi.org/10.1017/s0954579409990289.
  • Das Eiden, R., Teti, D. M., & Corns, K. M. (1995). Maternal working models of attachment, marital adjustment, and the parent–child relationship. Child Development,66, 1504–1518. https://doi.org/10.2307/1131660.
  • Erdim, L., İnal, S., Bozkurt, G. (2015). Psikiyatrik hastalığı olan ebeveynle yaşamanın çocuklar üzerine etkisi. Sağlık Bilimleri ve Meslekleri Dergisi, 2(2): 233-240. https://doi: 10.17681/hsp.53760.
  • Güvenir, T., Özbek, A., Baykara, B., Arkar, H., Şentürk, B. & İncekaş, S. (2008). Güçler ve güçlükler anketinin Türkçe uyarlamasının psikometrik özellikleri. Çocuk ve Gençlik Ruh Sağlığı Dergisi,15(2), 65-74.
  • Hill, J. (2004). Parental psychiatric disorder and attachment. In M. Göpfert, J. Webster & M. Seeman (Eds.), Parental psychiatric disorder: distressed parents and their families (2nd ed., pp. 50-61). Cambridge University Press. https://doi:10.1017/CBO9780511543838.006.
  • Howe D, Brandon M, Hinings D, Schofield G (1999). Attachment Theory, child maltreatment and family support: A practice and assessment model. Macmillan Press UK and Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-349-14975-9.
  • Kırımer, F., Akça, E. & Sümer, N. (2014). Orta çocuklukta anneye kaygılı ve kaçınan bağlanma : Yakın İlişkilerde Yaşantılar Envanteri-II Orta Çocukluk Dönemi Ölçeğinin Türkçeye uyarlanması. Türk Psikoloji Yazıları,17(33), 45–57.
  • Leijdesdorff, S., van Doesum, K., Popma, A., Klaassen, R., & van Amelsvoort, T. (2017). Prevalence of psychopathology in children of parents with mental illness and/or addiction. Current Opinion in Psychiatry, 30(4), 312–317. https://doi:10.1097/yco.0000000000000341.
  • Nakash-Eisikovits, O., Dutra, L. &Westen, D. (2000). Relationship between attachment patterns and personality pathology in adolescents. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry, 41,1111-1123. https://doi.org/10.1097/00004583-200209000-00012.
  • Numanbayraktaroglu, S. (2010). Language, self and context: Socio-historical constitution and interactionalactualization of the self through discourse genres; the case of Turkish heteroglossia [unpublished doctoral dissertation] University of Chicago.
  • Oyserman, D., Mowbray, C.T., Meares, P.A. & Firminger, K.B. (2000). Parenting among mothers with a serious mental illness. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry,70(3), 296-315. https://doi.org/10.1037/h0087733.
  • Parrigon, K. S., Kerns, K. A., Abtahi, M. M., & Koehn, A. (2015). Attachment and emotion in middle childhood and adolescence. Psihologijske Teme, 24(1), 27–50.
  • Sampson, M., Villarreal, Y. & Padilla, Y. (2015). Association between support and maternal stress at one year postpartum: Does type matter? Social Work Research, 39(1), 49–60. https://doi.org/10.1093/swr/svu031.
  • Selçuk, E., Günaydın, G., Sümer, N. & Uysal, A. (2005). Yetişkin bağlanma boyutlan için yeni bir ölçüm: Yakın İlişkilerde Yaşantılar Envanteri-II’nin Türk örnekleminde psikometrik açıdan değerlendirilmesi. Türk Psikoloji Yazıları, 8(16), 1–11.
  • Sette, G., Coppola, G. & Cassiba, R. (2015). The transmission of attachment across generations: The state of art and new theoretical perspectives. Scandinavian Journal of Psychology, 56(3), 315-326. https://doi: 10.1111/sjop.12212.
  • Sümer, N. & Anafarta-Şendağ, M. (2009). Orta çocukluk döneminde ebeveynlere bağlanma, benlik algısı ve kaygı. Türk Psikoloji Dergisi,24, 86-101.
  • Sümer, N., Sakman, E., Harma, M. & Savaş,Ö. (2016). Turkishmothers’ attachment orientations and mental representations of their children. Journal of Reproductive and Infant Psychology, 34(1), 49-63.https://doi.org/10.1080/02646838.2015.1092020.
  • VanIJzendoorn, M. H.& Bakermans-Kranenburg, M. J. (1997). Intergenerational transmission of attachment: A move to the contextual level. In J. Atkinson, K. J. Zucker (Eds.), Attachment and psychopathology (pp. 135-170). Guilford Press.
  • VanIJzendoorn, M. H., & Bakermans-Kranenburg, M. J. (2018). Bridges across the intergenerational transmission of attachment gap. Current opinion in psychology, 25, 31–36. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.copsyc.2018.02.014.
  • Walsh, J., Schofield, G., Harris, G., Vostanis, P., Oyebode, F. & Coulthard, H. (2009). Attachment and coping strategies in middle childhood children whose mothers have a mental health problem: Implications for social work practice. The British Journal of Social Work, 39(1), 81–98. https://doi.org/10.1093/bjsw/bcm090.
  • Yamane K., Yamashita H., Katsuki D. & Yoshida K. (2020) Parents with Psychiatric Conditions. In: E. Taylor, F. Verhulst, J. Wong, K. Yoshida, A. Nikapota (eds) Mental Health and Illness of Children and Adolescents. Mental Health and Illness Worldwide. Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-0753-8_24-1.
  • Zachrisson, H.D. (2009). Attachment in middle and late childhood. Measurement validation and relation to mental health problems (Publication No. 167). [Doctoral dissertation, University of Oslo]. Norwegian Institute of Public Health Division of Mental Health.

