State Attachment Variability: Between- and within-Person Level Associations with Trait Attachment and Psychological...

Area of Science:

• Developmental Psychology
• Clinical Psychology
• Attachment Theory

Background:

• Inter-individual differences in state attachment variability link to trait attachment and psychological issues in children.
• Previous research focused on between-person differences, leaving within-person associations less explored.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate if state attachment variability is associated with trait attachment and psychological problems at both between-person and within-person levels.
• To examine if intra-individual fluctuations in attachment variability predict or are predicted by changes in trait attachment and psychological problems.

Main Methods:

• Longitudinal study with 152 children tested three times over one year.
• Measured children's expectations of maternal support, trait attachment, and psychological problems (self and maternal reports).
• Employed Random-Intercept Cross-Lagged Panel Models to differentiate between-person and within-person effects.

Main Results:

• Higher state attachment variability was significantly associated with lower trait attachment security and increased psychological problems at the between-person level.
• Evidence for within-person associations was less robust, but suggested a potential link between attachment variability and the development of trust and psychological issues.

Conclusions:

• State attachment variability is a significant factor in understanding stable differences in children's attachment security and psychological health.
• While less consistent, within-person fluctuations in attachment variability may play a role in the dynamic interplay between trust and psychological well-being over time.