Esta dissertação visa analisar o uso no português brasileiro, doravante PB, da pista prosódica de duração de sílabas na produção e percepção de sentenças ambíguas do tipo SN1-V-SN2-Atributo, tais como A mãe encontrou a filha suada. Tais sentenças apresentam contextos em que pode haver reestruturação de frases fonológicas a depender da interpretação escolhida. Um dos trabalhos que guiaram esta pesquisa foi o de MAGALHÃES & MAIA (2006), no qual os autores também observaram sentenças com ambiguidade devido à presença de um atributo que pode se referir ao sujeito ou ao objeto da oração. Fonologicamente, tais leituras podem ser explicadas pelo fato de o atributo poder ou não se juntar a seu núcleo na construção do domínio da frase fonológica, em que, se há fronteira, um alongamento é esperado (NESPOR & VOGEL, 1996). ANGELO & SANTOS (2012, 2015) concluíram que os falantes não realizaram alongamento significativo, porém, observaram uma tendência a produzir sentenças de aposição não local mais longas. O que se propõe, então, é que o alongamento é um fenômeno existente na língua, mas é opcional. Se isto é verdade, sempre que ele for feito, a sentença deve ser interpretada como não local. Caso contrário, haveria uma variação nas respostas perceptuais ou preferência por aposição local (Princípio da Aposição Local verificado por MAGALHÃES & MAIA (2006) no PB com base no Princípio de Late Closure apontado por FRAZIER (1979)). Dois testes foram realizados: No de produção, além dos 30 falantes de Angelo & Santos, mais 20 foram escolhidos e outros 10 recuperados para que lessem ambas as versões de cada uma das 9 sentenças em meio a histórias que guiavam a um ou outro significado, totalizando 720 dados. No de percepção, foram selecionadas as 3 versões mais longas (de aposição não local) e as 3 mais curtas (de aposição local) do teste de produção para cada sentença, em um teste onde 30 ouvintes selecionaram através de imagens qual a interpretação obtida, totalizando 1620 dados. Primeiramente, os resultados apontaram para diferenças significativas observando o tipo de estrutura (os falantes alongaram e acertaram as não locais). Por tipo de sentença, a diferença foi significativa na maioria delas, confirmando a predição de que, ainda que o alongamento seja opcional na produção, uma vez realizado, ele serve como condutor para uma interpretação não local. Para as sentenças locais, o Princípio de Aposição Local verificado no PB por MAGALHÃES & MAIA (2006) também foi observado em nosso experimento. Por fim, os resultados apontam para 2 tipos de estruturas que podem interferir no processo de alongamento: Sentenças em que o atributo é formado por adjetivos deverbais (geração de uma fronteira CP) e sentenças que permitem construções de small clause (bloqueio da reestruturação). / The aim of this thesis is to analyze the use of syllable duration in Brazilian Portuguese (henceforth BP) as a prosodic cue in the perception and production of syntactically ambiguous sentences with a NP1-V-NP2-attribute structure (lit. The mother has found her daughter sweating). This type of sentence is produced in contexts where phonological phrases may be restructured, depending on how the sentences are interpreted. A reference for the present research was the study by MAGALHÃES & MAIA (2006), who also found sentences which ambiguity was due to the presence of an attribute that may refer to either the subject or the object of the clause. Phonologically, interpretations of the above-mentioned structure can be explained by the fact that attributes may or may not join the head in the construction of the phonological phrase domain, because lengthening is expected when there is a boundary (NESPOR & VOGEL, 1996). ANGELO & SANTOS (2015) found that the speakers in their study did not make significant lengthening; however, they tended to produce high attachment in longer sentences. It is suggested, therefore, that although lengthening exists in BP as a phenomenon, it is optional. If this is actually true, sentences should be interpreted as having high attachment whenever lengthening is produced. Otherwise, it is assumed that there is variation in perceptual responses or preference for low attachment (Low Attachment Principle, found in PB by MAGALHÃES & MAIA (2006), based on the Late Closure Principle proposed by Frazier (1979)). Data were collected with two tests. In the sentence-reading production test, 30 speakers from the study by ANGELO & SANTOS (2015)) and 20 new speakers read one version of each sentence, while 10 out of the former 30 read two versions, thus the corpus was made of a total of 720 sentences. The perception test used the three longest versions (with high attachment) and the three shortest versions (with low attachment) of each sentence. The informants who took the test chose the image that best represented the meaning that they assigned to each sentence. A total of 1620 data were produced. Overall results showed significant differences for type of structure (the informants lengthened and identified high attachments correctly). For sentence type, there were significant differences in most sentences, thus confirming the hypothesis that lengthening is optional in production and, once it has been performed, it can lead a sentence to be interpreted as having high attachment. For sentences with low attachment, the Low Attachment Principle suggested by MAGALHÃES & MAIA (2006) also occurred in our experiment. The findings signal two types of structures that may interfere with the lengthening process: sentences whose attribute is formed by deverbal adjectives (generation of a CP phrasal boundary) and sentences that allow small clause constructions (restructuring is blocked).

