Attachment the Italian Way
In Search of Specific Patterns of Infant and Adult Attachments in Italian Typical and Atypical Samples
Abstract
In the present meta-analysis 627 Strange Situation Procedures (SSP; Ainsworth, Blehar, Waters, & Wall, 1978) from 17 Italian infant attachment studies and 2,258 Adult Attachment Interviews (AAI; Main, Kaplan, & Cassidy, 1985) from 50 Italian adult attachment studies were included. All studies were published between 1990 and 2009. Our aim was to test the universality hypothesis of attachment theory in this Italian database. Results indicated that the majority of nonclinical Italian infants were classified as securely attached (53%); similarly, the majority of nonclinical Italian adults were secure (60%). Although cross-cultural similarities provide evidence for the universality hypothesis of attachment theory, our meta-analysis revealed also interesting cultural specificities. First, nonclinical Italian infants’ distribution showed an overrepresentation of avoidant attachments compared to the normative distribution. Second, the underrepresentation of unresolved loss among Italian nonclinical adults was noteworthy.
References1
(1978). Patterns of attachment: A psychological study of the strange situation. Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.
(1969). Attachment and exploratory behavior of one-year olds in a strange situation. In , Determinants of infant behavior (Vol. 4, pp. 113–136). London, UK: Methuen.
1990 . IAL: Intervista sull’Attaccamento nella Latenza[AICA, Attachment Interview for Childhood and Adolescence] . Unpublished manuscript, Roma University “La Sapienza”.(1994). Influenze culturali e dinamiche relazionali nell’attaccamento infantile: Indagine su un campione italiano
[Relational dynamics and cultural influences on infant attachment: An Italian study] . Età Evolutiva, 47, 99–109.(2005). Anoressia infantile e relazione bambino-caregiver: Uno studio clinico-empirico sui modelli di attaccamento
[Infantile anorexia and child-caregiver relationship: An empirical study on attachment patterns] . Funzione Gamma Journal, 14, 1–21.(2001). La qualità dell’attaccamento nei disturbi alimentari
[Quality of attachment and eating disorders] . Psichiatria dell’Infanzia e dell’Adolescenza, 68, 525–542.(1997). Attaccamento e Sistemi Regolativi nelle Tossicodipendenze
[Attachment and regulatory systems in drug addiction] . In , Tra genitori e figli la tossicodipendenza (pp. 352–372). Milano, Italy: Masson.(2002). Maternità a rischio, interazioni precoci ed attaccamento infantile
[Motherhood at risk, early mother-infant interactions and infant attachment] . Età Evolutiva, 72, 61–67.(1995). Rappresentazioni materne e attaccamento infantile disorganizzato.
[Maternal attachment representations and infant disorganized attachment] . Giornale di Neuropsichiatria dell’Età Evolutiva, 15, 27–34.(2002). I modelli di attaccamento dalla prima infanzia alla pre-adolescenza: Uno studio longitudinale
[Patterns of attachment from infancy to pre-adolescence: A longitudinal study] . Psichiatria dell’Infanzia e della Adolescenza, 69, 5–18.(1996). Stabilità dell’attaccamento infantile e trasmissione intergenerazionale dell’attaccamento
[Stability of infant attachment and intergenerational transmission of attachment] . Psichiatria dell’Infanzia e dell’Adolescenza, 63, 313–332.(2007). Sostegno alla genitorialità nelle madri a rischio: Valutazione di un modello di assistenza domiciliare sullo sviluppo della prima infanzia
[Supporting parenting in at risk mothers: Effects of a home-visiting intervention on infant development] . Infanzia e Adolescenza, 6, 67–83.(1999). Attaccamento e funzione riflessiva in adolescenza
[Attachment and reflective functioning in adolescence] . Psicologia Clinica dello Sviluppo, 1, 155–175.(2009, September). La valutazione della stabilità e dei cambiamenti rispetto alla qualità dell’attaccamento in adolescenza
[Stability and change of attachment in adolescence] . Paper presented at the XI National Meeting AIP, Chieti, Italy.(2002). Attaccamento insicuro della madre, temperamento difficile del bambino e costruzione della relazione madre-figlio
[Maternal insecure attachment, infant difficult temperament and construction of mother-child relationship] . Psichiatria dell’Infanzia e dell’Adolescenza, 69, 29–41.(2009a). The first 10,000 adult attachment interviews: Distributions of adult attachment representation in non clinical and clinical groups. Attachment & Human Development, 11, 223–263.
