Par-delà l’efficacité des interventions auprès de parents d’enfants difficiles, de possibles effets délétères pour la coparentalité ?

peer reviewedLes interventions destinées aux parents de jeunes enfants présentant des comportements difficiles ont montré leur efficacité. Se pose cependant la question de possibles effets délétères non attendus de ces interventions sur d’autres aspects de la parentalité. L’impact sur la coparentalité (collaboration entre les deux parents) est mesuré ici dans le cadre de deux interventions parentales de la recherche H2M, l’une visant à améliorer le sentiment de compétence parentale et l’autre la réactivité verbale des parents (N = 60). Les résultats montrent l’absence d’effets globaux négatifs de ces interventions sur la coparentalité du parent participant. Il apparaît cependant que l’évolution de la coparentalité varie selon que ce soit le père ou la mère qui participe et selon le type d’intervention. De plus, un lien négatif est montré entre l’évolution de la coparentalité et l’alliance thérapeutique que le parent noue avec les thérapeutes qui animent les interventions

The reciprocal relation between children’s attachment representations and their cognitive ability

This study explores reciprocal relations between children’s attachment representations and their cognitive ability. Previous literature has mainly focused on the prediction of cognitive abilities from attachment, rarely on the reverse prediction. This was explored in the current research. Attachment representations were assessed with the Attachment Story Completion Task (Bretherton, Ridgeway, & Cassidy, 1990); the IQ was measured with the WPPSI-III (Wechsler, 2004). Data were collected twice, at a two-year interval, from about 400 preschoolers. Reasoning IQ was found to influence the development of secure attachment representations, while attachment security and disorganization influenced later verbal IQ. The implications of the findings for both clinical and research purposes are discussed in the light of the interactions between cognitive abilities and attachment representations

Factorial Structure of the Parent-Reported Version of the Inventory of Callous-Unemotional Traits Among Belgian Children: A Theory-Based Model

peer reviewedThe factorial structure of the Inventory of Callous-Unemotional traits (ICU) is still under debate in the current literature and the published models are predominantly based on the empirical results of the statistical analyses rather than on a strong theoretical background. Aimed at overcoming these limits, the current study examined a factorial structure initiated by a theoretical framework for the parent-version of the ICU, based on a community sample of Belgian children aged 3–9 (N = 437; M age = 5.59; 54.7% boys). Further, the current study investigated measurement invariance across age and gender, and the external validity of this structure. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) indicated that empirical factor models from the current literature demonstrated a relatively poor fit to the data. Alternative models were built based on theory, specifically criteria from the DSM-V specifier “with limited prosocial emotions.” CFA supported an 18-item second order model with three first order factors (Lack of conscience, Unconcern about performance, Lack of emotional expression), a second order latent factor (General dimension of CU traits) and a methodological factor encompassing negatively worded items. Results supported measurement invariance across child gender, and to a lesser extent across age. As expected, the general dimension correlated with measures of aggressive behavior, attention problems, internalizing behavior and empathy. The Lack of emotional expression subfactor showed a different pattern of associations in comparison to the two other subfactors. The implications of these findings are discussed, specifically in relation to the DSM-V LPE specifier

Attachment to mother and father at transition to middle childhood

The present study investigated concordance between representations of attachment to mother and attachment to father, and convergence between two narrative-based methods addressing these representations in middle childhood: the Manchester Child Attachment Story Task (MCAST) and the Secure Base Script Test (SBST). One hundred and twenty 6-year-old children were assessed by separate administrations of the MCAST for mother and father, respectively, and results showed concordance of representations of attachment to mother and attachment to father at age 6.5 years. 75 children were additionally tested about 12 months later, with the SBST, which assesses scripted knowledge of secure base (and safe haven), not differentiating between mother and father attachment rela- tionships. Concerning attachment to father, dichotomous classifications (MCAST) and a continuous dimension cap- turing scripted secure base knowledge (MCAST) converged with secure base scriptedness (SBST), yet we could not show the same pattern of convergence concerning attach- ment to mother. Results suggest some convergence between the two narrative methods of assessment of secure base script but also highlight complications when using the MCAST for measuring attachment to father in middle childhood

Concordance of attachment representations in mother- and father-child dyads and between siblings.

This study focuses on the concordance of attachment representations in twoparent, two-child families as an original contribution to the current attachment literature. It uses both categorical attachment patterns and continuous scores. Data was collected on 92 native French-speaking Belgian families. In order to disentangle conceptual and methodological interpretations, each hypothesis was tested in two complementary ways: first in a sample where the parent completed the Cartes pour les Modèles Internes de Relation (CaMir) and their young children (four- to seven-year-olds) the French version of the Attachment Story Completion Task (Fr-ASCT) and second, in a sample where both parents and their teenage to young-adult children (15- to 34-year-olds) completed the CaMir. Our results indicated very little if any concordance of attachment representations, either when using categorical scores or when using continuous scores. The implications of these results for both theoretical and research purposes are discussed

Intergenerational transmission within the family

In this special issue, we wanted to gather a diverse range of psychological points of view concerning the question of intergenerational transmission within the family. It was on this topic that we asked for contributions from systemic family therapists and developmentalists. It is such an important topic from both a research and a clinical perspective that our colleagues were full of enthusiasm for the project