Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

"There's No Escaping The Body" : Clinicians' Views On The Relevance Of The Body And The Use Of Body-Based Interventions In Work With Mother-Child Dyads Exposed To Domestic Violence, Danielle E. Sachs

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

The purpose of this exploratory, descriptive study was to examine if and how clinicians working with mother-child (0-5) dyads exposed to domestic violence perceived the body as being a part of treatment: Did they perceive the body as being a part of treatment; did they then make use of specific body-based interventions, and how were those interventions defined? Eleven clinicians participated in qualitative interviews to provide their perspectives on the relevance and integration of the body in dyadic clinical work focused on the attachment between mother child dyads exposed to domestic violence. Participants -- compromised of licensed and provisionally licensed …

Talking Through The Body : A Comparative Study Of Cognitive-Behavioral And Attachment Based Treatments For Childhood Trauma, Eric A. Eichler

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

Childhood abuse and neglect have been shown to have a devastating impact on an individual's social, emotional, and physical development. This study was undertaken in order to determine the best treatment approach for survivors of childhood trauma. The author investigated the impact of traumatic stress on the brain, and reviewed the psychoanalytic, child development, and neurobiological literature on the importance of the attachment relationship for healthy development. Various perspectives on the diagnosis of childhood trauma were explored, including models that centralize childhood trauma as the cause of much of the spectrum of mental illness we see today. The author researched …

Adult Attachment Styles Relative To Childhood Exposure To Domestic Violence : Gender Differences, Khadija A. Poitras-Rhea

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

The purpose of this study is to answer the overarching research question: What are the attachment styles of adults who witnessed domestic violence in childhood. A secondary area of interest was to determine gender differences in the attachment styles of adults who did witness domestic violence during childhood. The participants were asked to respond to an anonymous survey that contained demographic questions and thirty six items from the Adult Attachment Web Questionnaire in order to determine their adult attachment style. The participants were placed in subgroups based on whether or not they had witnessed domestic violence and results were further …

The Influences Of Caregiver-Child Interactions And Temperament On Cortisol Concentrations Of Toddlers In Full-Day Childcare, Helen Morris Lane

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to explore the influences of caregiver-child interaction and temperament on cortisol concentrations of toddlers in full-day childcare. Sensitive and responsive caregiving is critical to the quality of children's early experiences. Caregivers who are attuned to unique needs of young children can support and guide child growth and development. In the context of relationships the child grows, develops, and learns to biologically respond to events in his or her world that he or she may perceive as threatening, with the production of cortisol. Studies show that regulation of cortisol release later in life may be …

Unit Cohesion, Attachment, Personality Factors, And Mental Health In Veterans Of Iraq And Afghanistan, Allison Adrienne Whitesell

Doctoral Dissertations

One hundred forty seven veterans of Operations Iraqi Freedom (Iraq) and/or Enduring Freedom (Afghanistan) completed an internet survey with questions related to unit cohesion, romantic attachment style, personality factors, and mental health symptoms. Participants completed five self-report measures: the PTSD Checklist-Military, the Hopkins Symptom Checklist-21, Deployment Social Support scale from the Deployment Risk and Resiliency Inventory, the Experiences in Close Relationships Scale-Short Form, and the International Personality Item Pool Big Five Short Form Questionnaire. Most participants were male and Caucasian. Hierarchical linear regression analysis results indicated that emotional stability predicted both general distress and PTSD symptom severity, while avoidant attachment …

Attachment Security Among Toddlers: The Impacts Of Supportive Coparenting And Father Engagement, Sangita Pudasainee-Kapri

Child and Family Studies - Theses

The present study examined the longitudinal associations among supportive coparenting and father engagement during infancy and mother-child attachment at age three within an at-risk sample (N= 1371), using secondary data from Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing (FFCW) study. Mothers reported on coparenting and father engagement during the one-year phone interview and mother-child attachment was assessed using the Toddler Attachment Sort-39 (TAS-39) at age three during the three-year in-home interview. Findings suggest that supportive coparenting was significantly associated with higher levels of father engagement and more secure mother-child attachment relationship across three racial/ethnic groups including white, African American, and Hispanic. Interestingly, …

