Attachment
-
How much do we really know about ‘Theraplay’ for young children?
‘Theraplay’ is an intervention that aims to enhance attachment, self-esteem and trust in others for children with behavioural, emotional or developmental difficulties. The intervention, founded on attachment theory,1 harnesses natural and playful interactions between caregivers and children to develop healthy and positive relationships.
Read more -
Conflicts of interest are under-reported in autism early intervention research
Researchers in the USA have studied, for the first time, the types, prevalence and effects of conflicts of interest (COI) in autism early intervention research.
Read more -
Can we predict (complex) PTSD in young people in foster care?
Adverse, early life experiences put young people at risk of developing psychological difficulties. Potential difficulties might include post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or the newly proposed, complex PTSD.
Read more -
Occasional cry-it-out has no adverse effects on infant–mother attachment or behavioural development
The debate over letting an infant ‘cry-it-out’ or responding immediately has been ongoing for decades. Now, researchers at the University of Warwick have provided important evidence to inform this debate.
Read more -
Ensuring attachment security in adolescents: as easy as ABC?
Researchers in the USA have examined whether infants of parents receiving the Attachment and Biobehavioral Catch-Up (ABC) intervention show improvements in perceived attachment security later in middle childhood.
Read more -
Disinhibited social engagement behaviour is not unique to children exposed to inadequate caregiving
Interestingly, the course of DSEB was not associated with neglect, emotional maltreatment or effortful control but there was evidence for a significant association with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder and oppositional defiant disorder.
Read more -
Early caregiving experiences shape adolescent attachment profiles
Secure attachment in adolescents seems to be associated with robust mental health and social skills. How the quality of early caregiving impacts on attachment security in adolescence, however, is less clear.
Read more -
Insecure paternal attachment contributes to childhood anxiety
A recent study has investigated the direct and indirect relationships between parent–child attachment and negative parental behaviours exhibited by mothers and fathers, individually, in a sample of children with clinical anxiety.
Read more -
Insecure paternal attachment confers a high cost on society
Youth that exhibit antisocial behaviours can impose a high cost on society due to the need for health, social and economic support in adulthood. Now, researchers have studied whether insecure attachment underlying antisocial behaviour contributes to or even adds to these costs.
Read more -
Identifying imaging biomarkers in the neonatal brain
The past decade has seen great improvements in magnetic resonance imaging technologies, such that it is now possible to image the developing brain in utero. In 2018, Dafnis Batalle and colleagues compiled an Annual Research Review for the Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, where they evaluated the current status of neuroimaging research in neonates and paediatrics to determine the origins of neuropsychiatric and neurodevelopmental disorders.
Read more