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Attachment, parenting, and marital dissatisfaction as predictors of disruptive behavior in preschoolers

C DeVito1, J Hopkins

  • 1Illinois Institute of Technology, USA. cdevito@childrensmemorial.org

Development and Psychopathology
|June 8, 2001
PubMed

Insights

A coercive attachment pattern in preschoolers is linked to disruptive behavior. This, along with marital dissatisfaction and permissive parenting, significantly predicts behavioral issues in young children.

Area of Science:

  • Developmental Psychology
  • Child Psychology
  • Family Studies

Background:

  • Insecure attachment patterns are linked to behavioral problems in children.
  • Marital dissatisfaction and ineffective parenting are also associated with disruptive behavior.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the association between coercive attachment and disruptive behavior in preschoolers.
  • To examine the combined effects of attachment, marital dissatisfaction, and parenting on disruptive behavior.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized the Preschool Assessment of Attachment to classify attachment patterns in 60 preschooler-mother dyads.
  • Employed analysis of variance and hierarchical regression to analyze the data.

Main Results:

  • Children with a coercive attachment pattern exhibited significantly higher levels of disruptive behavior.
  • A combination of coercive attachment, marital dissatisfaction, and permissive parenting explained a significant portion of disruptive behavior variance.

Conclusions:

  • A coercive attachment pattern is specifically associated with disruptive behavior in preschoolers.
  • Findings support the interplay of attachment, marital quality, and parenting in preschooler behavioral development.

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