Attachment Security And Alexithymia In A Heavy Drinking Sample, F.A. Thorberg, Ross Young, Karen Sullivan, Michael Lyvers, Cameron Hurst, J. Connor, G. Feeney

Mike Lyvers

Attachment difficulties have been proposed as a key risk factor for the development of alexithymia, a multifaceted personality trait characterised by difficulties identifying and describing feelings, a lack of imagination and an externally oriented thinking style. This study investigated the relationship between attachment and alexithymia in an alcohol dependent population. Participants were 210 outpatients in a Cognitive Behavioural Treatment programme assessed on the Toronto Alexithymia Scale and the Revised Adult Attachment Scale. Significant relationships between anxious attachment and alexithymia factors were confirmed. Furthermore, alexithymic alcoholics reported significantly higher levels of anxious attachment and significantly lower levels of closeness (secure attachment) …

The Effects Of Couple-Centered And Therapist-Centered Process On The Dyadic Attachment Of Distressed Therapy-Seeking Couples: A Multilevel Longitudinal Analysis, Justin Paul Zamora

Theses and Dissertations

This study is an empirical investigation of 35 clinically distressed therapy seeking couples receiving sequential sessions of both therapist-centered and, alternatively, couple- centered, enactment-based therapy processes. Using a mixed-level longitudinal analysis with a repeated measure design, analysis of secure attachment, and the interrelated dimensions of attachment anxiety and attachment avoidance were examined demonstrating that couple- centered, enactment-based sessions produced higher levels of post-session and within-session attachment gains than therapist-centered process for both males and females. Couple-centered, enactment-based process was observed to have a unique treatment effect after the second session, where both partners experienced higher levels of attachment followed by …

What Psychotherapists Have To Teach Us About Childhood Developmental Trauma: The Roles Of Attachment Orientation And Coping Strategy, Rebecca Klott

Dissertations

Psychotherapists have been found to have higher rates of childhood developmental trauma when compared to non-clinicians, yet they do not report more distress. The current study added to the literature regarding the experiences of psychotherapists and explored a theoretical model integrating attachment and coping as mediators for the relationship between childhood developmental trauma and psychological distress among psychotherapists.

A total of 130 masters' level psychologists participated in this study. These participants were asked to complete the following measures: The Child Abuse and Trauma Scale (Sanders& Becker-Lausen, 1995), the Ways of Coping-Revised (Folkman & Lazarus, 1985; Folkman, Lazarus, Denkel-Schetter, DeLongis, & …

Maternal Responsiveness In Infancy And Early Childhood Among A Burundian Refugee Community, Erin Lane Gangaware

Masters Theses

Post-migration contexts often provide many challenges for refugee families’ integration into a host society such as language barriers, mental and physical illness, social and community relationships (Berry, 2001; Daud, 2008; Weine, 2011). Traumatic life events, loss, and depression have all been shown to negatively impact parenting (Daud, Skoglund, & Rydelius; Diener, Nievar, & Wright, 2003, Evans, 2006; Garmezy, 1987). These environmental and emotional factors often prevent parents from providing adequate care. Not only does the quality of parenting affect children’s social-emotional development, many contextual factors such as family SES, social supports, and neighborhood have also been shown to impact social-emotional …

Attachment And Information Seeking Strategy Preference In Romantic Relationships, Jennifer C. Pink

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Two studies examined how attachment relates to information seeking strategy preference in established romantic relationships using a hypothetical scenario (Study 1) and an experiment (Study 2). In both studies, we tested hypotheses examining 1) if highly anxious individuals prefer to seek information indirectly (vs. directly) in potentially relationship-threatening situations, and 2) if these individuals tend to associate direct information seeking with negative outcomes. Study 1 revealed that as predicted, highly anxious individuals were more likely to endorse indirect information seeking strategies but less likely to endorse a direct approach. The negative association between attachment anxiety and direct strategy endorsement was …

Therapist's Perceptions On Working With The Developmental Repair Model With Children Who Come From Disruptive Attachment Styles, Molly Murphy

Master of Social Work Clinical Research Papers

The present study was designed to look at therapist‟s perceptions on working with the Developmental Repair Model developed by Dr. Anne Gearity (2005) with children who come from insecure or disruptive attachment styles. Nine clinicians from an agency in the Minneapolis area were interviewed for this qualitative study. Each research interview lasted approximately 30 minutes. All the questions focused on different areas of the Developmental Repair Model, and different aspects of working with the particular population. Findings suggest that clinicians must truly know oneself, be comfortable adapting and practicing the model and understand the importance of language, and how to …

Factors That Impact Parent-Child Closeness In Special Needs Adoptions, Mary Morrison

Master of Social Work Clinical Research Papers

This study set out to determine if adoptive parents with biological children would report a lower degree of closeness with their adoptive child with special needs than adoptive parents without biological children. A review of the literature showed that multiple factors impact the rates of adoption disruption and parental satisfaction, including; stress, externalizing behaviors exhibited by the child, family structure and levels of pre and post-adoption support provided to parents and families. One hundred and twelve adoptive parents responded by completing an online survey. Levels of closeness between the adoptive parent and their adoptive child were measured using a five …

The Emotional Challenges For Parents Regarding Attachment To Their Internationally Adopted Child, Diana Wutke

Master of Social Work Clinical Research Papers

The United States ranks number one as the principal country that receives the most international adoptees (Bergquist, 2009). The agencies that organize the adoptions are the primary source of information for the prospective parents. Many internationally adopted children who are institutionalized experience abuse, neglect, malnutrition and poor medical care prior to adoption, which can lead to problematic transitions to new families (Mathias, Petrill, Viana & Welsh, 2007). These research questions examined the emotional challenges of parents regarding attachment to their internationally adopted child. Using a qualitative design, eight participants who are parents of internationally adopted children were interviewed by audiotape. …

Effective Practice Based Therapeutic Techniques With Children Diagnosed With Reactive Attachment Disorder: From The Perspective Of Mental Health Professionals, Jennifer Lawrence

Master of Social Work Clinical Research Papers

Children diagnosed with Reactive Attachment Disorder (RAD) have experienced pathological care and disruption of early attachment experiences, resulting in disorganized attachment with caregivers, as well as a myriad of complex symptoms and behaviors. Little research exists regarding effective treatment for children diagnosed with RAD, leaving both mental health professionals and caregivers wanting. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore effective treatment for children diagnosed with RAD through the lens of mental health professionals. Seven experienced mental health professionals were interviewed regarding their perceptions on effective therapeutic treatment that contributes to increased attachment bonds with caregivers and decreased RAD …

Does Attachment To Parents Mediate The Relationship Between Marital Conflict And Child Self-Regulation, Lisa T. Hansen, James M. Harper, Jeremy Yorgason

FHSS Mentored Research Conference

This longitudinal study considers the effect of parent-child attachment on the self-regulation of children. Four hundred and forty-eight families from the Northwestern U.S. were surveyed as part of Brigham Young University's Flourishing Families Project. Each family studied included a child between the ages of 11 and 13. Couple conflict and the child's attachment to parents were assessed at time 1 and the child's self-regulation was assessed each year thereafter for three years. Higher couple conflict predicted lower attachment to father and to mother at time 1 with a greater negative effect for fathers. Higher scores on attachment to father predicted …

Effects Of Violence On Youths' Perceptions Of Peer And Sibling Aggression, Jessica Houston

Master's Theses (2009 -)

The present study examined the relationship between youth exposure to violence in the home and community and their perceptions of the acceptability of aggression in interactions involving peers and siblings. The importance of the context in which the violence occurs was investigated, as well the ability of parent-child attachment to buffer the effects of violence on aggressive attitudes. A diverse sample of 148 children, ages 9 to 14, completed measures of interparental, parent-child, and community aggression, as well as a measure of mother-child attachment. Youths also rated the acceptability of aggressive interactions between two peers and two siblings in written …

The Effects Of Parentification, Attachment, Family-Of-Origin Dysfunction And Health On Depression: A Comparative Study Between Gender And The Ethnic Groups Of South Koreans And Caucasian Americans, Sunnie Giles

Theses and Dissertations

Parentification is a process where children or adolescents assume adult roles before they are emotionally or developmentally ready, which, in turn, disrupts the development of healthy, secure attachment in childhood. Using 1,001 men and women from South Korea and the United States with equal division between males and females and multiple group comparison technique in structural equation modeling, this paper examined the relationship between parentification during childhood and depression during adulthood. It explores the cross-sectional long-term effects of parentification into adulthood, using a retrospective survey technique. This study also confirmed previous research findings that attachment, physical health and family-of-origin dysfunction, …

