Centre for Child and Family Studies, Leiden University.
Dev Psychol. 2012 Sep;48(5):1277-1282. doi: 10.1037/a0027442. Epub 2012 Feb 27.
In a longitudinal study with 125 early adopted adolescents, we examined continuity of attachment from infancy to adolescence and the role of parental sensitive support in explaining continuity or discontinuity of attachment. Assessments of maternal sensitive support and infant attachment (Strange Situation Procedure) were completed when infants were 12 months old. When the children were 14 years old, we observed mothers' sensitive support during a conflict discussion. The adolescents' attachment representations were assessed with the Adult Attachment Interview. Mothers of secure adolescents showed significantly more sensitive support during conflicts than did mothers of insecure adolescents. Overall, no continuity of attachment from infancy to adolescence was found. However, maternal sensitive support in early childhood and adolescence predicted continuity of secure attachment from 1 to 14 years, whereas less maternal sensitive support in early childhood but more maternal sensitive support in adolescence predicted children's change from insecurity in infancy to security in adolescence. We conclude that both early and later parental sensitive support are important for continuity of attachment across the first 14 years of life.
在一项对 125 名早期被收养青少年的纵向研究中，我们考察了从婴儿期到青春期的依恋连续性，以及父母敏感支持在解释依恋连续性或不连续性中的作用。当婴儿 12 个月大时，完成了对母亲敏感支持和婴儿依恋（陌生情境程序）的评估。当孩子 14 岁时，我们观察了母亲在冲突讨论中的敏感支持。青少年的依恋表现通过成人依恋访谈进行评估。安全型青少年的母亲在冲突期间表现出明显更敏感的支持，而不安全型青少年的母亲则不然。总体而言，没有发现从婴儿期到青春期的依恋连续性。然而，幼儿期和青春期的母亲敏感支持可以预测从 1 岁到 14 岁的安全依恋的连续性，而幼儿期较少的母亲敏感支持但青春期更多的母亲敏感支持则预示着孩子从婴儿期的不安全感转变为青春期的安全感。我们得出结论，早期和后期父母的敏感支持对于生命最初 14 年的依恋连续性都很重要。
