Children's mental representations of attachment: associations with attachment security and parent-child narrative quality

Wong, Maria S.

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https://hdl.handle.net/2142/24309 Copy

Description

Title

Children's mental representations of attachment: associations with attachment security and parent-child narrative quality

Author(s)

Wong, Maria S.

Issue Date

2011-05-25T15:01:06Z

Director of Research (if dissertation) or Advisor (if thesis)

Mangelsdorf, Sarah C.

Doctoral Committee Chair(s)

Mangelsdorf, Sarah C.

Committee Member(s)

• Bost, Kelly
• McElwain, Nancy L.
• Miller, Peggy J.
• Roisman, Glenn I.

Department of Study

Psychology

Discipline

Psychology

Degree Granting Institution

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Degree Name

Ph.D.

Degree Level

Dissertation

Keyword(s)

• Attachment representations
• Narratives
• Emotions
• Fathers

Abstract

The goal of this study was to examine the antecedents and correlates of children’s mental representations of attachment at 5 years (Attachment Story Completion Task, Bretherton, Ridgeway, & Cassidy, 1990; MacArthur Story Stem Battery, Bretherton, Oppenheim, Buchsbaum, Emde, & the MacArthur Narrative Group, 1990). Predictors included children’s attachment security with mothers and fathers assessed via the Attachment Q-Set (AQS, Waters, 1987) at 3 years, and parent-child narrative quality regarding positive and negative events at 5 years. Participants included 71 children and their mothers and fathers. Structural equation models (SEM) indicated that children’s attachment security exerted a significant indirect effect on children’s mental representations through parent-child narrative quality. Specifically, children’s attachment security with fathers was related to their mental representations via father-child reminiscing about positive events, and children’s attachment security with mothers was related to their mental representations via mother-child reminiscing about negative events. Results are discussed in terms of the development and implications of attachment relationships within the family context.

Graduation Semester

2011-05

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http://hdl.handle.net/2142/24309

Copyright and License Information

Copyright 2011 Maria Sau Man Wong

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