A Threat Vs. Challenge View Of Conflict In Romantic Relationships, Casey J. Debuse

Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014

This research examined romantic partners’ stress reactivity to relationship conflict through the lens of a threat vs. challenge perspective. We assessed the DHEA-S to cortisol ratio (anabolic balance) as an index of 330 newlywed partners’ threat or challenge orientations to a conflict discussion with their spouse and then examined whether these orientations were predicted by their attachment styles. Consistent with predictions, anxious attachment predicted lower anabolic balance trajectories, compared to secure attachment. Results were decomposed into DHEA-S and cortisol components. DHEA-S levels were found to be more congruent with challenge, while cortisol levels were more congruent with threat.

The Confluence Of Attachment Style, Perceived Social Support, And Role Attainment In Women Experiencing Postpartum Mood Disorders, Carrie Jennifer Feig

Dissertations

A purposive convenience sample was used in this mixed methods study. Fifteen postpartum women were given four questionnaires and participated in a brief oral interview. The questionnaires included the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale, the McPhee Scale, the Maternal Attitudes Questionnaire, and the Post-Partum Quality of Life. As determined by the questionnaires, a correlation was found between level of competence and level of depression such that the less competent a woman felt, the more depressed she felt. The hypothesis tested in this study was that postpartum depression occurs when complicated early attachments have not been modified by either a sense of …

Attachment Patterns And The Development Of Depression: Path Analysis Of Avoidant And Ambivalent Models, Jessica Lynn Taylor

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Two attachment-based models of depression were tested with path analysis. In the first model, it was proposed that avoidant attachments to one’s father and mother and a family milieu supporting the suppression of feelings would influence one’s attachment to partner and level of shame, making one susceptible to depression. In the second model, it was proposed that ambivalent attachments to one’s father, mother, and partner would influence one’s levels of rumination and shame, making one susceptible to depression. Data were from a previous study and consisted of 126 participants’ de-identified Beck Depression Inventory-II and Attachment and Clinical Issues Questionnaire scores. …

Styles, Qualities, And Sexual Behavior In Young People's Romantic Relationships: A Longitudinal Examination Of Within-Person And Between-Person Effects, Meredith Cerian Joppa

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The prevalence of early sexual behavior places many youth at risk for unintended pregnancy, sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and HIV. The purpose of this study is to examine the interplay among romantic styles, relationship qualities, and sexual behavior at both the within-person and between-person levels. Frequencies of light nongenital, heavy nongenital, and genital sexual behavior were examined as well as risky sexual behavior. 200 young people from a community sample were assessed at six time points from ages 15 through 21. Avoidant styles were associated with less frequent sexual behavior at both within- and between-person levels, and with more risky …

Romantic Attachment Among Young Adults: The Effects Of Parental Divorce And Residential Instability, Katherine N. Washington

Theses and Dissertations--Family Sciences

Using an attachment theory perspective, variation in adult romantic attachment style outcomes were examined according to childhood experiences of parental divorce and residential instability. The sample was comprised of 172 individuals in the young adulthood developmental stage that were recruited using snowball sampling via online social networking. Participants completed an online survey containing the 36-item Experiences in Close Relationships scale and 28 author-developed items. The majority of the sample reported stable and predictable living arrangements as children. Those whose parents had divorced reported higher levels of parental conflict during their childhood than those whose parents had never divorced or separated. …

The Well-Being Of Chinese Immigrant Sons: Importance Of Father-Son Attachment, Father Involvement, Father Acceptance And Adolescents' Phenomenological Perceptions Of Father-Son Relationship, Ray Hwang

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

The present study examined the influence that father's residency status and father-child relational qualities have on adolescent psychological adjustment, behavioral outcomes, scholastic achievement, self-identity acculturation, and the subjective well-being of Chinese male immigrants from intact, two-parent households. The relational qualities of interest under investigation consisted of father-son attachment, father involvement, and father acceptance-rejection, from the phenomenological perception of children. A total of 86 participants were included in the overall multivariate analyses - 53 in the father present and 33 in the father absent group, respectively. Results indicate that father attachment positively predicts adolescent psychological adjustment in the father present group, …