Discusses factors associated with the development of secure and insecure mother-infant attachments and reviews results from intervention studies designed to promote secure attachment. Presents recommendations for early interventions to promote secure attachment that can be carried out by practitioners in a variety of settings. (CR)

Examines an attachment theory perspective for conceptualizing adult-child/older-parent issues by introducing the basic constructs of attachment theory. Demonstrates how the theory can be applied to counseling issues and to adult children's struggles with older parent issues. Explores the continuation of the attachment bond and provides a case…

Structural equation modeling was used to test theoretically based models in which psychological separation and attachment security variables were related to career indecision and those relations were mediated through vocational self-concept crystallization. Results indicated that some components of separation and attachment security did relate to…

Examined impact of divorce on psychological separation process from their parents of college students (n=160) from divorced and intact families. Found divorced group adolescents as adjusted to college life as their intact counterparts and more separated from their families than intact group. (Author/CM)

In a study examining attachments to celebrity figures, 79 male and female fifth, eighth, and eleventh graders and college sophomores described themselves and their favorite celebrities. It was found that such attachments are equally important to males and females, and that gender and age affect the nature of the attachment. (DM)

Finds that mothers high in responsiveness in the infant's first year have more secure infants and have children who are more likely to use prosocial interaction strategies with peers, are rated by teachers as having fewer school problems, and score higher on the Stanford-Binet. (pcb)

A third-year follow-up investigation of socioemotional behaviors of preterm and full-term infants videotaped mother-child and child-peer play sessions. Contributions of gender, birth status, attachment classification, and maternal contingency behavior to children's expressive development were examined. Results suggest that children learn greater…

Examined mother-infant teaching interactions, Home Observation for Measurement of the Environment (HOME) scores, and infant attachment security in 197 adolescent mothers and their infants. Adolescent mothers who were living with neither their own mothers nor their partners had better teaching interactions but lower HOME scores than those…

Describes the core constructs of attachment theory, namely, the attachment system and secure-base behavior. Discusses contextual factors thought to be crucial in development of individual differences in attachment, especially maternal sensitivity, and considers child characteristics, especially temperament, that may contribute to the attachment…

Documents generally positive and supportive relationships between parents and children, more positive relationships with mothers than fathers, and an improvement in relationships as children mature from age 18 to 23. Further, parent-child relationships are perceived differently between parent and child. (JPS)

This study of 105 12-month olds replicated 4 similar studies that showed that infants in day care are at risk for insecure attachment. Failure to reproduce significant results suggests that the research literature on infant day care and attachment may be biased by the unavailability of "file drawer" studies--unpublished data showing no…

Focuses on attachment theory's relationship to counseling process and supervision so as to heighten appreciation of attachment theory's complexity. Illustrates attachment constructs in action and discusses counseling process, concentrating on the ways attachment theory can contribute to understanding the client-counselor relationship and change…

Examined adolescents' perceived levels of intimacy as a function of demographic, family and school, and psychological variables. Students with same-sex friends and greater interest in school reported greater intimacy with mother. Students with higher self-esteem, lower depression, and lower risk-taking scores revealed greater intimacy with both…

Using an ethological framework, explores the ways in which family pets, in particular dogs and cats, provide certain components of attachment that contribute to emotional and social well-being throughout the life cycle. Implications are identified for social policies that will protect and maintain this bond for particular populations. (RJM)

Analyzes the nature of interdependence in ongoing relationships, using an investment model to understand decisions to remain in abusive relationships. Found that feelings of commitment were greater among women who had poorer-quality economic alternatives, were more heavily invested in their relationship, and who experienced less dissatisfaction…