(2009b). No reliable gender differences in attachment across the life-span. Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 32, 22–23.
(2003). Developmental protective and risk factors in borderline personality disorder: A study using the Adult Attachment Interview. Attachment and Human Development, 5, 64–77.
(2010). Le rappresentazioni mentali d’attaccamento nella dipendenza da sostanze: Uno studio con la Adult Attachment Interview
[Attachment representations and drug addictions: A study using the Adult Attachment Interview] . Giornale Italiano di Psicologia 27 421–438.(2009). Qualità della disorganizzazione nelle rappresentazioni mentali d’attaccamento delle madri: uno studio pilota nell’ambito del maltrattamento
[Maternal disorganized representations of attachment: A pilot study with abusive mothers] . Maltrattamento e abuso all’infanzia, 11, 39–50.(2009). Mental representations of attachment in Eating Disorders: A pilot study using the Adult Attachment Interview. Attachment and Human Development, 11, 1–13.
(2003). Religion and economic growth across countries. American Sociological Review, 68, 760–781.
(2009). Intergenerational transmission of attachment in father-child dyads: The case of single parenthood. Journal of Genetic Psychology, 170, 31–51.
(2011). Attributions and attitudes of mothers and fathers in Italy. Parenting, 11, 129–141.
(2001). Parenting beliefs and behaviors in northern and southern groups of Italian mothers of young infants. Journal of Family Psychology, 15, 663–675.
(2008). Mother-child emotional availability in ecological perspective. Developmental Psychology, 44, 666–680.
(2002). Studio di alcuni aspetti di rischio connessi alle rappresentazioni di attaccamento di padri e madri
[Risk factors related to attachment representations of mothers and fathers] . Età Evolutiva, 72, 68–73.(2007). Le determinanti intergenerazionali e relazionali della scelta genitoriale: Confronto tra coppie in attesa del primo figlio e senza figli per scelta
[Intergenerational and relational determinants of attitude toward having children: A comparison between couples expecting their first child and couples without children by choice] . Psicologia Clinica dello Sviluppo, 1, 55–74.(2005). Applicazione dell’intervento con videofeedback e discussione su un campione di bambini italiani a rischio di attaccamento insicuro
[Intervention with videofeedback and discussion (VIPP-R) in a sample of Italian children at risk of insecure attachment] . In , L’intervento clinico basato sull’attaccamento. Promuovere la relazione genitore-bambino (pp. 157–202). Bologna, Italy: Il Mulino.(2007). Intervento con video-feedback e discussione (VIPP-R) con diadi madre-bambino a rischiopsicosociale
[Intervention with videofeedback and discussion (VIPP-R) with mother-infant dyads at psychosocial risk] . Infanzia e Adolescenza, 6, 84–95.(2008). Attachment and God Representations Among Lay Catholics, Priests, and Religious: A Matched Comparison Study Based on the Adult Attachment Interview. Developmental Psychology, 44, 1753–1763.
(2005). Attachment to mothers and children with recurrent asthmatic bronchitis. Journal of Asthma, 41, 419–431.
(2001). Attaccamento sicuro e sviluppo delle competenze socio-emotive in bambini di età scolare
[Secure attachment and socio-emotional development in school-age children] . Psichiatria dell’Infanzia e dell’Adolescenza, 68, 571–582.(2008). Parenting and adolescent well being in two European countries. Adolescence, 43, 99–117.
(2008, March). The dyadic quality during the still-face: Associations with maternal attachment and sensitivity and infant’s attachment organization. Paper presented at the XVI Biennial International Conference on Infant Studies. Vancouver, Canada.
