Parents’ Secure Base Script Knowledge Predicts Observed Sensitive Caregiving and Sensitive Discipline Towards Twin-children

• In Event: Factors Influencing Parenting Quality

Abstract

Drawing on attachment theory (Bowlby, 1982), scholars proposed that experiences with attachment figures, particularly during infancy and early childhood, are internalized in a cognitive script: the secure base script (Waters & Waters, 2006). Secure base scripts shape how individuals perceive themselves and significant others and serve to guide behavior in close relationships (Waters & Roisman, 2019). An increasing body of research have shown that parents with more secure base script knowledge engaged in higher levels of sensitive caregiving (Coppola et al., 2006; Hawkins et al., 2015; Huth-Bocks et al., 2014; Raby et al., 2021). However, it is currently unknown whether parents’ knowledge of the secure base script guides other caregiving behaviors, such as sensitive discipline. This is surprising as sensitive discipline, which involves setting clear and consistent limits while at the same time showing understanding and empathy to child, is an important aspect of parents’ caregiving repertoire. The aim of the present study was to investigate relations between parents’ secure base script knowledge and sensitive caregiving and sensitive discipline in a sample of parents with twin children. In addition, we examined whether the associations between parents’ secure base script knowledge and sensitive caregiving and discipline were similar in strength for mono- and dizygotic twin siblings. We included data from the Leiden Consortium on Individual Development (L-CID) (Crone et al., 2020), and we combined data from an early childhood twin cohort and a middle childhood twin cohort, resulting in a total sample of 464 families with 928 same-sex twin children (Mage = 7.00, SD = 2.18). Sensitive caregiving was observed during a computerized version of a structured cooperative drawing task (Etch-A-Sketch; Euser et al., 2016). Parents’ disciplining behaviors were observed during a ‘Don’t touch task’ (Euser et al., 2016) or during a ‘Do-Don’t task’ (Runze et al., 2022). Parents’ sensitive caregiving and discipline were observed twice, once with each twin-sibling. Parents’ knowledge of the secure base script was measured with the Attachment Script Assessment (Waters & Waters, 2006). Linear mixed model analyses showed that parents with more secure base script knowledge interacted with their twin children in a more sensitive manner and showed more sensitive discipline. These findings underline that parental secure base script knowledge predicts not only parental sensitivity but also sensitive discipline. Associations between parents’ secure base script knowledge and sensitive caregiving and discipline were not impacted by children’s genetic similarity. An important next step for future research is to investigate whether sensitive caregiving and discipline can be enhanced by improving parents’ secure base script knowledge through attachment-related interventions.

Authors

• Annemieke Margriet Witte, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
  Presenting Author

• Jana Runze, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam

• Marian J Bakermans-Kranenburg, ISPA Lisbon

• Marinus H. van IJzendoorn, University College London (UCL)