1
|
Xu N, Groh AM. The significance of mothers' attachment representations for vagal responding during interactions with infants. Attach Hum Dev 2023; 25:50-70. [PMID: 33480320 DOI: 10.1080/14616734.2021.1876615] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
Little is known about the significance of mothers' attachment for neurobiological responding during interactions with infants. To address this gap, this study examined links between mothers' (N = 139) attachment representations and dynamic change in respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) while interacting with infants in the Still-Face Procedure (SFP). Mothers higher on secure base script knowledge (SBSK) exhibited greater RSA reactivity during the SFP characterized by lower RSA during normal play, higher RSA during the still-face, and lower RSA during reunion. Findings indicate that mothers higher on SBSK exhibit RSA responding expected to support active behavioral coping during normal play and reunion - consistent with the need to engage infants in social interaction - and RSA responding during the still-face expected to support efforts to calm the body and empathize with their infant during this distressing social disruption. Findings advance knowledge of the significance of adult attachment for the neurobiology of caregiving.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Nanxi Xu
- Department of Psychological Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia, USA
| | - Ashley M Groh
- Department of Psychological Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia, USA
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Penner F, Wall KM, Guan KW, Huang HJ, Richardson L, Dunbar AS, Groh AM, Rutherford HJV. Racial disparities in EEG research and their implications for our understanding of the maternal brain. COGNITIVE, AFFECTIVE & BEHAVIORAL NEUROSCIENCE 2023; 23:1-16. [PMID: 36414837 PMCID: PMC9684773 DOI: 10.3758/s13415-022-01040-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 09/26/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Racial disparities in maternal health are alarming and persistent. Use of electroencephalography (EEG) and event-related potentials (ERPs) to understand the maternal brain can improve our knowledge of maternal health by providing insight into mechanisms underlying maternal well-being, including implications for child development. However, systematic racial bias exists in EEG methodology-particularly for Black individuals-and in psychological and health research broadly. This paper discusses these biases in the context of EEG/ERP research on the maternal brain. First, we assess the racial/ethnic diversity of existing ERP studies of maternal neural responding to infant/child emotional expressions, using papers from a recent meta-analysis, finding that the majority of mothers represented in this research are of White/European ancestry and that the racially and ethnically diverse samples that are present are limited in terms of geography. Therefore, our current knowledge base in this area may be biased and not generalizable across racially diverse mothers. We outline factors underlying this problem, beginning with the racial bias in EEG equipment that systematically excludes individuals of African descent, and also considering factors specific to research with mothers. Finally, we highlight recent innovations to EEG hardware to better accommodate diverse hairstyles and textures, and other important steps to increase racial and ethnic representativeness in EEG/ERP research with mothers. We urge EEG/ERP researchers who study the maternal brain-including our own research group-to take action to increase racial diversity so that this research area can confidently inform understanding of maternal health and contribute to minimizing maternal health disparities.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Kathryn M Wall
- Yale Child Study Center, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Kathleen W Guan
- Yale Child Study Center, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Helen J Huang
- Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL, USA
| | - Lietsel Richardson
- Burnett School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL, USA
| | - Angel S Dunbar
- Department of African American Studies, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA
| | - Ashley M Groh
- Department of Psychological Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, USA
| | | |
Collapse
|
3
|
Lowell AF, Dell J, Potenza MN, Strathearn L, Mayes LC, Rutherford HJV. Adult attachment is related to maternal neural response to infant cues: an ERP study. Attach Hum Dev 2023; 25:71-88. [PMID: 33522435 PMCID: PMC10861024 DOI: 10.1080/14616734.2021.1880057] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
Abstract
Maternal attachment security is an important predictor of caregiving . However, little is known regarding the neurobiological mechanisms by which attachment influences processing of infant cues, a critical component of caregiving. We examined whether attachment security, measured by the Adult Attachment Interview, might relate to neural responses to infant cues using event-related potentials. Secure (n=35) and insecure (n=24) mothers viewed photographs of infant faces and heard recordings of infant vocalizations while electroencephalography was recorded. We examined initial processing of infant faces (N170) and cries (N100), and attentional allocation to infant faces and cries (P300). Secure mothers were significantly faster than insecure mothers to orient to infant cries (N100), structurally encode their own infant's face (N170), and attend to infant faces (P300). These differences may elucidate mechanisms underlying how attachment may shape neural processing of infant cues and highlight the use ofsocial neuroscientific approaches in examining clinically relevant aspects of attachment.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Amanda F Lowell
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
- Yale Child Study Center, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Jaclyn Dell
- Department of Psychology, University of South Florida St Petersburg, St. Petersburg, FL, USA
| | - Marc N Potenza
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
- Yale Child Study Center, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
- Department of Neuroscience, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
- The Connecticut Mental Health Center, New Haven, CT, USA
- The Connecticut Council on Problem Gambling, Wethersfield, CT, USA
| | - Lane Strathearn
- Stead Family Department of Pediatrics, University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine, Iowa City, IA, USA
| | - Linda C Mayes
- Yale Child Study Center, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
| | | |
Collapse
|
4
|
Vuoriainen E, Bakermans-Kranenburg MJ, Huffmeijer R, van IJzendoorn MH, Peltola MJ. Processing children's faces in the parental brain: A meta-analysis of ERP studies. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2022; 136:104604. [PMID: 35278598 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2022.104604] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2021] [Revised: 01/22/2022] [Accepted: 03/06/2022] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
Event-related potentials (ERPs) are an excellent tool for investigating parental neural responses to child stimuli. Using meta-analysis, we quantified the results of available studies reporting N170 or LPP/P3 ERP responses to children's faces, targeting three questions: 1) Do parents and non-parents differ in ERP responses to child faces? 2) Are parental ERP responses larger to own vs. unfamiliar child faces? 3) Are parental ERP responses to child faces associated with indicators of parenting quality, such as observed parental sensitivity? Across 23 studies (N = 1035), key findings showed 1) larger N170 amplitudes to child faces in parents than in non-parents (r = 0.19), 2) larger LPP/P3 responses to own vs. unfamiliar child faces in parents (r = 0.19), and 3) positive associations between parental LPP/P3 responses to child faces and parenting quality outcomes (r = 0.15). These results encourage further research particularly with the LPP/P3 to assess attentional-motivational processes of parenting, but also highlight the need for larger samples and more systematic assessments of associations between ERPs and parenting.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Elisa Vuoriainen
- Human Information Processing Laboratory, Psychology, Faculty of Social Sciences, Tampere University, Finland
| | - Marian J Bakermans-Kranenburg
- Faculty of Behavioural and Movement Sciences, Educational and Family Studies, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Rens Huffmeijer
- Institute of Education and Child Studies, Leiden University, The Netherlands
| | - Marinus H van IJzendoorn
- Research Department of Clinical, Education and Health Psychology, Faculty of Brain Sciences, UCL, University of London, UK
| | - Mikko J Peltola
- Human Information Processing Laboratory, Psychology, Faculty of Social Sciences, Tampere University, Finland; Tampere Institute for Advanced Study, Tampere University, Finland.
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Ding F, Jia Y, Cheng G, Wu L, Hu T, Zhang D. Secure Attachment Priming Amplifies Approach Motivation for Infant Faces Among Childless Adults. Front Psychol 2021; 12:736379. [PMID: 34777122 PMCID: PMC8578675 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.736379] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2021] [Accepted: 10/05/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Existing studies have indicated that priming secure attachment alters adults' neural responses to infant faces. However, no study has examined whether this effect exists for motivational behavioral responses, and none of the previous studies included adult faces as a baseline to determine whether the security prime enhances responses to human faces in general or infant faces alone. To address this limitation, the current study recruited 160 unmarried and childless adults in the first phase, and all of them completed a battery of questionnaires, including the Interest in Infants, the Experiences in Close Relationships (ECR), and State Adult Attachment Measure (SAAM). A week later, after priming, 152 (76 security-primed vs. 76 neutrally primed) participants completed the SAAM and a behavioral program assessing their motivational responses to both adult and infant faces (i.e., liking, representational, and evoked responses). A manipulation check showed that the security prime was effective. Then, generalized linear mixed-effects models (GLMMs) showed that security priming enhances adults' liking, representational, and evoked responses (three components of the motivational system) only to infant faces and not to adult faces. Moreover, hierarchical regression analysis indicated that, even after security priming, there was a substantial linear relationship between positive motivation toward infant faces and the state of adult secure attachment. In summary, this study demonstrated for the first time that promoting the state of adult secure attachment can effectively enhance the effect size of the baby face schema. The current results were interpreted according to Bowlby's view of the attachment behavioral system.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Fangyuan Ding
- Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing, China.,Center for Mental Health Education, Southwest University, Chongqing, China
| | - Yuncheng Jia
- Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing, China.,Center for Mental Health Education, Southwest University, Chongqing, China
| | - Gang Cheng
- School of Psychology, Guizhou Normal University, Guiyang, China.,Center for Rural Children and Adolescents Mental Health Education, Guizhou Normal University, Guiyang, China