Syftet med denna studie är att undersöka elva förskollärares uppfattning och förhållningssätt i relation till betydelsen om barns anknytningsprocess. Tillvägagångssättet har varit att utföra semistrukturerade intervjuer som sedan transkriberats och slutligen analyserats med utgångspunkt i följande fyra frågeställningar: Hur uppfattar förskollärare betydelsen av anknytning ur ett barnperspektiv och vad grundar de dessa tankegångar på? Hur uppfattar förskollärare sin roll som anknytningsperson i förskolan? Hur tolkar förskollärare förskolans läroplan utifrån ett anknytningsperspektiv? Hur är förskollärares uppfattning om anknytningens betydelse för barnets utveckling och lärande?  Resultat från analysen visar att förskollärare innehar både erfarenhet och förståelse för att anknytning är av stor vikt för barns utveckling, lärande och kunskapsinhämtning. Förskollärare beskriver även att de har en betydande roll för barnet i förskolan som kompletterande anknytningsperson. De upplever dock svårigheter med att lyckas knyta an till alla barn samt bemöta alla barns behov, speciellt under en inskolningsperiod. / The purpose of this study is to investigate eleven preschool teacher’s perceptions and approaches in relation to the meaning of children’s attachment process. We did semi structured interviews that we thereafter transcribed and analyzed based on these four issues: How do preschool teachers understand the preschool introduction process from a child’s perspective? What are their thoughts based on? How do preschool teachers understand the role as the key person at the preschool? How do preschool teachers interpret the preschool curriculum based on an attachment perspective? How do preschool teachers perceive the importance of attachment regarding the children’s development?  The results from the analysis show that preschool teachers have both experience and understanding on how attachment is important for the child’s development, learning and knowledge acquisition. Preschool teachers describe that they have a significant role as a complementary attachment person, but they do experience difficulties attaching to each and every child, especially during the preschool introduction period.

This study explored and described the relationship between early attachment to the father figure and self-esteem and current adult attachment style. Specifically, the present study explored and described the impact of the internal working model of early paternal attachment upon adult attachment styles and levels of self-esteem. The data for this study was obtained by utilizing the following four questionnaires: The Inventory of Parent and Peer Attachment (IPPA) Part 2 as a retrospective measure, the Relationship Questionnaire (RQ), Relationship Scales Questionnaire (RSQ) and Battle’s Culture Free Self-Esteem Inventory (CFSEI). An exploratory descriptive design using a non-probability, convenience sampling method was employed for the present study. A sample of 105 adult participants from a religious institution within Port Elizabeth was selected. Participants, including both males and females, representative of all cultures and socio-economic status, were interviewed using the above self-report measures. The data for this study was analyzed using descriptive and correlational and inferential statistics. The findings indicated that the majority of the sample had a preoccupied attachment style, with Intermediate self-esteem levels.

