Attachment, a vital part of human life, is defined as a strong emotional bond with a caregiver that is formed through repetitions of behaviors that children adjust to accordingly. One forms a view on relationships that transfers from parents to peers as a result of their internal working model (IWM). A secure attachment can form a healthy model while an insecure one may form an unhealthy, negative model. The present study assesses preadolescents' attachment styles toward their friends and examines whether their attachment styles interact with peers' attachment styles to predict liking of the peers and aggression toward the peers. / by Alexzandria May. / Thesis (M.A.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2011. / Includes bibliography. / Electronic reproduction. Boca Raton, Fla., 2011. Mode of access: World Wide Web.

This study examined the relationships of adult attachment, locus of control, and fear of intimacy between adult children of alcoholics (ACOAs) and non adult children of alcoholics (NACOAs). A convenience sample of 224 participants, specifically 108 ACOAs and 116 NACOAs, completed the Experiences in Close Relationships-Revised Questionnaire (ECR-R), Rotter's Locus of Control Scale (LOC), and the Fear of Intimacy Scale (FIS). Participants were drawn from self-help groups, gatherings, and a health fair held in Palm Beach County, Florida. Data were analyzed utilizing multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA), series of analyses of variance (ANOVA), stepwise regression analyses, discriminant function analysis, in addition to correlational analyses. ... ACOAs demonstrated insecure, fearful avoidant attachment patterns, an external locus of control, and greater fear of intimacy. In contrast, NACOAs exhibited secure adult attachment, an internal locus of control, and lower fear of intimacy. This study lends empirical support to clinical practice pertaining to the constructs of adult attachment, locus of control, and fear of intimacy in ACOAs and NACOAs. / by Raffaela Peter. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2012. / Includes bibliography. / Mode of access: World Wide Web. / System requirements: Adobe Reader.

The current study examined the effects of kangaroo care on breastfeeding practices, infant stress reactivity, and biobehavioral measures of mother-infant bonding across the first 3 months postpartum. Additionally, the role of breastfeeding in infant cortical maturation in the frontal lobe was examined. Thirty two mother-infant dyads participated in the current study; 16 mother-infant dyads were randomly assigned to the kangaroo care group and 17 mother-infant dyads were assigned to the control group. Mothers in the kangaroo care group received training on proper kangaroo care procedures by a trained administrator during the first 1-2 weeks postpartum. Mothers in the kangaroo care group were asked to use the kangaroo care procedure for 1 hour per day for 6 weeks. Maternal perceptions of fetal attachment, mood, feeding intentions, and urinary oxytocin measurements were assessed prenatally. At a newborn visit, infant neurobehavioral functioning and urinary oxytocin measurements were assessed. Maternal mood and feeding practices were also assessed at the newborn visit. At 3 months postpartum, mother-infant dyads were assessed on urinary oxytocin measurements. Mother-infant dyads were recorded during a play session and feeding session. Infant baseline EEG recordings were taken over a 5 minute period. Infant cortisol measurements were collected from infant saliva before and after a mild behavioral stressor, an infant arm restraint procedure. Maternal perceptions of postpartum bonding, mood, infant temperament, and feeding practices were also assessed. Results indicate that kangaroo care produced medium to large effects on cortisol reactivity, dyadic bonding, and breastfeeding practices if kangaroo care was practiced for the recommended amount of time. Kangaroo care produced medium to large effects on oxytocin levels in motherinfant dyads regardless of use. Cortical measures of infant frontal activity indicated that all infants in the samples displayed functional maturity of the frontal lobe. Kangaroo care can be used a viable, low-cost tactile procedure that can be implemented after birth to aid in breastfeeding practices, mother-infant bonding, and lower infant stress reactivity. Infants in the study who received at least one breastfeeding session displayed advanced patterns of frontal activation. Further study is needed to determine if peripheral oxytocin measurements are 1) reliable and 2) are indicative of dyadic bonding behaviors. / Includes bibliography. / Dissertation (Ph.D.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2014. / FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection

Submitted by Filipe dos Santos (fsantos@pucsp.br) on 2018-07-11T12:28:41Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Cecilia Côrtes Carvalho.pdf: 1309606 bytes, checksum: 0cf2efe024f4599e0979a33cdb1772a7 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2018-07-11T12:28:41Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Cecilia Côrtes Carvalho.pdf: 1309606 bytes, checksum: 0cf2efe024f4599e0979a33cdb1772a7 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2018-05-04 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior - CAPES / This study seeks to understand the meaning attributed to the ties of residents of a gated community with their living environment. It is a qualitative research of multiple cases, that used the theory of attachment and the systemic perspective as a theoretical basis. The survey was conducted in a gated community on the outskirts of the city of São Paulo, with approximately six years of construction, seven towers of five floors each, and a total of 270 apartments. There were five participants, whose narratives were submitted to thematic analysis. The meaning of the themes reported the quality of the resident-housing interrelationship. The results showed that the place of housing, in the configuration of gated vertical community, represents a safe environment, since its physical and social security equipment promotes the feeling of protection in the face of fears imparted by the streets, the city — all that is beyond the walls and that escapes the control of the 24-hours surveillance and security system. A secure place bond appears as a protective factor for mental health and a resilience tutor. Housing, like family, can be the social, as well as the geographical reference for someone and still anchor the continuous process of construction of subjectivity. This study brought invisible links to the Psychology map: where apparently there was no bonds — housing in a gated community —, there are structured bonds that function in accordance with the degree of intimacy and sense of security provided by the interaction of the residents / Este estudo buscou compreender o significado atribuído aos vínculos de moradores de um condomínio vertical fechado com seu ambiente de moradia. É uma pesquisa qualitativa de casos múltiplos, que utilizou a teoria do apego e a perspectiva sistêmica como embasamentos teóricos. A pesquisa ocorreu num condomínio na periferia da cidade de São Paulo, com aproximadamente seis anos de construído, com sete torres de cinco andares cada uma, tendo um total de 270 apartamentos. Contou com cinco participantes, cujas narrativas foram submetidas a análise temática. Os significados dos temas relataram a qualidade da inter-relação morador-moradia. Os resultados evidenciaram que o lugar da moradia, na configuração de condomínio vertical fechado, representa um ambiente seguro, uma vez que o equipamento físico e social de segurança deste promove a sensação de protetividade diante de temores direcionados às ruas, à cidade — enfim, ao que está além do entre muros e que foge do controle do sistema de vigilância e segurança vinte quatro horas. Um vínculo de lugar seguro se apresentou como fator de proteção à saúde mental e tutor de resiliência. A moradia, assim como a família, pode ser a referência social — além de geográfica — de alguém e ainda ancorar o processo contínuo de construção da subjetividade. Este estudo trouxe vínculos invisíveis para o mapa da Psicologia: onde se pensava não haver vínculo, na moradia em condomínio fechado, há vínculos que se estruturam e funcionam conforme o grau de intimidade e a sensação de segurança proporcionada pelo convívio dos moradores

Chan Ching. / Thesis (M.Phil.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2005. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 48-54). / Abstract in English and Chinese. / List of Tables --- p.v / Chapter CHAPTER 1: --- INTRODUCTION --- p.1 / Two dimensions and four-group model of adult attachment --- p.2 / Attachment to father and gender differences --- p.5 / Attachment and psychological adjustments and relationship outcomes --- p.8 / Relationship outcomes --- p.9 / Psychological well-being --- p.10 / Chapter CHAPTER 2: --- METHOD --- p.13 / Participants --- p.13 / Measures --- p.13 / Attachment --- p.14 / Relationship quality measurements --- p.15 / Psychological well-being --- p.16 / Chapter CHAPTER 3: --- RESULTS --- p.18 / Prediction of Adult Romantic Attachment --- p.18 / Prediction of Anxiety Dimension --- p.20 / Prediction of Avoidance Dimension --- p.25 / Using Attachment Dimensions to Predict Outcomes --- p.30 / Conflict --- p.32 / Commitment --- p.32 / Relationship Satisfaction --- p.32 / Depression --- p.33 / Life Satisfaction --- p.33 / Chapter CHAPTER 4: --- DISCUSSION --- p.37 / Parental attachment as predictors for adult romantic attachment --- p.37 / Relationships of Attachment Dimensions and Outcomes --- p.41 / Future Studies --- p.46 / References --- p.48 / Appendix --- p.55

