Poster #94 - Domestic Violence, Disrupted Parental Behaviours and Child Attachment Disorganization in Families Receiving Child Protective Services

• In Event: Poster Session 09

Abstract

Many behaviorally disorganized children during infancy develop a disorganized-controlling attachment at preschool-age, characterized by role reversal in the parent-child relationship (Moss & al., 2004). Researchers have suggested that these children tend to regulate emotions of their parents as a means to organize their own attachment system (Moss & al., 2004). Yet, the mechanisms leading to disorganized controlling attachment are not well understood. According to Davies and Cummings’ (1994) hypothesis of emotional security, children tend to interpret parental conflicts as an attack on their own sense of security which can lead to a confusion or reversal in the parent-child roles. As a form of severe parental conflict, domestic violence has been associated with disorganized attachment in infancy (e.g., Zeanah & al., 1999). Additionally, parents of disorganized children have been found to show disrupted parental behaviours (DPB), such as frightening and dysregulated behaviours (Madigan & al., 2006). Based on the emotional security hypothesis, it may be likely that role/boundary confusion behaviours, a form of DPB, characterize parents reporting domestic violence. Hence, the current study examined associations between domestic violence and disorganized-controlling attachment and tested the potential indirect effect of DPB, in particular the role/boundary confusion form of DPB, in this transmission of risk.
This study included 70 parents and their children (1-5 years old; Mage = 38.74 months old, SD = 17.36; 61.4% boys) receiving child protective services. Parents completed the Conflict Tactic Scale on perpetrated and experienced domestic violence (Straus, 1979). Child attachment was assessed with the Strange Situation procedure for (Ainsworth & al., 1978; Cassidy & Marvin, 1992). Using the parent-child interaction exchanges during the Strange Situation Procedure, several forms of DPB (affective communications errors, role/boundary confusion, fearful/disoriented behaviours, intrusiveness/negativity, and withdrawal; Madigan & al., 2018) were measured with the AMBIANCE coding system (Bronfman, Parsons & Lyons-Ruth, 1992–2004).
ANOVA analyses with contrasts showed that disorganized-controlling children had parents reporting higher levels of psychological and physical violence (t = 3.045, p =.003 and t = 2.381, p =.020). Parents of disorganized-controlling children also exhibited more role/boundary confusion behaviours (t = - 2.57, p = .046) and less withdrawn behaviours (t = - 3.342, p = .015). Disrupted role/boundary confusion and withdrawn behaviours were not linked to physical and psychological domestic violence. Regressions analyses, using the process macro, indicated no significant indirect effect of role/boundary confusion or withdrawn behaviours between psychological or physical domestic violence and child attachment disorganization (bs between -.0167 and .0127).

Authors

• Gabrielle Myre, L'Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM)
  Presenting Author

• Solene Cognard-Bessette, Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM)

• Karine Dubois-Comtois, Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières (UQTR)

• Diane St-Laurent, Universite du Quebec a Trois-Rivieres

• George M Tarabulsy, University Laval

• Annie Bernier, University of Montreal

• Chantal Cyr, Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM)