The purpose of this study was to examine the possible mediating effect of self-esteem on the relationship between attachment security and relationship quality. Previous studies have found a positive association between attachment style and relationship quality. One possible explanation for this link may be self-esteem, which has been shown to consistently predict relationship quality. Therefore, I hypothesized that self-esteem may mediate the relationship between attachment and relationship quality. A sample of 680 married couples that completed the sections on attachment, self-esteem, marital satisfaction, marital stability, and problem areas in the relationship of the RELATE questionnaire between 2011 and 2013 was used. The data were analyzed using an Actor-Partner Interdependence Model (APIM) to help account for shared variance. Results found that there is a positive link between one's attachment and their level of self-esteem and their own relationship quality. However, results also found negative trend-level effects for the links between attachment and partner's level of self-esteem and self-esteem and own relationship quality. There was no mediating effect of self-esteem on the relationship between attachment and relationship quality.

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The purpose of this qualitative study was to determine the suitability of using Bowlby'­s attachment theory as a lens to study intimate partner violence. Extant data from thirty couples self-reporting violence in their relationship, was used. Individual audiotaped interviews from a study unrelated to attachment were transcribed. Ten interviews (five couples) were selected for coding. Applying the modified analytic induction method, as outlined by Gilgun, the data fell into thematic categories that provided a foundation for a narrative about each dyadic system. Representative constructs such as internal working models, adult attachment, caregiving, automatic arousal and abandonment, emerged naturally from the data. The iterative nature of the methodology demanded continual refinement and refocusing. The participants'­ words painted the picture of violence in their relationship. Direct quotes authenticated the research and gave it an experiential aspect. Results demonstrated that attachment theory is an excellent lens through which to study intimate partner violence, suggesting it be embraced in future family systems research. / Master of Science

Purpose of the study is to examine the relationship of ruminative tendency, internal working models of attachment (Self-Model and Other-Model) and help seeking attitudes (Positive Beliefs and Negative Beliefs) with psychological symptoms among the university students. In scope of the current research, the mediation role of rumination in the relationship between internal model of self and psychological symptoms was examined. By applying convenient sampling procedure, six hundred and ten university students were included into the current study from 9 different state universities in Ankara and Istanbul. Turkish version of Relationship Questionnaire (Bartholomew &amp / Horowitz, 1991), Relationship Scale Questionnaire (Griffin &amp / Bartholomew, 1994), Brief Symptom Inventory (Derogatis, 1992), Ruminative Response Scale (Nolen-Hoeksema &amp / Marrow, 1991) and Attitudes toward Seeking Psychological Help - Shortened (T&uuml / rk&uuml / m, 2001) were delivered to the university students at university campuses. Multiple regression analyses were implemented to evaluate the research hypotheses. The results revealed that rumination, internal model of others, and negative beliefs about psychological help significantly predicted the increase in psychological symptoms of Turkish university students. Positive beliefs about psychological help did not relate to psychological symptoms of university students for the current set of data. In addition to this, rumination mediated the relationship between internal model of self and psychological symptoms of university students. The research findings were discussed by relying on the previous research premises.

There are hundreds of thousands of children living in foster care in the United States on any given day. Mental health professionals may be called upon to assist with evaluating the parental capacity of these children’s parents in order to inform reunification decisions. One of the key parental capacity domains to be evaluated is the relationship between parent and child (Schmidt et al., 2007). The Working Model of the Child Interview coding scheme (WMCI; Zeanah et al., 1996) is one tool for evaluating this relationship. There is a significant practice-to-research gap with this measure. To date, no peer-reviewed studies have established the WMCI coding scheme’s psychometric properties; the need for such research with this measure has been cited in the literature (Sprang, Clark, & Bass, 2005). In this dissertation, the literature was reviewed on attachment theory and internal working models of caregiving, the WMCI and other measures of similar constructs, the importance of establishing a measure’s construct and criterion-validity, and forensic standards for measures. Then, it outlined a series of research questions aimed at exploring the psychometric properties of the WMCI Coding Scheme with mothers who have maltreated. Next, the methodology was described. Based on the results of the 403 biological mothers who completed the WMCI as part of court-appointed evaluations following child maltreatment, the items of the WMCI Coding Scheme were best conceptualized using two-factors: Quality and Content. This finding was consistent with the manual. Significant differences in item-level scores existed for all three WMCI descriptive classifications and for overall factor scores. Due to the instability of the two-item Content factor, this dissertation explored the use of a WMCI Total Score (combining the two factors) and using only the WMCI Quality factor and items. No significant relationships existed between any demographic characteristics and WMCI factor scores. Weak, negative correlations with other measures provided some evidence of convergent validity. In conclusion, some potential clinical/research implications for the WMCI Coding Scheme were made and limitations and future directions were described.

The aim of this study was to increase the understanding of how foster parents of unaccompanied children and youths build and maintain relations with the foster placed children. Furthermore, this study highlights the foster parents’ view of being a foster parent and the effects of the commitment of being a foster home. The empirical material data has been collected by interviews with seven foster parents’ in Sweden and the theories that have been used for the analysis of the result are systems theory and a concept from the attachment theory, called internal working models. The conclusions of this study are that foster parents of unaccompanied children and youths have an ability to establish a valuable relationship with said children, however they experience cultural and linguistic difficulties in the process of establishing a relationship with the youths and children. Another conclusion is that the foster parents’ family lives have changed in positive terms while being a foster home.