A Prospective Longitudinal Study of Mother-Child Attachment and Externalizing Trajectories in Boys and Girls

Child Psychiatry Hum Dev. 2022 Aug;53(4):611-622. doi: 10.1007/s10578-021-01158-x. Epub 2021 Mar 18.

Abstract

In clinically referred children, boys and those with disorganized mother-child attachments tend to show the most maladaptive externalizing trajectories; however, additional research is necessary to test whether these findings hold in a community sample. Therefore, 235 community children (106 boys) were followed from ages 6 to 15 years across six time points. Multiple-group linear growth curves with mother-child attachment as a time-invariant covariate were fit to the data to explore externalizing trajectories for boys and girls. Results showed that boys had higher initial externalizing levels than girls, and children generally experienced a decline in symptoms over time. No significant trajectory differences were found for girls, and boys with different attachment classifications did not differ on their initial externalizing levels; however, boys with avoidant attachments (with resistant attachments trending) experienced a steeper decline in externalizing symptoms longitudinally. Implications for intervention and prevention are discussed.

Keywords: Avoidant attachment; Disorganized attachment; Externalizing problems; Gender; Mother–child attachment.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Child
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Longitudinal Studies
  • Male
  • Mother-Child Relations*
  • Prospective Studies