Attachment dimensions and problem behaviors in middle-childhood children of women receiving service from a psychiatry clinic

Year 2023, Volume: 34 Issue: 2, 453 - 467, 30.04.2023
https://doi.org/10.33417/tsh.1152568

Abstract

This study aimed to examine the differences between middle-childhood children of mothers receiving and not receiving mental health services in terms of attachment dimensions and problem behaviors, and the relationship of problem behaviors in middle-childhood children with some socio-demographic variables.
Using quantitative research method, this study had two sample groups: the study and comparison groups. Additionally, it involved a total of 127 mothers and 127 children in the 9-14 age group, including 62 mothers and their children in the study group (receiving mental health services) and 65 mothers and their children in the comparison group (not receiving mental health services). For data collection, the following scales were applied to both groups. The data collecting process consisted of the Personal Information Form, the Experiences in Close Relationships Scale II – Middle-Childhood, and the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (AB 4-16).
The results showed that the study group children tended to have insecure attachment and problematic behaviors more than the comparison group children. In addition to mother’s need for mental health services, mother’s educational level, child’s birth after an unplanned pregnancy, and separation from one or both parents for a period were also considered as important factors affecting problem behaviors in children.
This study revealed the preventable factors in the development of problem behaviors in children. These results contribute to the practices of mental health professionals and the role of child welfare systems in developing protective-preventive services.