The purpose of the current study is to examine emotional and behavioral interdependence within the triadic family system. Interdependence was assessed over time between 17 participant groups of mothers, fathers and preschoolers. Responses of each parent and preschooler were observed during story recitations that were chosen to elicit positive or negative responses; observations included measures of attention, external affect, and affective congruency. Parental self-report ratings of expressivity, negative emotions, and child temperament were compared to observations during story recitations, as well. Some father-child interactions appeared to be affected by story condition. However, parent gender had little effect on parent-child interactions overall in regards to child consistency. The findings suggest that children drive the interactions more so than parents. Further research with a larger sample size is needed to fully examine the emotional and behavioral interdependence between parents and preschoolers. / Includes bibliography. / Thesis (M.A.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2017. / FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection

Background: Though there continues to be a significant amount of research aimed at understanding factors associated with participating in sexual risk behavior in populations of YBMSM, there has been far less research concerned with understanding how psychological distress may influence sexual risk behaviors and how emotional bond formation may affect the relationship between psychological distress and sexual risk behavior. This study aims to better understand the relationship between psychological distress and sexual risk behavior as well as the moderating effect of adult attachment insecurity on this relationship. Methods: Three data collection strategies were utilized to address the study aims: 1) cross-sectional (n = 228), 2) eight-week structured diary (n = 153), and 3) semi-structured interview (n = 30). The cross-sectional survey provided measurement information on adult attachment style using a modified version of the Experiences in Close Relationships Scale (ECR) that consists of the attachment avoidance and anxiety subscales, the Brief Symptoms Inventory (BSI) and the Kessler-10 (K10). Sexual risk was measured by assessing unprotected anal intercourse (UAI) and serodiscordant UAI in the last two months. The eight-week structured diary utilized weekly reports of UAI encounter vs. no UAI encounter, and serodiscordant UAI encounter vs. no serodiscordant UAI encounter. The K10 and the Profile of Moods (POMS) anxiety and depression subscales measured psychological distress. The semi-structured interview assessed childhood attachment. Regression analyses were used to analyze the cross-sectional data. Random effects and population average regression models were used to analyze the structured diary data. A thematic inductive analysis technique was utilized to analyze the qualitative data. Results: Overall, participants reported slightly elevated mean scores on the attachment anxiety subscale while scores on the attachment avoidance subscale remained low. Participants reported an average of two UAI partners in the last month and an average of 1.3 UAI encounters over the eight-week diary period. Psychological distress scores were slightly elevated in the cross-sectional survey and depression scores were elevated in the diary component. For Aim 1, men higher on attachment insecurity (anxiety and avoidance) had higher levels of general psychological distress, depression, and anxiety in comparison to men who were more secure. The qualitative data supported the quantitative findings and showed that subjective appraisal of traumatic events and sexual orientation disclosure may mediate the relationship between childhood attachment and adult mental health. For Aim 2, the quantitative findings suggested that attachment insecurity was not related to sexual risk behavior. However, the qualitative component suggested that participants who were anxious used sex as a means to try to create an emotional bond, while participants who were avoidant used sex as a means to feel good without wanting to create an emotional bond. Both anxious and avoidant men seemed to participate in more concurrent sexual relationships which could increase their likelihood of HIV/STI transmission. For Aim 3, men who were more depressed and had higher levels of general psychological distress were more likely to report a serodiscordant UAI encounter in a given week. The qualitative data supported the quantitative findings and suggested that men might use sex as a means of escape their negative mood. This model of "escapism" could have lead to participation in sexual practices that increased men's risk of HIV/STI transmission. For Aim 4, adult attachment insecurity did not moderate the relationship between psychological distress and sexual risk. The qualitative data suggested that secure attachment in childhood was important to adequately coping with stressful situations, which in turn promoted overall well-being. Conclusion: Study findings suggest that understanding adult attachment may lead to a better understanding of psychological distress and sexual risk behavior among YBMSM. The results highlight the importance of considering childhood and young adult emotional bond formation in the development of HIV/STI prevention intervention activities aimed at addressing the heightened rates of sexual risk behavior among YBMSM. This research could have valuable implications for the development of HIV/STI and mental health prevention interventions aimed at reducing sexual risk behaviors and promoting well-being in populations of YBMSM

A music and movement program that incorporated vocal, gestural and rhythmical movement activities was devised with the aim of promoting first-time mothers’ interactions with their infants from the age 2 to 6 months. For first-time mothers as primary caregivers, the early post-partum months of the transition to parenthood can be a stressful period, affecting communicative interactions with their infants and the early development of the dyadic relationship. Furthermore, if mothers are lacking a repertoire of activities that promote communicative interactions via the use of vocal, gestural and rhythmical movement activities the development of the mother-infant relationship may be inhibited.Considering factors that affect the early development of the mother in her role as primary caregiver and the developing relationship with her infant, the investigation of two studies are reported. Study 1 was aimed at investigating the effects music and movement and face-to-face social contact on the frequency of mothers’ interactions with their infants and maternal well-being. Face-to-face social contact was investigated as a factor (both independent of music and movement, and its interaction effect with music and movement) that could influence mothers’ communicative interactions with their infants and maternal well-being. Study 2 investigated behavioural outcomes within the mother-infant relationship in response to the communicative effects of music and movement as measured by change in the characteristics of mothers’ Infant-Directed Speech and dyadic reciprocity Results indicated that up-tempo play songs and rhymes which incorporated rhythmical movement were preferred by the mothers to engage with their infants. As an effect of the their use of the music and movement activities, mothers’ interactions with their infants increased together with their perceived mother-to-infant attachment, characteristics associated with their Infant-Directed Speech and the dyadic reciprocity. Without music and movement, mothers decreased their music and movement interactions with their infants together with their perceived mother-to infant attachment, characteristics associated with their Infant-Directed Speech and the dyadic reciprocity. It was concluded that mothers’ use of the music and movement program with their infants in the early post-partum months was a valuable stimulus that can enhance the mother-infant relationship. / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Infidelity violates a western norm that a range of interpersonal behaviours should remain exclusive in committed romantic relationships. Once exposed, the aftermath can be detrimental to all concerned. However, despite a cultural majority endorsing this belief and apprised of the potential consequences of its violations, infidelity or extradyadic relationships are widespread. Furthermore, individual differences in beliefs about what constitutes infidelity blur the boundaries of acceptable behaviour, making the concept of unfaithfulness difficult to fully describe. This variation in attitudes and behaviour, along with the consistent media attention infidelity attracts affirms the enigmatic nature of the behaviour. In response, an aim of the study was to clarify the construct of infidelity among a contemporary Australian sample. This was achieved in two ways. Firstly, the study examined beliefs and behaviours associated with unfaithfulness using qualitative (focus group) and largely quantitative (survey) data. Secondly, the study involved investigation of the association between infidelity and several individual, relationship and environmental variables. Differences in relationships and environmental conditions can be conceptualised within the theoretical framework of the investment model, while adult attachment theory and a lovestyles typology offer theoretical underpinnings to the study of individual differences. Specifically, the aim of this stage of the study was to examine how adult attachment styles (anxious, avoidant), lovestyles (eros, ludus, storge, mania, pragma, agape), relationship variables (satisfaction, investment, commitment), and an environmental variable (perceived alternatives) predicted infidelity. The sample comprised 243 women and 69 men between the ages of 18 and 60 years (M = 31.3 years, SD = 11.9) who were currently in a romantic relationship of at least one year or who