The problem addressed is to ascertain how selected factors impacted the adjustment of undergraduate university students. Undergraduate university students (n=382) from the University of North Texas completed measures of basic student information, perceived level of family support and level of parental attachment, and perceived level of college student adjustment. Parental Attachment and Family Support were found to positively correlate to the level of adjustment to college. Analyses of these data reveal a statistically significant difference in student adjustment to college when comparing the participants by age, university classification, and living arrangement. Further analysis reveals that there is a statistically significant difference between gender, race, students' marital status, and parents' marital status when measuring the outcome of perceived family support. Perceived level of parental attachment differs significantly when comparing students by their race, marital status, and their parents' marital status.

The purpose of this study was to investigate psychological mechanism by which four intra- and inter-personal characteristics of an individual (anxious and avoidant adult attachment patterns, images of self, and religious faith) mediate the relationship between childhood trauma and each of three affect-behavior regulation problems in adulthood (symptoms of depression, disordered eating behaviors, and substance abuse). A total of 401 college student participants completed a packet of 18 surveys including 10 surveys used in the present study. Structural equation modeling was used to test each of three hypothesized structural models (Depression, Eating Disturbances, and Substance Abuse). A series of multi-group analyses conducted to test if each of three hypothesized models is invariant across gender indicated no significant difference between females and males. Thus, the data were combined across gender to test for mediated effects in each of three hypothesized models. The results indicated: (a) for the hypothesized model for depression, anxious attachment patterns, avoidant attachment patterns, and negative self-images, but not religious faith, fully mediated the relationship between childhood trauma and symptoms of depression; (b) for the model for eating disturbances, anxious attachment and negative images of self, but not avoidant attachment and religious faith, fully mediated the association between childhood trauma and disordered eating behaviors; and (3) for the mode for substance abuse, anxious attachment and poor religious faith, but not avoidant attachment and negative self-images, fully mediated the relationship between childhood trauma and substance abuse. The findings of the present study have noteworthy implications for treatment. When clients who suffer from symptoms of depression, disordered eating behaviors, and/or substance abuse report a history of repetitive abuse and neglect by primary caregivers in childhood, clinicians need to assist clients in: (a) understanding an association of childhood maltreatment with affect-behavior regulation problems; (b) being aware of an impact of abuse and neglect by attachment figures in childhood on negative mental representations of self, insecure attachment patterns in close relationship, and poor religious faith; and (c) most importantly, deepening an understanding of how their negative images of self, anxious and avoidant adult attachment patterns, and/or poor religious faith and practices, rather than parental abuse and neglect in childhood itself, directly predict their presenting symptoms of depression, disordered eating behaviors, and/or substance abuse problems. In doing so, it is crucial for clinicians to provide clients with secure and comforting therapeutic atmosphere, focus on building trusting working relationship with clients, and be aware of how clients' transference and clinicians' own counter-transference interact with each other and influence therapeutic process and effectiveness. Several important limitations of the present study and implications for future studies were discussed.

This research project will examine, from the social worker's perspective, parental substance abuse and its effects on attachment.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the level of attachment, secure or insecure, displayed by foster children after a minimal one-hour separation from their foster parent. The sample consisted of fifty foster parents (22 males and 28 females) who had foster children ranging in ages from 3-12. The foster children have lived in the current foster care placement for at least one month. To measure the foster child's level of attachment to the foster parent, the foster parent completed a demographic survey as well as the Parent/Child Reunion Inventory (Marcus 1988). Analysis was conducted using a variety of univariate (descriptive statistics, frequencies), bivariate (t-test, correlation), and mulivariate (multiple regression) analyses to describe the sample population and significant correlations among the various independent and dependent variables. As expected, foster parents reported secure attachment behaviors for foster children the longer the child has lived in their home. Two factors that appear to influence attachment are the length of time in the foster parents in the home. This information is valuable to the foster care arena for calculating secure attachment between foster children and their caregivers.

