Attachment and Family Processes in Children's Psychological Adjustment in Middle Childhood

• Published date: 01 March 2017
• Author: Shelley A. Riggs,Patricia L. Kaminski,Kimberly P. Demby
• Date: 01 March 2017
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1111/famp.12145

Attachment and Family Processes in Children’s

Psychological Adjustment in Middle Childhood

KIMBERLY P. DEMBY*

SHELLEY A. RIGGS*

PATRICIA L. KAMINSKI*

This study examined the links between parent–child attachment, whole family inter-

action patterns, and child emotional adjustment and adaptability in a sample of 86

community families with children between the ages of 8 and 11 years. Family interac-

tions were observed and coded with the System for Coding Interactions and Family

Functioning. Both parents and each target child completed the appropriate form of the

Behavior Assessment System for Children-2nd Edition (BASC-2). Target children also

completed the Children’s Coping Strategies Questionnaire. Hierarchical multiple regres-

sions indicated that Secure mother–child attachment was a robust predictor of chil-

dren’s emotional symptoms, but father–child attachment strategies were not significant

independent predictors. Positive Affect in family interactions significantly increased

the amount of variance accounted for in children’s emotional sympto ms. In addition,

Family Cohesion and Positive Affect moderated the relationship between father–child

attachment and children’s emotional symptoms. When data from all BASC-2 infor-

mants (mother, father, child) were considered simultaneously and multidimensional

constructs were modeled, mother–child security directly predicted children’s adjustme nt

and adaptive skills, but the influence of father–child security was fully mediated

through positive family functioning. Results of the current study support the utility of

considering dyadic attachment and family interaction patterns conjointly when concep-

tualizing and fostering positive emotional and behavioral outcomes in children.

Keywords: Family System; Family Interactions; Child Attachment; Child Adjustment;

Middle Childhood

Fam Proc 56:234–249, 2017

The importance of the family system and particularly parent–child attachment in the

determination of children’s developmental trajectories is well established (Sturge-

Apple, Davies, & Cummings, 2010). Various system-wide processes in the family intermin -

gle and shape a child’s emotional and behavioral adjustment. Most developmental

research has focused on either the marital or parent–child dyads (Johnson, 2001), which

oversimplifies the complex patterns of interaction and influence that occur within the

family system. Despite theoretical similarities between family systems and attachment

*Department of Psychology, University Of North Texas, Denton, TX.

Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Shelley A. Riggs, Department of Psychol-

ogy, The University of North Texas, 1155 Union Circle #311280, Denton, TX 76203-5017. E-mail: riggs@

unt.edu.

This study was the dissertation research of the first author and part of a larger project supported by a

grant awarded to the second author by the Timberlawn Psychiatric Research Foundation. We are grateful

to the families for their cooperation and to the many research assistants who contributed to the project.

Statistical assistance provided by Daniel Romero is also appreciated.

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Family Process, Vol. 56, No. 1, 2017 ©2015 Family Process Institute

doi: 10.1111/famp.12145

traditions, few studies have investigated the association between children’s attachment

representations and family group interactions (Dubois-Comtois & Moss, 2008) and even

fewer studies have considered these factors conjointly in relation to children’s adjustment.

In addition, attachment in middle childhood is an under-researched area, largely due to

limited elaboration on children’s attachment processes beyond early childhood (Waters &

Cummings, 2000), and consequent lack of instruments available to adequately assess

attachment within this age cohort (Kerns, Tomich, & Kim, 2006). In an effort to address

these gaps in the literature, the current study examined the role of family interaction pat-

terns in the associations between parent–child attachment and psychological adjustment

among 8- to 11-year-old children.

THE FAMILY SYSTEM

Family systems theory entails a view of relationship patterns at individual, dyadic,

and systemic levels and an understanding of the interconnectedness among the various

levels. Minuchin (1974) proposed that all families have an underlying structure that

organizes and directs the ways in which family members interact. The family system

is comprised of smaller subsystems that are delineated by the boundaries and rules

connected to them. The three primary subsystems are the marital, parental, and

sibling subsystems, which affect and are reciprocally affected by one another. Adaptive

families are well organized in a hierarchical system promoting close interaction among

family members, whereas disengaged, enmeshed, and chaotic families have problematic

structure and organization (e.g., too rigid or too vague) that make meaningful interac-

tion among members more difficult. These different patterns of relating also influence

how families respond to developmental and situational events that push families into

crisis.

The constellation of interactions within the family system plays a substantial role in

children’s socialization and biopsychosocial outcomes. The vast majority of research find-

ings identify developmental trajectories that are in accordance with family systems the-

ory. For example, Richmond and Stocker (2006) found that in highly cohesive families,

parents reported that their adolescent children demonstrated lower levels of externalizing

problems. By comparison, Sturge-Apple et al. (2010) found that kindergarten children

from enmeshed and disengaged families demonstrated higher levels of internalizing and

externalizing symptoms than did children from cohesive families.

Lindahl (1998) examined the relationship between family processes and children’s

behavior problems among families with children between 7 and 11 years of age. Results

indicated that families of children with symptoms of Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD)

or ODD comorbid with Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder had lower levels of cohe-

sion and higher levels of conflict as compared to families of children with no symptoms.

These results suggest the possibility that disruptive behavior problems are either main-

tained or exacerbated by dysfunctional family interaction patterns. Further, higher levels

of conflict were often directly related to childrearing disagreements, suggesting a bidirec-

tional influence.

CHILDREN’S ATTACHMENT TO PARENTS

Interactions within the parent–child dyad, as a microcosm of the larger family system,

play an important role in child development. Attachment theory (Bowlby, 1969, 1973,

1980) describes the role of parent–child relationships in the development of internal

working models, which underlie expectations for interaction and reciprocity in social

relationships. Research has repeatedly demonstrated that consistency and sensitivity on

Fam. Proc., Vol. 56, March, 2017

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