Background: To document whether the sociocognitive peculiarities of people with Down Syndrome impact the construction of attachment at different ages, a systematic review of the literature was carried out. Method: This review followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and MetaAnalyses, was conducted on three databases: psycINFO,…

This dissertation examined disparities in initial placements and Length of Stay in Custody of children in North Carolina experiencing child maltreatment. This research examined how the Length of Stay in Custody and type of initial placement was associated with the age, race, and gender of children who had been removed from the care of their…

Objective: Few studies have explored the impact of insecure attachment on college student mental health. The present study examined how anxious and avoidant attachment to a mother, father, and best friend were related to depression and resilience in emerging adults exposed to trauma. Participants: Participants included 372 trauma-exposed emerging…

Exposure to microaggressions can have detrimental impacts on the mental health of LGBTQ + emerging adults. Positive social relationships are a well-documented protective factor that help to buffer the impact of adversity on mental health in this population. However, the role of social relationships with pets has received minimal attention in…

Over the past few decades, researchers have been trying to understand the career decision-making process from interpersonal and affective perspectives. Previous findings suggest that secure attachment is negatively linked to career indecision, but the extent to which other variables mediate this relation is less clear. The present study was…

Most studies of school bullying in China are atheoretical. To fill the gap in the literature, we introduce criminological theories in an attempt to test propositions broadly derived from these perspectives in the study of physical bullying. Relying on data collected from 12 middle schools (Grades 7 to 9) in three cities with information on both…

Attachment studies mostly follow the Western middle-class model in theory and methods. To demonstrate that the assessment of children's caregiving context is an often neglected, but crucial prerequisite for attachment studies, we (a) conducted a literature analysis of attachment research in non-Western contexts and (b) empirically investigated the…

Interpersonal relationships are the recent focus of research identifying protective factors in adolescent psychological health. Using an attachment theory perspective, this study examines the relationship of normative attachment strength and individual differences in attachment expectancies on self-reports of depression and stress in 511…

The present study explored how romantic relationship qualities develop with age and relationship length. Eight waves of data on romantic relationships were collected over 10.5 years during adolescence and early adulthood from a community-based sample in a Western U.S. city (100 males, 100 females; M age Wave 1 = 15.83). Measures of support,…

Nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) is a serious public health problem. Identifying the factors that could help prevent or reduce NSSI is important. The current study examined the protective roles of the perceived qualities of current attachment to significant others (i.e., mothers, fathers, and peers) and self-compassion in adolescent NSSI. The…

The violent and protracted Israeli-Palestinian conflict continues, and Jewish Americans play a significant role in influencing related US foreign policy as well as in promoting positive interactions with Palestinians globally. Diaspora populations have played an important role in international peace processes and American Jews are actively…

This study examined the relationship between "theory of mind" and attachment-related anxiety and avoidance in adolescence. The "Reading the Mind in the Eyes" test and the "Experiences in Close Relationships--Relationship Structures" questionnaires were administered to 402 14-19 year-old adolescents. Contrary to…

Previous research demonstrates that carriers of the short allele of the serotonin transporter gene (5-HTTLPR) show both greater susceptibility to depression in response to stressful life events and higher rates of generation of stressful events in response to depression. The current study examines relational security (i.e., self-reported beliefs…

The present study examined child and school factors that might foster classroom behavioral engagement during the first year at school in a sample of 67 typically developing British 4-year-olds. The children were followed for 9 months from the summer before enrollment through the first 7 months of school. Our findings showed that effortful control…

Capturing the multiple aspects of the romantic peer context is a significant challenge for research. One often recommended option is to use reports of multiple relationship features from both members of the romantic dyad. Using a new measure, we extended an existing model of dyadic perception (Kenny & Acitelli, 2001) to investigate associations…