Novice counselors may struggle to understand and follow ethical guidelines for boundary behaviors with clients. When counselors violate therapeutic boundaries, harmful consequences can result for clients and counselors. The purpose of this quantitative study was to examine the possible relationship between novice counselors' (NCs') attachment to supervisors and NCs' ethical perceptions and boundary practices. This study addressed the possible predictor variables of age, gender, relationship status, and practice setting. Bowlby's attachment theory provided the framework for the study. Survey data from 114 NCs were analyzed using descriptive statistics and hierarchical linear regression. Each regression analyzed predictors of age, gender, relationship status, and practice setting in model 1 and added level of attachment anxiety and level of attachment avoidance to supervisor in model 2. Findings indicated that NCs' level of anxious attachment predicted serious boundary violations (BVs). Those with higher levels of attachment anxiety reported more BVs and perceived more items as BVs. Level of attachment avoidance also distorted ethical perceptions; those high in attachment avoidance considered more items to be boundary crossings and BVs. The variables of age, male gender, and an urban practice setting significantly predicted higher reported boundary crossings. Males more often did not consider behaviors to be BVs, and more females agreed with expert perceptions of items which were neither a boundary crossing nor a BV. Age was significant but contrary to previous findings because in this sample, as age increased, reported BVs decreased. Findings may lead to changes in how counselor educators and supervisors train NCs to manage boundaries in therapeutic relationships.

The sudden or violent death of a loved one (e.g., suicide, homicide, accident, etc.) poses unique challenges for the bereaved. Research has found such losses to be associated with higher levels of chronic psychological distress, now termed Persistent Complex Bereavement Disorder in the DSM-5 and Prolonged Grief Disorder in the forthcoming ICD-11. The present study, developed through the lens of Multidimensional Grief Theory (MGT; Kaplow et al., 2013), explored underlying mechanisms and risk and protective factors for both prolonged grief and posttraumatic growth. With a mixed college and community sample of 374 traumatically bereaved adults, results of a path analysis suggest that insecure attachment strategies play a significant role in prolonged grief symptoms through the mediators of identity distress and shattered assumptions. Faced with the traumatic loss of a loved one, the ability and desire to effectively access relationships facilitating intentional processing that promotes cognitive reorganization is predicated on the bereaved's internal working model of attachment. Specifically, attachment anxiety in relation to close others and God, and attachment avoidance in relation to close others, were indirectly associated with prolonged grief. However, attachment avoidance in relation to God was negatively associated with both prolonged grief and posttraumatic growth, and there was no evidence for mediation. One explanation for this could be that individuals endorsing divine attachment avoidance are less likely to make negative religious attributions about the death, which have been associated with chronic psychological distress, but are also less likely to be able to utilize the sacred as a context for growth. By considering traumatically bereaved individuals' internal working model of attachment, level of identity distress, and potentially shattered assumptions, our model accounted for each of MGT's three domains of distress thought to impact post-lost adjustment. That these domains were both inter-related and associated with differential outcomes speaks to the complex nuances of each grief journey and the importance of attending to more than global levels of distress. These results inform the assessment and treatment of individuals bereaved through sudden or violent means.

The acquirement of a disability (e.g., spinal cord injury, traumatic brain injury, amputation, multi trauma) is a risk factor for psychological disturbance (e.g., depression). Research has established that social support and secure attachment are protective factors against psychological disturbance. Attachment patterns have also been associated with differences in perceived social support. Secure attachment and higher perceived social support have been implicated in greater levels of resilience but need to be validated with a population of individuals who have acquired a disability. The Experiences in Close Relationships, Social Provisions Scale, Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale, Personal Health Questionnaire - 9 Depression Scale, and a Demographic were administered to 102 adult inpatients at a rehabilitation hospital undergoing an individualized rehabilitation program. Two MANOVAs were conducted to examine the direct associations of attachment classifications with the major dependent variables, as well as the various social support subscales. Path analysis tested two mediational models suggested by literature. Model 1 assessed the mediating role of attachment anxiety and attachment avoidance on the effect of social support on depression and resilience. Model 2 assessed the mediating role of social support on the effect of attachment anxiety or attachment avoidance on depression and resilience. Partial support was obtained for both models based on fit indices. A small but significant difference in the fit of the models was found, favoring Model 1. Clinical and research implications for this population and the limitations of the study are discussed.