Attachment over Time

Continuity in attachment classification from infancy to late adolescence was examined and related to autobiographical memories of childhood, divorce, and maladjustment. Eighty-four White middle-class children (48 girls) were seen in a modified Strange Situation at 12 months and given the Adult Attac...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Child development 2000-05, Vol.71 (3), p.707-720
Main Authors: Lewis, Michael, Feiring, Candice, Rosenthal, Saul
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adjustment
Adolescence
Adolescent
Adolescents
Adult
Attachment
Attachment Behavior
Biological and medical sciences
Child
Child development
Child psychology
Child, Preschool
Childhood
Children
Developmental psychology
Divorce
Divorce - psychology
Families & family life
Family - psychology
Follow-Up Studies
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Humans
Infancy
Infant
Infants
Interpersonal Relations
Late Adolescents
Memory
Memory - physiology
Miscellaneous
Object Attachment
Parent Child Relationship
Personal relationships
Personality and Social Development
Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry
Psychology. Psychophysiology
Relationship
Reliability
Security of Attachment
Social Adjustment
Stability
Time Factors
Young adulthood
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Summary:Continuity in attachment classification from infancy to late adolescence was examined and related to autobiographical memories of childhood, divorce, and maladjustment. Eighty-four White middle-class children (48 girls) were seen in a modified Strange Situation at 12 months and given the Adult Attachment Interview at 18 years. In addition, data were collected on 13-year-olds' childhood recollections as well as adolescent, mother, and teacher ratings of maladjustment at 13 and 18 years of age. Divorce status of parents also was obtained. Results indicated no continuity in attachment classification from 1 to 18 years of age and no relation between infant attachment status and adolescent maladjustment. Divorce was related to 13-year-olds' childhood recollections as well as to insecure attachment status at 18 years. Eighteen-year-olds with insecure attachment classification were more likely to rate themselves as maladjusted. The results support the idea of attachment as an evolving representation dependent upon the nature of the family environment as indexed by divorce.
ISSN:0009-3920
1467-8624
DOI:10.1111/1467-8624.00180