References

  • Belsky, J. & Fearon, R. M. P. (2008). Precursors of attachment security. In J. Cassidy & P. R. Shaver (Eds.), Handbook of attachment theory and research (2nd ed., pp.295-316). Guilford Press.
  • Biringen, Z., Brown, D., Donaldson, L., Green, S., Krcmarik,S., & Lovas, G. (2000). Adult attachment interview: Linkages with dimensions of emotional availability for mothers and their pre-kindergarteners. Attachment & Human Development, 2, 188–202. https://doi.org/10.1080/14616730050085554.
  • Bowlby, J. (1973). Attachment and loss: Vol. 2. Separation: Anxiety and anger. Basic Books.
  • Bowlby, J. (1988). A secure base: Parent-child attachment and healthy human development. Basic Books.
  • Brenning, K., Soenens, B., Braet, C. & Bal S. (2012). The role of parenting and mother-adolescent attachment in the intergenerational similarity of internalizing symptoms. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 41(6), 802–816. https://doi:10.1007/s10964-011-9740-9. Brook, J. S., Lee, J. Y., Finch, S. J. & Brown, E. N. (2012). The association of externalizing behavior and parent-child relationships: an intergenerational study. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 21(3), 418–427. https://doi:10.1007/s10826-011-9493-9.
  • Brown, L. S., & Wright, J. (2003). The relationship between attachment strategies and psychopathology in adolescence. Psychology and psychotherapy, 76(4), 351–367. https://doi.org/10.1348/147608303770584728.
  • Conger, R. D., Wallace, L. E., Sun, Y., Simons, R. L.,McLoyd, V. C., & Brody, G. H. (2002). Economic pressurein African American families: A replication and extension of the family stress model. Developmental Psychology, 38, 179–193. https://doi.org/10.1037/0012- 1649.38.2.179.
  • Cyr, C., Euser, E. M., Bakermans-Kranenburg, M. J., & van IJzendoorn, M. H. (2010). Attachment security and disorganization in maltreating and high-risk families: A series of meta-analyses. Development and Psychopathology,22, 87–108. https://doi.org/10.1017/s0954579409990289.
  • Das Eiden, R., Teti, D. M., & Corns, K. M. (1995). Maternal working models of attachment, marital adjustment, and the parent–child relationship. Child Development,66, 1504–1518. https://doi.org/10.2307/1131660.
  • Erdim, L., İnal, S., Bozkurt, G. (2015). Psikiyatrik hastalığı olan ebeveynle yaşamanın çocuklar üzerine etkisi. Sağlık Bilimleri ve Meslekleri Dergisi, 2(2): 233-240. https://doi: 10.17681/hsp.53760.
  • Güvenir, T., Özbek, A., Baykara, B., Arkar, H., Şentürk, B. & İncekaş, S. (2008). Güçler ve güçlükler anketinin Türkçe uyarlamasının psikometrik özellikleri. Çocuk ve Gençlik Ruh Sağlığı Dergisi,15(2), 65-74.
  • Hill, J. (2004). Parental psychiatric disorder and attachment. In M. Göpfert, J. Webster & M. Seeman (Eds.), Parental psychiatric disorder: distressed parents and their families (2nd ed., pp. 50-61). Cambridge University Press. https://doi:10.1017/CBO9780511543838.006.
  • Howe D, Brandon M, Hinings D, Schofield G (1999). Attachment Theory, child maltreatment and family support: A practice and assessment model. Macmillan Press UK and Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-349-14975-9.
  • Kırımer, F., Akça, E. & Sümer, N. (2014). Orta çocuklukta anneye kaygılı ve kaçınan bağlanma : Yakın İlişkilerde Yaşantılar Envanteri-II Orta Çocukluk Dönemi Ölçeğinin Türkçeye uyarlanması. Türk Psikoloji Yazıları,17(33), 45–57.
  • Leijdesdorff, S., van Doesum, K., Popma, A., Klaassen, R., & van Amelsvoort, T. (2017). Prevalence of psychopathology in children of parents with mental illness and/or addiction. Current Opinion in Psychiatry, 30(4), 312–317. https://doi:10.1097/yco.0000000000000341.
  • Nakash-Eisikovits, O., Dutra, L. &Westen, D. (2000). Relationship between attachment patterns and personality pathology in adolescents. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry, 41,1111-1123. https://doi.org/10.1097/00004583-200209000-00012.
