Predicting Psychopathology in Six-Year-Olds from Early Social Relations

作者：Michael Lewis, Candice Feiring, Carolyn McGuffog, John Jaskir · 发表于：Child Development · 年份：1984 · DOI：10.1111/j.1467-8624.1984.tb00278.x · 被引用次数：363 · 研究领域：Attachment and Relationship Dynamics、Child and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional Development、Child Abuse and Trauma

113 children were seen at 1 and 6 years of age in order to examine the relationship between the quality of the early attachment relationship and later psychopathology. On the basis of scores from the Achenbach and Edelbrock Child Behavior Profile, an outcome measure of psychopathology at 6 years, the results indicated different outcomes for male and female children. For males, attachment classification at 1 year was significantly related to later psychopathology; insecurely attached males showed more psychopathology than securely attached males. No relationship between attachment and later psychopathology was observed for females. Even for males, the attachment classification only partly predicted later behavioral problems. Several other factors, including life-stress events and family demographic variables, appeared to influence the development of psychopathology. The findings suggest that although the child's attachment relationship plays an important role in the development of psychopathology, the child is neither made invulnerable by an early secure attachment nor doomed to psychopathology by an insecure attachment.