Attachment and temperament in the early life course: A meta-analytic review.

Author(s):
Groh, A.M.; Narayan, A.J.; Bakermans-Kranenburg, M.J.; Roisman, G.I.; Vaughn, B.E.; Fearon, R.M.P.; IJzendoorn, M.H. van
Published
2016
Publication type
Article / Letter to editor

Abstract

This meta‐analytic review examines the association between early attachment (assessed at 1–5 years) and child temperament (assessed at birth–12 years), and compares the strength of this association with recently documented meta‐analytic associations between early attachment and social competence, externalizing behavior, and internalizing symptoms. Based on 109 independent samples (N = 11,440) of diverse socioeconomic and ethnic backgrounds, temperament was weakly associated with attachment (in)security (d = .14, CI [0.08, 0.19]) but modestly associated with resistant attachment (d = .30, CI [0.21, 0.40]). Temperament was not significantly associated with avoidant (d = .10, CI [−0.02, 0.19]) or disorganized (d = .11, CI [−0.03, 0.25]) attachment. Across developmental domains, early attachment security was more strongly associated with social competence and externalizing behaviors than internalizing symptoms and temperament.

Date issued
2016-11-21
Language
English
Is part of
Child Development (2016), Vol. 88, no. 3, p. 770-795
hdl
1887/74639
doi
10.1111/cdev.12677