Childhood experiences, adult attachment styles and maternal outcomes

Abstract

Research has shown that adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) can have devastating impacts across a person's life span, including poor health choices, disease and early death. Positive childhood experiences (PACEs) have been shown to buffer some of the effects of ACEs. This study examined how ACEs and PACEs impact attachment beginning in early childhood, and its impacts on parenting practices, substance use, and intimate partner violence. Specifically, this study examined parental reflective functioning (PRF). PRF refers to a parent's ability to see into the child's inner world and understand behaviors and emotions of the child. Parental PRF can impact child outcomes, including developmental, social, and emotional health. The first three models of this study examined the associations between ACEs, PACEs, adult attachment styles, and parental reflective functioning. The last two models of this study examined how childhood neglect and PACEs are associated with substance use and intimate partner violence and whether there are mediation effects with adult attachment styles.

Results of the analyses showed that dismissive adult attachment mediated the association between two subtypes of PRF - PRF certainty of mental states and PRF pre - non mentalizing modes. Both of these subtypes of PRF have been shown to be associated with poor parenting practices and poor childhood outcomes. This study found that dismissive adult attachment style was positively associated with age. Dismissive adult attachment style - while thought to be characterized by detachment from intimate relationships - may indeed be characterized by autonomy and increased levels of maturity.

Results did not demonstrate that adult attachment style mediated the association between ACEs, PACEs, and substance use or intimate partner violence. However, there were trends of significant findings between ACEs, PACEs and adult attachment styles. For example, ACEs was significantly associated with ambivalent attachment style and negatively associated with secure adult attachment style, while PACE's was negatively associated with ambivalent adult attachment and positively associated with secure adult attachment.