This study offers a critical review and analysis of the Social Development Model and social control theory in delinquency. Results show that attachment and commitment to parents, school, and peers is associated with delinquency for both boys and girls. Parental attachment and commitment play a stronger role in female delinquency, while alienation…

Discusses how attachment theory can be useful strategy for producing therapeutic change and more productive client functioning. Addresses basic attachment theory concepts and parallels between counseling and attachment. Provides case example to focus, integrate, and elaborate elements presented. (Author)

Insecurely attached boys were less liked by peers and teachers; were perceived as more aggressive by classmates; and were rated by teachers as less competent and as having more behavior problems than were secure boys. No such association emerged for girls. Participants were 89 children assessed before and after they entered first grade and their…

The article presents examples of emotionally disturbed children's reactions to separation from a teacher with whom they have become involved. Suggestions are offered for facilitating healthy separation from the teacher. (JDD)

Reviews research from several disciplines to examine impact of stillbirth and infant death on parents, and the effect of various socio-demographic, pregnancy-related, and postbirth factors upon parents' grieving and adjustment. Reports that one-third of mothers reported serious physical and emotional deterioration. Notes that care and emotional…

Examines the course of emotion expression development during the first 2 years of 58 full-term and preterm children through videotapes of mother/infant pairs. Mothers' contingency behavior appeared to have an effect on emotional development, as did birth status and gender. Prematurity was associated with differential socioemotional development.…

Assessed the intelligence, attachment security, and dependency of 30 18-month-olds. Half of the infants' mothers were employed full time and half were nonemployed mothers. Studied were factors in mothers' lives such as stress, marital relationship, social contacts, and supports. Results suggest that different models to predict infant outcome in…

Probed attachment-related differences in emotional responses to ended romantic relationships. Multivariate analysis of variance revealed that securely attached students recalled a more positive emotional experience after a relationship concluded, whereas persons with fearful and preoccupied styles reported a more negative experience overall.…

Attachment representations and self-confidence were assessed at age 7 on the basis of children's responses to a separation story and independent observations, although cognitive functioning was measured at ages 7-17 years based on a battery of Piagetian tasks assessing concrete and formal reasoning. Children with a secure attachment representation…

Three samples of 24- to 54-month-old children with Down's syndrome were assessed using the Ainsworth Strange Situation Procedure (ASSP) of attachment security and scored according to traditional protocols. Found that developmentally younger subjects were more difficult to classify using the standard scoring rules and that the ASSP may be measuring…

Examined mother and teacher correlates of social competence with familiar and unfamiliar peers in 84 children who had entered child care in 4 different waves. Found relationships with initial teachers and those at age four were related to social competence with peers. Maternal attachment relationships at 12 months and at 4 years did not predict…

Assessed 26 lesbian couples' division of labor, their satisfaction with division of labor and their relationships, and their children's psychosocial adjustment. Found that parents were more satisfied and children were more well adjusted when the labor involved in child care was more evenly distributed between parents. (MDM)

Suggests that medical advisors may be an important resource for adoptive parents seeking to understand their child's behavior. Examines the effects of the child's past--problems such as loss, poor attachment, or abuse--and how the child and new family adjust. (TJQ)

Assessed maternal sensitivity and infants' attachment behavior to test validity of a system of classifying attachment relationships at home. Subjects were 47 mothers of preterm and 42 mothers of full-term infants. Results reaffirm Ainsworth's conceptualization of distinct attachment relationships. (HTH)

Examined association between sibling relationships and developmental outcomes in 25 preschool foster children placed with older siblings. Found some association, though inconsistent, between quality of the relationship and child behavior problems and verbal ability. Results suggest the complexity of high-risk sibling relationships and its impact…