had recently been in such a relationship. Participants completed measures pertaining to attachment, lovestyles and various aspects of relationship quality in addition to several measures of extradyadic behaviour. The study found that infidelity, as defined by respondents, was engaged in by 20% of individuals in their current relationships and by 42% of individuals in their previous relationships. Regarding the nature of infidelity, the current findings indicated that various sexual and emotional behaviours carried out with someone other than one's primary partner were considered unfaithful by the vast majority, while fantasy and flirting behaviours were generally seen as acceptable. It was noteworthy, however, that a substantial minority also viewed fantasy as unfaithful, underlining the inherent complexity of the construct. The hypotheses concerning the variables predicting infidelity were partially supported. Results suggested that individuals most likely to engage in extradyadic behaviour were those with an avoidant attachment style or a Ludus lovestyle, more perceived alternatives to their relationship, and most unexpectedly, higher levels of investment in their relationship. Conversely, those least likely to engage in these behaviours were those with an Eros Lovestyle and greater levels of commitment to their relationship. The study confirmed the prevalence of infidelity and emphasised the differential attitudes, behaviours and motivations associated with it. These differences are discussed in relation to the theories presented and an argument is made for research on infidelity to take a broader focus, one that includes the combined aspects of individuals, their relationships and the environment. Implications of these findings for individuals and couples and for the professionals who work with them are discussed, along with suggestions for future research.

This research was designed to examine two broad issues in relation to the investigative interviewing of children (aged 9 to 13 years) with mild and moderate intellectual disabilities. First, how do children with intellectual disabilities perform (relative to children matched for chronological and mental age) when recalling an event in response to various questions? Second, what question types and interview strategies do police officers and caregivers use to elicit accurate and detailed accounts about an event from children with intellectual disabilities? The rationale for exploring each of these issues was to determine possible ways of improving the elicitation of evidence from children with intellectual disabilities. While children with intellectual disabilities constitute a high proportion of all child victims of abuse (Conway, 1994; Goldman, 1994; Morse, et ah, 1970), they rarely provide formal reports of abuse and of those incidents that are reported, few cases progress to court (Henry & Gudjonsson, 1999). Study 1 used a standard interview protocol containing a variety of questions and an interview structure commonly used in investigative interviews. Specifically, the memory and suggestibility of eighty children with either a mild and moderate intellectual disability (M age = 10.85 years) was examined when recalling an innocuous event that was staged at their school. The children's performance was compared with that of two control groups; a group of mainstream children matched for mental age and a group of mainstream children matched for chronological age. Overall, this study showed that children with both mild and moderate intellectual disabilities can provide accurate and highly specific event-related information hi response to questions recommended in best-practice guidelines. However, their recall was less complete and less clear in response to free-narrative prompts and less accurate in response to specific questions when compared to both mainstream age-matched groups. Study 2 provided an in-depth analysis of the types of questions and strategies used by twenty-eight police officers and caregivers when interviewing children with either mild or moderate intellectual disabilities (M age = 11.13 years) about a repeated event that was staged at their school. The results revealed that while the approach used by the police officers was generally consistent with best-practice recommendations (i.e., their interviews contained few leading, coercive or negative strategies), there were many ways in which their approach could be improved. This study also showed that the caregivers used a high proportion of direct and negative strategies to elicit information from their children. Even when caregivers used open-ended questions, their children provided less event-related information than they did to police interviewers. The results of both studies were discussed in relation to current 'best-practice' guidelines for interviewing children and recommendations were offered for improving the quality of field interviews with children who have intellectual disabilities.