Related Experiment Video

Updated: Sep 30, 2025

Assessing the Coherence of Parents' Short Narratives Regarding their Child Using the Five-Minute Speech Sample Procedure
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Assessing the Coherence of Parents' Short Narratives Regarding their Child Using the Five-Minute Speech Sample Procedure

Published on: September 19, 2019

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A society that values it's children should cherish their parents: A move to considering the attachment network

Miriam Steele1, Howard Steele1

  • 1The New School for Social Research, Department of Psychology, New York, USA.

New Directions for Child and Adolescent Development
|March 14, 2022
PubMed

Insights

This commentary emphasizes a broader view of child development, considering influences beyond mothers and highlighting the impact of extended family and relationships. It advocates for interventions that foster secure attachment patterns for holistic child and family well-being.

Area of Science:

  • Psychology
  • Developmental Psychology
  • Attachment Theory

Background:

  • Attachment networks are crucial for child development.
  • Traditional focus often centers on maternal influences.
  • Broader relational contexts significantly impact child outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To discuss clinical implications of attachment network research.
  • To advocate for a wider lens on influences affecting child development.
  • To highlight interventions promoting secure attachment.

Main Methods:

  • Commentary on existing Special Issue contributions.
  • Analysis of attachment network dynamics.
  • Review of evidence-based attachment interventions.

Main Results:

  • Maternal influences are insufficient to explain child outcomes.
  • Peripheral figures (e.g., grandmothers) and relationships (e.g., parental couple) exert significant influence.
  • Security spreading effects can positively impact the child and their relationships.

Conclusions:

  • Clinical practice should consider the entire attachment network.
  • Interventions should aim to cultivate security spreading effects.
  • Holistic approaches benefit the child and their broader social system.

Keywords:
John Bowlbyattachment-based interventionschild-father attachmentchild-mother attachmentgrandmothers

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