  • Numanbayraktaroglu, S. (2010). Language, self and context: Socio-historical constitution and interactionalactualization of the self through discourse genres; the case of Turkish heteroglossia [unpublished doctoral dissertation] University of Chicago.
  • Oyserman, D., Mowbray, C.T., Meares, P.A. & Firminger, K.B. (2000). Parenting among mothers with a serious mental illness. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry,70(3), 296-315. https://doi.org/10.1037/h0087733.
  • Parrigon, K. S., Kerns, K. A., Abtahi, M. M., & Koehn, A. (2015). Attachment and emotion in middle childhood and adolescence. Psihologijske Teme, 24(1), 27–50.
  • Sampson, M., Villarreal, Y. & Padilla, Y. (2015). Association between support and maternal stress at one year postpartum: Does type matter? Social Work Research, 39(1), 49–60. https://doi.org/10.1093/swr/svu031.
  • Selçuk, E., Günaydın, G., Sümer, N. & Uysal, A. (2005). Yetişkin bağlanma boyutlan için yeni bir ölçüm: Yakın İlişkilerde Yaşantılar Envanteri-II’nin Türk örnekleminde psikometrik açıdan değerlendirilmesi. Türk Psikoloji Yazıları, 8(16), 1–11.
  • Sette, G., Coppola, G. & Cassiba, R. (2015). The transmission of attachment across generations: The state of art and new theoretical perspectives. Scandinavian Journal of Psychology, 56(3), 315-326. https://doi: 10.1111/sjop.12212.
  • Sümer, N. & Anafarta-Şendağ, M. (2009). Orta çocukluk döneminde ebeveynlere bağlanma, benlik algısı ve kaygı. Türk Psikoloji Dergisi,24, 86-101.
  • Sümer, N., Sakman, E., Harma, M. & Savaş,Ö. (2016). Turkishmothers’ attachment orientations and mental representations of their children. Journal of Reproductive and Infant Psychology, 34(1), 49-63.https://doi.org/10.1080/02646838.2015.1092020.
  • VanIJzendoorn, M. H.& Bakermans-Kranenburg, M. J. (1997). Intergenerational transmission of attachment: A move to the contextual level. In J. Atkinson, K. J. Zucker (Eds.), Attachment and psychopathology (pp. 135-170). Guilford Press.
  • VanIJzendoorn, M. H., & Bakermans-Kranenburg, M. J. (2018). Bridges across the intergenerational transmission of attachment gap. Current opinion in psychology, 25, 31–36. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.copsyc.2018.02.014.
  • Walsh, J., Schofield, G., Harris, G., Vostanis, P., Oyebode, F. & Coulthard, H. (2009). Attachment and coping strategies in middle childhood children whose mothers have a mental health problem: Implications for social work practice. The British Journal of Social Work, 39(1), 81–98. https://doi.org/10.1093/bjsw/bcm090.
  • Yamane K., Yamashita H., Katsuki D. & Yoshida K. (2020) Parents with Psychiatric Conditions. In: E. Taylor, F. Verhulst, J. Wong, K. Yoshida, A. Nikapota (eds) Mental Health and Illness of Children and Adolescents. Mental Health and Illness Worldwide. Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-0753-8_24-1.
  • Zachrisson, H.D. (2009). Attachment in middle and late childhood. Measurement validation and relation to mental health problems (Publication No. 167). [Doctoral dissertation, University of Oslo]. Norwegian Institute of Public Health Division of Mental Health.
There are 29 citations in total.

Details

Primary Language English
Subjects Sociology (Other)
Journal Section Articles
Authors

Hacer Taşkıran Tepe 0000-0002-1500-6582

Emine Özmete 0000-0002-9264-5660

Publication Date April 30, 2023
Submission Date August 2, 2022
Published in Issue Year 2023 Volume: 34 Issue: 2

Cite

APA Taşkıran Tepe, H., & Özmete, E. (2023). Attachment dimensions and problem behaviors in middle-childhood children of women receiving service from a psychiatry clinic. Toplum Ve Sosyal Hizmet, 34(2), 453-467. https://doi.org/10.33417/tsh.1152568