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Functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy Hyperscanning Study in Psychological Counseling
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Disorganized attachment and inhibitory capacity: predicting externalizing problem behaviors.

Gunilla Bohlin1, Lilianne Eninger, Karin Cecilia Brocki

  • 1Department of Psychology, Uppsala University, Box1225, SE 751 42 Uppsala, Sweden. gunilla.bohlin@psyk.uu.se

Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology
|September 28, 2011
PubMed
Summary

Disorganized attachment and poor inhibition in early childhood predict later externalizing behaviors, ADHD symptoms, and callous-unemotional traits. Poor inhibition specifically predicted ADHD, while disorganized attachment predicted CU traits.

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Area of Science:

  • Developmental Psychology
  • Child Psychiatry
  • Neuroscience

Background:

  • Attachment insecurity, particularly disorganized attachment, is linked to behavioral problems.
  • Executive functions, such as inhibition, are crucial for self-regulation and are often impaired in neurodevelopmental disorders.
  • Understanding the early predictors of externalizing behaviors, ADHD, ASD, and CU traits is vital for timely intervention.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To examine the longitudinal relationship between disorganized attachment and poor inhibition at age 5 with later externalizing behaviors, ADHD, ASD symptoms, and CU traits.
  • To differentiate the independent predictive roles of disorganized attachment and inhibition on these outcomes.
  • To conduct a developmental analysis of externalizing behaviors from age 5.

Main Methods:

  • Longitudinal study of 65 children, oversampling those with high externalizing behaviors.
  • Attachment assessed via a story stem doll play procedure.
  • Inhibition measured using four distinct tasks; externalizing behaviors, ADHD, ASD symptoms, and CU traits rated by parents and teachers.

Main Results:

  • Both disorganized attachment and poor inhibition were longitudinally associated with all measured outcomes.
  • Poor inhibition predicted ADHD symptoms and externalizing behaviors, independent of attachment.
  • Disorganized attachment independently predicted callous-unemotional traits, but not ASD symptoms after controlling for initial externalizing behaviors.

Conclusions:

  • Early disorganized attachment and poor inhibitory control are significant longitudinal predictors of various child behavior problems.
  • Inhibition is a key predictor for ADHD and general externalizing behaviors, while disorganized attachment uniquely predicts CU traits.
  • These findings highlight the importance of addressing attachment security and executive functions in early childhood for preventing later psychopathology.