Outcomes of early parent-child adrenocortical attunement in the high-risk offspring of depressed parents

Attachment theory has long been at the forefront of research efforts to understand the origins and enduring impact of early parent–child relationships. It has also expanded into a theory of lifespan implications with relevance to problems in developmental psychopathology, early intervention, and mental representation. This review of the expanding research literature on attachment is organized around eight questions: (a) To whom do attachments develop? (b) What are the biological foundations of attachment? (c) How does culture influence attachment and its consequences? (d) What contributes to attachments becoming secure or insecure? (e) How does attachment security change over time? (f) What are the later outcomes of secure or insecure attachments? (g) How does attachment influence thinking and social representations? (h) What are the clinical implications of attachment research? The answers to these questions summarize what has been learned about the importance of early parent–child relationships and identify future research priorities.

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Preventing FASD: The Parent-Child Assistance Program (PCAP) Intervention with High-Risk Mothers

Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder - Health Care and Disease Management ◽

10.1002/9783527632510.ch11 ◽

2010 ◽

pp. 193-206

Author(s):

Therese M. Grant

Keyword(s):

High Risk ◽

Assistance Program ◽

Parent Child

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Early parent–child relationships and child sleep at school age

Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology ◽

10.1016/j.appdev.2019.101057 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 64 ◽

pp. 101057

Author(s):

Catherine Cimon-Paquet ◽

Émilie Tétreault ◽

Annie Bernier

Keyword(s):

School Age ◽

Child Sleep ◽

Early Parent ◽

Parent Child Relationships ◽

Parent Child

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Parenting and Child Development: A Relational Health Perspective

American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine ◽

10.1177/1559827619849028 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 15 (1) ◽

pp. 45-59

Author(s):

Cynthia A. Frosch ◽

Sarah J. Schoppe-Sullivan ◽

D. David O’Banion

Keyword(s):

Child Development ◽

Child Outcomes ◽

Relational Health ◽

Parent Child Relationship ◽

Child Relationship ◽

Parent Health ◽

The Many ◽

The One ◽

Early Parent ◽

Parent Child

A child’s development is embedded within a complex system of relationships. Among the many relationships that influence children’s growth and development, perhaps the most influential is the one that exists between parent and child. Recognition of the critical importance of early parent-child relationship quality for children’s socioemotional, cognitive, neurobiological, and health outcomes has contributed to a shift in efforts to identify relational determinants of child outcomes. Recent efforts to extend models of relational health to the field of child development highlight the role that parent, child, and contextual factors play in supporting the development and maintenance of healthy parent-child relationships. This review presents a parent-child relational health perspective on development, with an emphasis on socioemotional outcomes in early childhood, along with brief attention to obesity and eating behavior as a relationally informed health outcome. Also emphasized here is the parent–health care provider relationship as a context for supporting healthy outcomes within families as well as screening and intervention efforts to support optimal relational health within families, with the goal of improving mental and physical health within our communities.

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Problematic parent-infant relationships in two-parent families: prevalence and risk factors in a Brazilian neighborhood

Trends in Psychiatry and Psychotherapy ◽

10.1590/s2237-60892012000300005 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 34 (3) ◽

pp. 139-146 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Olga Garcia Falceto ◽

Elsa R. J. Giugliani ◽

Carmen Luiza C. Fernandes

Keyword(s):

Risk Factors ◽

Global Assessment ◽

Population Group ◽

Public Hospitals ◽

Self Report ◽

Global Assessment Scale ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Early Parent ◽

Infant Birth ◽

Parent Child

Introduction: Although the quality of parent-child relationships is known to be associated with the offspring's mental health, little is known about the prevalence of problematic relationships in this scenario. This cross-sectional study aims to investigate the prevalence and risk factors of different types of early parent-infant relationships in a Brazilian population group. Methods: During 1 year, all families (n = 230) from an urban community of Porto Alegre, southern Brazil, with 4-month-old infants born in public hospitals were identified, and 148 were fully investigated by two family therapists. This study describes data on the 116 infants with two-parent families. Demographic, obstetric, and relational variables were collected through questionnaires and scales (Parent-Infant Relationship Global Assessment Scale, Global Assessment of Relational Functioning, and Self-Report Questionnaire). Prevalence ratios were calculated, and Poisson regression with robust variance was performed to adjust for covariates. Results: Almost 10% of mothers and 12% of fathers showed at least a significantly perturbed relationship with their 4-month-old infants. Inadequate mother-infant bonding coincided with evidence of paternal mental disorder, poor maternal social network, and discontinuation of breastfeeding at 4 months. A problematic father-infant relationship was associated with a dysfunctional couple relationship and with low infant birth weight. Conclusions: There is a high prevalence of early parent-child relationship problems, suggesting a need for health system interventions. Parent-infant relational problems are prevalent very early in life and more associated with other relational problems than with socioeconomic burden.

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