Romantic Attachment Among Young Adults: The Effects of Parental Divorce and Residential Instability

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 made up of 172 young adults who were recruited using snowball sampling via online social networking. A statistical difference on adult romantic attachment style was not found between individuals who experience parental divorce and those who did not, and parental conflict and stability of residence patterns did not have a statistical impact on attachment avoidance or anxiety. However, conflict, residential stability, and time with nonresidential parent statistically improved the predictive ability of attachment anxiety among those whose parents had divorced. Specifically, time with nonresidential parent moderated adult romantic attachment anxiety.     

BOOK REVIEWS

Abstract

IN THE NAME OF THE FAMILY: RETHINKING FAMILY VALUES IN THE POSTMODERN AGE. Judith Stacey. Boston: Beacon Press, 1996, 194 pp., ISBN 0-8070-0432-4, $22.00 hardcover. Reviewed by Valerie S. Mannis.

CONFESSIONS OF A LOST MOTHER. Elisa M. Barton. Baltimore, MD: Gateway, 1996, 157 pp., ISBN 0-9650795-0-3, $14.95 paper. Reviewed by Karen Schmid.

THE BEST INTERESTS OF THE CHILD: THE LEAST DETRIMENTAL ALTERNATIVE. Joseph Goldstein, Albert J. Solnit, Sonja Goldstein, and the late Anna Freud. New York: The Free Press, 1996, 311 pp., ISBN 0-684-82337-3, $35.00 hardcover. Reviewed by Renee Garfinkel.     

Attachment and Coping Strategies in Middle Childhood Children whose Mothers Have a Mental Health Problem: Implications for Social Work Practice

Mental health has implications for the quality of relationshipswithin a family, particularly between parents and children,but also between other family and non-family members. Previousresearch has investigated parental reports of attachment infamilies with mental health problems, but relationship representationsas experienced by these children, especially in middle childhood,have not been so frequently investigated. An understanding ofchildren’s representations of attachment relationshipsand the different coping strategies that may result is importantfor social work practice when offering support, not only tothe children, but also other family members. Methods of investigatingattachment, such as the Separation Anxiety Test, have been usedto understand the relationship issues, fears and coping strategiesof other vulnerable children, and this study was designed specificallyto investigate relationship issues in middle childhood childrenwhose mothers had previously been hospitalized with mental healthproblems. We found that these children tended to be less emotionallyopen and secure, and generated fewer adaptive coping strategiesthan children whose mothers had never had mental health problems.Other themes also emerged from the interviews, such as a senseof trust in the parent–child relationship and the ‘containment’of fears. Implications for social work practice are discussed.     

眷恋与泪水——鲁若迪基诗歌论

来自泸沽湖边的普米族诗人鲁若迪基,诗风纯净和谐,其诗歌主题可以归纳为＂眷恋＂：对故乡的眷恋和对故乡女人的眷恋。鲁若迪基的乡土诗反思现代文明,呼唤久违的野性;其爱情诗则热烈袒露,简单直接,彰显浑然天成的诗歌艺术。     

Does It Matter if Preschool Children and Mothers Discuss Positive vs. Negative Events During Reminiscing? Links with Mother‐reported Attachment,Family Emotional Climate,and Socioemotional Development

The purpose of the study was to examine the differential relations between mother–child reminiscing about a positive emotional event vs. a negative emotional event and attachment security, family climate, and young children's socioemotional development. Fifty preschool children (M age = 50.69 months, SD = 4.64) and their mothers completed two reminiscing conversations at the laboratory, which were coded for emotion‐laden discourse, affect, and elaboration, and children completed measures of emotional understanding and representations of relationships. At their homes, mothers completed the attachment Q‐sort and the self‐report family inventory. Both attachment security and family climate were related to the quality of mother–child affect and maternal elaboration during both positive and negative reminiscing conversations. Attachment security and family climate, however, were principally related to discussion of emotion during the negative event discussions. In addition, it was mother–child reminiscing about the negative emotional event that was associated with high levels of children's socioemotional development.     

Unequal Treatment by Mothers and Fathers Matters Differently for Daughters and Sons

Research in attachment has yet to examine the differential effects of unequal treatment by mothers versus unequal treatment by fathers and how unequal treatment affects daughters and sons differently. Moreover, research examining the link between differential treatment and relationship outcomes such as jealousy in romantic relationship has suggested that romantic attachment may mediate this process but has not effectively examined this association. In the current study, researchers found that for daughters, unequal control (but not affection) by mothers (but not fathers) predicted jealousy. For sons, unequal affection (but not control) by mothers (but not fathers) predicted jealousy. For sons, attachment mediated the relationship between differential maternal affection and jealousy in romantic relationships.     

The Child in the Family of a Drug-Using Father: Attachment Styles and Family Characteristics

SUMMARY

The study examined the impact of family characteristics and parental attachment styles on the children of drug-using (DU) fathers in fifty-six families (n = 168) in Israel. Of the DU fathers, 60.7% were characterized by avoidant attachment style. Among the non-DU mothers, 53.6% were characterized by secure attachment style, 42.9% by avoidant style, and 3.6% by anxious/ambivalent style. Surprisingly, family cohesion and adaptability scores were similar to the Israeli norm, perhaps because the DUs had completed detoxification treatment and participated in rehabilitation programs. Of the children, 61.8% were characterized by secure attachment style, 21.8% by avoidant style, and 16.4% by anxious/ambivalent style. Stepwise regression to predict children's attachment styles revealed that maternal security of attachment and paternal anxious/ambivalent style predict similar attachment styles among the children. The important combined effects of spousal attachment styles on the children are discussed.     

痛苦的挣扎与无望的执着——谈李商隐与冯延巳诗词中的情绪体验

李商隐和冯延巳,虽然经历不尽相同,但在其作品中所流露的情绪体验有相似之处,即痛苦的挣扎与无望的执着。他们面对这难以承受的痛苦仍能够坚持自己的追求,并至死不悔,在作品中表现出那份同样的执着。而这种相似的情绪体验又是以相似的手法——情境恍惚、难以实指、朦胧多义的意象与意境表现出来的。这是一般的文学作品中难以见到的。     

大学生依恋类型与心理健康的关系

通过使用亲密关系体验问卷和症状自评量表（SCL-90）对215名大学生进行了调查，探讨了大学生依恋类型与其心理健康之闻的关系。研究表明大学生依恋类型与其心理健康之间有密切关系。其中专注型男女在躯体化、抑郁、焦虑、偏执、精神病性和其他因素上存在显著差异，冷漠型男女只在抑郁上存在显著差异；只有恐惧型恋爱与没有恋爱在人际关系、敌对、精神病性和其他因素上存在显著差异；安全型与不安全型只有在躯体化水平上差异不显著，在其他各水平上均达到显著。     

Stability of Maternal Autonomy Support between Infancy and Preschool Age

The goals of this article were to examine (1) the relative and absolute stability of maternal autonomy support between infancy and preschool age, and (2) the moderating role of child gender, maternal attachment state of mind, and stressful life events. Sixty‐nine mother–child dyads participated in five visits when the child was 8, 15, and 18 months, as well as 2 and 3 years. The results suggested that maternal autonomy support is stable in relative terms, but that its mean level decreases over time. Moreover, there was significant relative stability only for mothers of girls, mothers who showed greater coherence of mind with respect to attachment, and mothers who experienced fewer stressful life events. These results speak to the relevance of investigating parent, child, and contextual factors when examining the conditions that promote or hinder stability in parenting behaviors.