(2008, September). Comportamenti regolatori nel paradigma face to face-still face: La prospettiva dell’attaccamento
[Regulatory behaviors during the face to face still-face paradigm: The attachment perspective] . Paper presented at the XXII National Meeting AIP, Padova, Italy.(2008, June). Adult’s attachment organization and automatic thoughts in clinical and healthy conditions: The mediating role of self-esteem. Paper presented at the VI International Congress of Cognitive Psychotherapy, Roma, Italy.
(
2006 ). Lo sviluppo linguistico ai 24, 30 e 36 mesi: Il ruolo della sensibilità materna e dell’attaccamento infantile nei bambini prematuri e nati a termine[Language development at 24, 30 and 36 months: The role of maternal sensitivity and infant attachment in premature and full-term babies] . (Unpublished doctoral dissertation), University of Bari, Italy.(
2007 ). Sviluppo infantile in condizione di disagio sociale: Ruolo dell’attaccamento e dell’intervento con video-feedback e discussione[Infant development in a social risk context: The role of attachment and intervention with video-feedback and discussion] . (Unpublished doctoral dissertation), University of Bari, Italy.(1999). L’intervista sull’attaccamento in preadolescenza: Un analisi della dimensione della coerenza
[The Attachment Interview for Childhood and Adolescence: A study on the dimension of the coherence] . Psicologia Clinica dello Sviluppo, 3, 129–153.(2009). Sex, attachment, and the development of reproductive strategies. Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 32, 1–21.
. (2010). Rapporto Italia 2010. Retrieved from www.eurispes.it/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1095:rapporto-italia-2010&catid=47:rapporto-italia&Itemid=222
(2009, September). Modelli di attaccamento e funzione riflessiva in adolescenti autori di reato
[Models of attachment and reflective function in adolescent offenders] . Paper presented at the XI National Meeting AIP Chieti Italy.(2003). Fattori di rischio psicosociale: Sfidare le premesse
[Psycho-social risk factors: To challenge the previous conditions] . Psichiatria dell’Infanzia e dell’Adolescenza, 70, 167–178.(2003). Sicurezza ed insicurezza dell’attaccamento nella prima infanzia in una prospettiva interculturale
[Attachment security in infancy from a cross-cultural perspective] . Età Evolutiva, 75, 36–50.(2000). Parent-child sincrony of interaction. In , The organization of attachment relationships. Maturation, culture and context (pp. 150–160). Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.
(1995). La struttura del cambiamento rappresentativo e narrativo della madre dalla gravidanza alla maternità e modalità di attaccamento
[Maternal representative and narrative changes from pregnancy to motherhood and models of attachment] . Psichiatria dell’Infanzia e dell’Adolescenza, 62, 185–199.(2000). I bambini adottati crescono
[The adopted children grow] . Psicologia Clinica dello Sviluppo, 1, 145–152.(1995). Nascita pretermine: Rappresentazioni materne, attaccamento e sviluppo del bambino
[Preterm birth: Maternal attachment representations, infant attachment and development] . In Bambini e genitori: Attaccamento e Psicopatologia (pp. 171–200). Firenze, Italy: Loggia dei Lanzi.(2002). Attaccamento e psicopatologia tra clinica e ricerca: Applicazione dell’Adult Attachment Interview ad un gruppo di donne tossicodipendenti
[Attachment and psychopathology in research and clinical contexts: Using the Adult Attachment Interview with a group of drug-dependent women] . Retrieved from www.pol.it (psychiatry on line).(2007). Cattolicesimi a confronto. Note metodologiche su uno studio pilota
[Comparisons among catholic religions. Methodological notes on a pilot study] . Religioni e Società, 22, 91–99.(2003). What good are positive emotions in crises? A prospective study of resilience and emotions following the terrorist attacks on the United States on September 11th, 2001. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 84, 365–376.
(2000). Bambini: The Italian approach to infant-toddler care teachers. New York, NY: College Press.
(2007). Between religion and spirituality: New perspectives in the Italian religious landscape. Review of Religious Research, 48, 318–326.
(2002). The uniqueness of the child-father attachment relationship: Fathers’ sensitive and challenging play as the pivotal variable in a 16-year longitudinal study. Social Development, 11, 307–331.
(2008, September). Pattern di comunicazione madre-bambino e qualità dell’attaccamento alla madre.