| | - Lili Wu
- Brain and Cognitive Neuroscience Research Center, Liaoning Normal University, Dalian, China
| | - Tianqiang Hu
- Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing, China.,Center for Mental Health Education, Southwest University, Chongqing, China
| | - Dajun Zhang
- Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing, China.,Center for Mental Health Education, Southwest University, Chongqing, China
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Rutherford HJV, Bunderson M, Bartz C, Haitsuka H, Meins E, Groh AM, Milligan K. Imagining the baby: Neural reactivity to infant distress and mind-mindedness in expectant parents. Biol Psychol 2021; 161:108057. [PMID: 33640474 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsycho.2021.108057] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2020] [Revised: 02/22/2021] [Accepted: 02/23/2021] [Indexed: 01/23/2023]
Abstract
Neural and psychological processes in pregnancy may be important antecedents for caregiving postpartum. Employing event-related potentials, we examined neural reactivity to infant emotional faces during the third trimester of pregnancy in expectant mothers (n = 38) and expectant fathers (n = 30). Specifically, expectant parents viewed infant distress and infant neutral faces while electroencephalography was simultaneously recorded. As a psychological measure, we assessed prenatal mind-mindedness towards the unborn child and examined whether neural processing of infant cues was associated with levels of mind-mindedness. Expectant fathers evidenced greater P300 reactivity to infant distress, relative to neutral, faces than expectant mothers. Furthermore, P300 reactivity to infant distress, relative to infant neutral, faces was associated with levels of prenatal mind-mindedness in expectant fathers but not expectant mothers. These findings indicate significant sex differences in the prenatal neural processing of infant cues and relations between neural reactivity to infant distress and the emergence of parental mind-mindedness.
Collapse
|
7
|
Increasing secure base script knowledge among parents with Attachment and Biobehavioral Catch-up. Dev Psychopathol 2021; 33:554-564. [PMID: 33487189 DOI: 10.1017/s0954579420001765] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
Abstract
This study evaluated whether Attachment and Biobehavioral Catch-up (ABC), a parenting intervention, altered the attachment representations of parents (average age of 34.2 years) who had been referred to Child Protective Services (CPS) due to risk for child maltreatment when their children were infants. Approximately 7 years after completing the intervention, parents who had been randomized to receive ABC (n = 43) exhibited greater secure base script knowledge than parents who had been randomized to receive a control intervention (n = 51). Low-risk parents (n = 79) exhibited greater secure base script knowledge than CPS-referred parents who had received a control intervention. However, levels of secure base script knowledge did not differ between low-risk parents and CPS-referred parents who had received the ABC intervention. In addition, secure base script knowledge was positively associated with parental sensitivity during interactions with their 8-year-old children among low-risk and CPS-referred parents. Mediational analyses supported the idea that the ABC intervention enhanced parents' sensitivity 7 years later indirectly via increases in parents' secure base script knowledge.
Collapse
|
8
|
Hepworth AD, Berlin LJ, Salas K, Pardue-Kim M, Martoccio TL, Jones Harden B. Increasing maternal sensitivity to infant distress through attachment-based intervention: a randomized controlled trial. Attach Hum Dev 2020; 23:953-968. [PMID: 33108981 DOI: 10.1080/14616734.2020.1834592] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
Maternal sensitivity to infant distress is a key predictor of infant attachment security and social-emotional development. Preventive interventions that support mothers' sensitive responses to infant distress are crucial, as are rigorous evaluations that test for whom such interventions are effective. The current randomized controlled trial tested main and moderated effects of an attachment-based intervention on mothers' sensitivity to their infants' distress in 161 low-income, predominantly Latino mother-infant dyads. We tested the brief (10-session) Attachment and Biobehavioral Catch-up (ABC) intervention in the context of home-based federal Early Head Start services. An intent-to-treat analysis with covariates revealed a positive main intervention effect on maternal sensitivity to distress following a brief novel and potentially fear-inducing procedure (d = 0.32). The intervention effect was not moderated by mothers' self-reported attachment security, avoidance, or anxiety. Findings are discussed in terms of the value and feasibility of increasing maternal sensitivity to infant distress through attachment-based intervention.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Lisa J Berlin
- University of Maryland School of Social Work, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Katrieana Salas
- University of Maryland School of Social Work, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | | | | | - Brenda Jones Harden
- University of Maryland School of Social Work, Baltimore, MD, USA.,University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
Waters TEA, Facompré CR, Dagan O, Martin J, Johnson WF, Young ES, Shankman J, Lee Y, Simpson JA, Roisman GI. Convergent validity and stability of secure base script knowledge from young adulthood to midlife. Attach Hum Dev 2020; 23:740-760. [PMID: 33043839 DOI: 10.1080/14616734.2020.1832548] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
