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Longitudinal predictors of attachment disorganization: Sociodemographic risk and maternal disrupted caregiving

Jessica E Cooke1, Nicole Racine2,3, Gerald F Giesbrecht4,5,6

  • 1Department of Psychology, https://ror.org/03yjb2x39University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada.

Development and Psychopathology
|February 23, 2026
PubMed

Insights

Disrupted caregiving and sociodemographic risks predict infant attachment disorganization. Interventions should address both factors for better child socioemotional health.

Area of Science:

  • Developmental Psychology
  • Child Psychiatry
  • Attachment Theory

Background:

  • Attachment disorganization has long-term impacts on children's socioemotional development.
  • Disrupted caregiving is a known risk factor, but other precursors remain unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the combined influence of maternal disrupted caregiving and other risk factors on infant attachment disorganization.
  • To identify predictors of attachment disorganization in a longitudinal cohort.

Main Methods:

  • Longitudinal study of 285 mother-infant dyads.
  • Assessed maternal disrupted caregiving, psychopathology, maltreatment history, and sociodemographic risk at 6 months.
  • Measured infant attachment disorganization using the Strange Situation Procedure at 22 months.

Main Results:

  • Maternal disrupted caregiving (β = .27) and sociodemographic risk (β = .15) were significant predictors of infant attachment disorganization.
  • A significant interaction (β = .24) indicated that sociodemographic risk exacerbated attachment disorganization primarily under conditions of high disrupted caregiving.

Conclusions:

  • Both caregiving behaviors and broader sociodemographic factors are crucial for understanding and preventing attachment disorganization.
  • Intervention strategies should integrate support for caregiving quality with mitigation of sociodemographic risks to promote secure child attachment.

Keywords:
Alberta Pregnancy Outcomes and Nutrition (APrON) studydisorganized attachmentdisrupted parentingparent–childsociodemographic

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