[Mother-infant communication patterns and quality of attachment to mother] . Paper presented at the XXII National Meeting AIP, Padova, Italy.(2009, September). Modelli di attaccamento e problematiche emotivo-comportamentali in adolescenza
[Models of attachment, behavioral and emotional problems in adolescence] . Paper presented at the XI National Meeting AIP, Chieti, Italy.(2009, September). Ostilità e regolazione del conflitto nel contesto di attaccamento in adolescenza
[Hostility, conflict regulation and attachment in adolescence] . Paper presented at the XI National Meeting AIP, Chieti, Italy.(2009, September). Verso una definizione delle influenze multidimensionali dei contesti di vita: Analisi delle relazioni tra stili di attaccamento ed organizational commitment
[Towards a definition of multidimensional influences on the life contexts: Analysis of the relationship between attachment styles and organizational commitment] . Paper presented at the XI National Meeting AIP, Chieti, Italy.(1990). Cross-cultural studies of attachment organization: Recent studies, changing methodologies, and the concept of conditional strategies. Human Development, 33, 48–61.
(
1991 ). Adult Attachment Classification system. Unpublished manuscript, University of California, Berkeley.(
2003 ). The Adult Attachment Interview: Scoring and Classification System, Version 7.2 Unpublished manuscript, University of California, Berkeley.(1985). Security in infancy, childhood, and adulthood: A move to the representational level. In , Growing points of attachment theory and research. Monographs of the Society for Research in Child Development (Vol. 50, pp. 66–104). Serial No. 209.
(1993). Religion’s role adjustment to a negative life event: Coping with the loss of a child. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 65, 812–821.
(1985). Infant temperament, mother’s mode of interaction and the attachment in Japan: An interim report. In , Growing points of attachment theory and research. Monographs of the Society for Research in Child Development (Vol. 50, 1–, Serial No. 209, pp. 276–297).
(1999). Funzione riflessiva materna e stile di attaccamento nei bambini
[Maternal reflective function and quality of infant attachment] . Psicologia Clinica dello Sviluppo, 1, 109–128.(1994). Child’s play-una cosa naturale: An Italian perspective. In , Children’s play in diverse cultures (pp. 123–147). Albany, NY: State University of New York Press.
(1996). Maternal beliefs and infant care practices in Italy and the United States. In , Parents’ cultural belief systems: The origins, expressions, and consequences (pp. 385–444). New York, NY: Guilford.
(2003). Adattamento e rappresentazioni dei rapporti interpersonali in adolescenti ospiti di comunità residenziali
[Adaptation and representations of interpersonal relationships of adolescents in residential care] . Psicologia Clinica dello Sviluppo, 1, 77–98.(1992). Un contributo di ricerca sugli stili di attaccamento in preadolescenza: La coerenza della verbalizzazione
[A study on attachment styles in pre-adolescence: The coherence of the verbalization] . Adolescenza, 2, 62–79.(2002). Rethinking individualism and collectivism: Evaluation of theoretical assumptions and meta-analyses. Psychological Bulletin, 128, 3–72.
(2008). La revisione dei pattern di attaccamento dei bambini late-adopted ed il ruolo del modello di attaccamento delle madri adottive
[Changes of attachment patterns in the late-adopted children and role of adoptive mothers’ attachment models] . Giornale Italiano di Psicologia, 35, 473–482.(2005, September). Stati della mente relativi all’attaccamento e percezione della qualità della vita in soggetti con infezione da Hiv/Aids
[Attachment states of mind and perceived quality of life in individuals with HIV/AIDS] . Paper presented at the VII National Meeting AIP, Cagliari, Italy.(2005). Stato della mente rispetto all’attaccamento e organizzazione della memoria autobiografica: Uno studio preliminare su un gruppo di adolescenti con storia infantile di abusi
[Attachment state of mind and autobiographical memory: A preliminary study on a group of adolescents with a history of child abuse] . Infanzia e Adolescenza, 3, 156–169.(2009, September). Modelli di attaccamento e coniugalità di fronte alle sfide del parenting adottivo
[Models of attachment and partnering in the challenge of foster parenting] . Paper presented at the XI National Meeting AIP, Chieti, Italy.(1995). The secure-base phenomenon across cultures: Children’s behavior, mother’s preferences and experts’ concepts. In , Caregiving, cultural and cognitive perspectives on secure-base behavior and working models: New growing points for attachment theory and research. Monographs of the Society for Research in Child Development (60, 2–3, Serial No 244, pp. 27–48).