Attachment theory posits that early experiences with caregivers are made portable across development in the form of mental representations of attachment experiences. These representations, the secure base script included, are thought to be stable across time. Here, we present data from two studies. Study 1 (N = 141) examined the degree of empirical convergence between the two major measures of secure base script knowledge in Study 2, we examined stability of secure base script knowledge from late adolescence to midlife combining data from both a high- and normative-risk cohort (N = 113). Study 1 revealed evidence for convergent validity (r = .50) and Study 2 revealed moderate rank-order stability (r = .43), which was not moderated by cohort risk status. Results support the validity of secure base script knowledge assessments and prediction that attachment representations show moderate stability across early adulthood and into midlife.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Theodore E A Waters
- Department of Psychology, New York University Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
| | - Christopher R Facompré
- Department of Psychology, New York University Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.,Department of Psychology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, USA
| | - Or Dagan
- Department of Psychology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, USA
| | - Jodi Martin
- Department of Psychology, York University, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | | | - Ethan S Young
- Institute of Child Development, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | | | - Yoojin Lee
- Department of Psychology, New York University Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
| | - Jeffry A Simpson
- Institute of Child Development, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - Glenn I Roisman
- Institute of Child Development, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| |
Collapse
|
10
|
Long M, Verbeke W, Ein-Dor T, Vrtička P. A functional neuro-anatomical model of human attachment (NAMA): Insights from first- and second-person social neuroscience. Cortex 2020; 126:281-321. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2020.01.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2019] [Revised: 10/14/2019] [Accepted: 01/20/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
|
11
|
Shin N. Preschoolers' secure base script representations in relations to social competence, maternal narrative style and content in a Korean sample. Attach Hum Dev 2019; 21:275-288. [PMID: 30966872 DOI: 10.1080/14616734.2019.1575550] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
Abstract
A central notion of attachment theory is that the security experienced in the context of interactions with caregiver(s) is reflected in the individual's close interpersonal relationships and psychological adaptation throughout life. In this study, seventy-nine Korean preschoolers' secure base script representations were assessed to examine their relations with social competence, and maternal narrative style and content. Secure base script (SBS) was assessed using three stories from the Attachment Story Completion Task. Preschoo-lers' social competence was measured using maternal reports. Maternal narrative style and content were assessed using memory talk procedure. Results indicated that preschoolers with higher SBS scores were rated by their mothers as being more socially competent. Further, child SBS scores were significantly associated with maternal narrative style and content. Findings suggest that SBS representations are found among Korean preschoolers and SBS representations show a continuing connection to social competence and maternal narrative style and content.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Nana Shin
- a Department of Child Development & Intervention , Ewha Womans University , Seoul , South Korea
| |
Collapse
|
12
|
Vaughn BE, Posada G, Veríssimo M, Lu T, Nichols OI. Assessing and quantifying the secure base script from narratives produced by preschool age children: justification and validation tests. Attach Hum Dev 2019; 21:225-237. [PMID: 30729889 DOI: 10.1080/14616734.2019.1575546] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
Abstract
Building on aframework presented by Bretherton and associates, Waters and associates argued that interaction sequences relevant to children's access to and use of asecure base for exploration during infancy/toddlerhood become internalized as script-like representations. For adults, these scripted representations are readily assessed using word-prompt lists d to elicit attachment relevant narratives. However, this method is not appropriate during early childhood. Waters and associates used stories from Bretherton's Attachment Story Completion Task for this purpose. However, the method they used to score secure base script use is not efficient for larger samples (e.g. over 50), and new approaches for scoring have been designed. We describe two approaches to story selection and scoring for access to and use of the secure base script. The two scoring methods show substantial and significant overlap and also have significant associations with other methods of measuring attachment security during early childhood.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Brian E Vaughn
- a Human Development and Family Studies , Auburn University , Auburn , AL , USA
| | - German Posada
- b Human Development and Family Studies , Purdue University , West Lafayette , IN , USA
| | - Manuela Veríssimo
- c William James Center for Research , ISPA-Instituto Universitário , Lisbon , Portugal
| | - Ting Lu
- a Human Development and Family Studies , Auburn University , Auburn , AL , USA
| | - Olivia I Nichols
- a Human Development and Family Studies , Auburn University , Auburn , AL , USA
| |
Collapse
|
13
|
The secure base script concept: an overview. Curr Opin Psychol 2019; 25:162-166. [DOI: 10.1016/j.copsyc.2018.08.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2018] [Revised: 07/14/2018] [Accepted: 08/01/2018] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
|