Relation of parenting child abuse based on attachment styles, parenting styles, and parental addictions

Impact of childhood psychological abuse on the trajectory of adolescent depressive symptoms: a latent growth modeling approach

BACKGROUND

Although researchers have examined the impact of childhood psychological abuse on adolescent depressive symptoms, further investigation is needed to understand the mechanisms by which childhood psychological abuse influences these symptoms.

METHODS

Utilizing a latent variable growth model, this study analyzed the dynamic trajectories of depressive symptoms among 1,300 adolescents from four middle schools in Jiangsu Province and Sichuan Province, as well as the factors influencing these trajectories. A longitudinal survey was conducted with three rounds of questionnaires over the course of a semester. Data analysis was performed using SPSS 24.0 and Mplus 7.0.

RESULTS

The findings revealed several key points: (1) Depressive symptoms among adolescents generally showed a linear decline; however, there were significant individual differences in initial symptom levels and rates of change; (2) Childhood psychological abuse was found to significantly predict both initial levels and the pace of change in depressive symptoms; (3) All three dimensions of childhood psychological abuse-verbal aggression, threats, and intrusiveness-significantly influenced both initial symptom levels and the trajectory of change; (4) The dynamics of psychological abuse were significantly correlated with the rate of change in depressive symptoms.

CONCLUSION

The results highlight the detrimental effects of childhood psychological abuse and suggest the feasibility of interventions targeting early secondary school students, providing insights into strategies to mitigate the impact of depressive symptoms among adolescents.

Psychometric properties of the Chinese version of the attachment insecurity screening inventory 2-5 years: a preliminary study

BACKGROUND

Secure attachment bonds between children and their parents are crucial for their positive developmental outcomes. In attachment-based treatment, there are few instruments available for identifying insecure child-caregivers attachment connection, particularly in terms of primary caregiver's perceptions. This perspective is an important clinical component to consider in parenting therapies for preschool children. This main goal of this study was to analyze the psychometric properties of the Chinese version of the Attachment Insecurity Screening Inventory 2-5 Years (hereafter referred to as AISI 2-5 years), a parent-report questionnaire designed for assessing attachment insecurity in children aged 2 to 5 years.

METHODS

The AISI 2-5 years underwent rigorous translation and back-translation processes. The sample comprised 486 preschoolers (Mage = 47.83 months, SD = 8.58; 49.79% girls) and their mothers (Mage = 36.30 years, SD = 3.82) from Shanghai, China. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was used to explore internal structure, while Cronbach's alphas were utilized to evaluate score reliability.

RESULTS

The findings revealed a three-factor model, encompassing avoidant attachment, disorganized attachment, and ambivalent/resistant attachment, which demonstrated a good fit for the 18-item AISI 2-5 years. Additionally, these findings demonstrated sufficient internal consistency, reliability, and convergent validity. Consequently, the AISI 2-5 years proves suitable for assessing attachment insecurity among Chinese preschoolers.

CONCLUSION

The results contribute to the advancement of research on children's insecure attachment within the Chinese context. Furthermore, future research is needed to replicate the present findings and enhance the proof supporting the appropriateness of the AISI 2-5 years for preschoolers in China. This will demonstrate its utility in evaluating parents' perception of their children's attachment insecurity.

Sensory-processing sensitivity, parenting styles, and adult attachment patterns in parents of young children

BACKGROUND

Increased sensitivity to internal and external stimuli, known as sensory-processing sensitivity (SPS), has been linked to attachment insecurity and less optimal parenting styles in parents of children aged 4-13 years. Associations between these parenting factors in parents of children aged 3 years and younger have not yet been investigated. Understanding the relationships between these factors will facilitate the development of strategies to better support highly sensitive parents.

METHODS

A sample of 153 parents of children aged 3 years and younger completed an online survey comprising standardised measures of SPS, attachment, and infant parenting styles. The underlying factor structure of the Infancy Parenting Styles Questionnaire was investigated.

RESULTS

Factor analysis identified 33 items loading onto five factors: Discipline, Routine, Anxiety, Nurturance, and Involvement, with moderate to high reliability. SPS was positively correlated with parenting anxiety, attachment anxiety, and attachment avoidance, but did not predict parenting style. Younger parent age was associate with more insecure attachment styles. Multivariate regression analyses revealed that variability in parenting anxiety was predicted only by attachment anxiety and having fewer children.

CONCLUSION

While SPS was not seen to predict parenting anxiety, relationships between SPS, parenting anxiety, and insecure attachment suggest that strategies tailored to SPS would support highly sensitive parents to care for their children and promote improved parent-child relationships. These strategies may therefore be a beneficial addition to attachment-based parenting programs. Further studies using the Toddler Parenting Styles Questionnaire (TPSQ) are needed to identify optimal parenting styles for parents of infants and toddlers.