(2007). Modelli di attaccamento e stili di interazione nello sviluppo della relazione tra madre e bambino: Linee di un progetto di ricerca
[Models of attachment and styles of interaction in the development of the mother-infant relationship: A research project] . In , Il bambino e le sue relazioni. Attaccamento e individualità tra teoria ed osservazione. Milano: Cortina Editore.(1979). The file drawer problem and tolerance for null results. Psychological Bulletin, 86, 638–641.
(2009, September). Pattern di attaccamento e correlati di personalità
[Patterns of attachment and related dimensions of personality] . Paper presented at the XI National Meeting AIP, Chieti, Italy.(2000). Attachment and culture. Security in the United States and Japan. American Psychologist, 55, 1093–1104.
(2002). Shedding further light on the effects of various types and quality of early child care on infant-mother attachment relationship: The Haifa study of early child care. Child Development, 73, 1166–1186.
(1997). Ecological constraints for intergenerational transmission of attachment. International Journal of Behavioral Development, 20, 287–299.
(2005). Partnering and parenting expectations in adoptive couples. Sexual and Relationship Therapy, 20, 309–322.
(2001). Stili di attaccamento individuali e di coppia: Due strumenti a confronto
[Individual and romantic attachment styles: A comparison between two assessment instruments] . Rassegna di Psicologia, 1, 27–48.(2002). La qualità delle rappresentazioni di attaccamento in madri tossicodipendenti come fattore di rischio per lo sviluppo socio-affettivo del bambino
[Attachment representations of drug-dependent mothers as risk factor of child socio-emotional development] . Età Evolutiva, 72, 54–60.(2006). La coppia nella transizione alla genitorialità tra adattamento ed attaccamento
[The transition to the parenthood: Adaptation and attachment] . Terapia Familiare, 82, 47–71.(2002). I modelli operativi interni dell’attaccamento nella trasmissione intergenerazionale dell’abuso
[The role of the internal working models of attachment in the intergenerational transmission of abuse] . Maltrattamento e Abuso all’infanzia, 4, 55–81.(2009, September). Attaccamento, lutto e trauma: Uno studio sull’andamento dell’attività referenziale
[Attachment, mourning and trauma: A study on the referential activity’s trend] . Paper presented at the XI National Meeting AIP, Chieti, Italy.(1986). Examining the Strange Situation procedure with Japanese mothers and 12-month-old infants. Developmental Psychology, 22, 265–270.
(2007, September). La trasmissione dell’attaccamento e le rappresentazioni della famiglia in un campione di adolescenti
[Ttransmission of attachment and representations of family in a sample of adolescents] . Paper presented at the IX National Meeting AIP, Perugia, Italy.(1997). The role of religion in coping with loss of a family member in homicide. Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, 36, 44–51.
(1996). Attachment representations in mothers, fathers, adolescents, and clinical groups: A meta-analytic search for normative data. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 64, 8–21.
(1992). The relative effect of maternal and child problems on the quality of attachment. A meta-analysis of attachment in clinical samples. Child Development, 63, 840–858.
(1988). Cross-cultural patterns of attachment: A meta-analysis of the Strange Situation. Child Development, 59, 147–156.
(2008). Cross-cultural patterns of attachment: Universal and contextual dimensions. In , Handbook of attachment: Theory, research, and clinical applications (2nd ed., pp. 880–905). New York, NY: Guilford.
(1999). Disorganized attachment in early childhood: Meta-analysis of precursors, concomitants, and sequelae. Development and Psychopathology, 11, 225–250.
(2007). Un questionario di autovalutazione degli stili parentali: Uno studio su un campione italiano
[A self report questionnaire on the parenting style: A study on an Italian sample] . Giornale Italiano di Psicologia, 3, 677–698.(2009). The spirit level: Why more equal societies almost always do better? London, UK: Penguin.
