This study examines the relationship between disorganized attachment representations, defensive dysregulation in preschool children's doll play story narratives and child externalizing behaviour. Preschool children (n = 53) participated in the George and Solomon (1990, 1996, 2000) Six-Year Attachment Doll Play Procedure and their mothers completed a measure on child behaviour. Disorganized children's stories contained the most dysregulated content and their behaviour during the doll play interview was the most dysregulated. Ambivalent children exhibited the highest level of externalizing behaviour and dysregulated story content was only associated with externalizing behaviour for children classified as ambivalent. Implications for interventions and teacher—student relationships are discussed.
Achenbach, T.M. (1991) Manual for the Child Behavior Checklist/4—18 and 1991 Profile. Burlington, VT: University of Vermont Department of Psychiatry.
2.
Ainsworth, D.D.S., Blehar, M.C., Waters, E. and Wall, S. (1978) Patterns of Attachment: A Psychological Study of the Strange Situation. Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.
3.
Bailey, D. (1999) `Foreword', in R. C. Pianta and M. J. Cox (eds) The Transition to Kindergarten, pp. xv—xvi. Baltimore, MD: Brooks.
4.
Bakermans-Kraneburg, M.J., van IJzendoorn, M.H. and Juffer, F. (2005) `Disorganized Infant Attachment and Preventative Interventions: A Review and Meta-analysis', Infant Mental Health Journal26: 191—216.
5.
Barnett, D. and Vondra, J. (1999) `Atypical Patterns of Early Attachment: Theory, Research, and Current Directions', in J. Vondra and D. Barnett (eds) Atypical Patterns of Infant Attachment: Theory, Research, and Current Directions. Monographs of the Society for Research in Child Development 50(1—2, serial No. 209): 1—24.
6.
Belsky, J. and Rovine, M. (1988) `Nonmaternal Care in the First Year of Life and Infant—Parent Attachment Security', Child Development59: 157—67.
7.
Belsky, J., Rovine, M. and Taylor, D.G. (1984) `The Pennsylvania Infant and Family Development Project III. The Origins of Individual Differences in Infant—Mother Attachment: Maternal and Infant Contributions', Child Development55: 718—28.
8.
Bowlby, J. (1982) Attachment and Loss: Vol. 1 Attachment, 2nd edn. New York: Basic Books.
9.
Bretherton, I. (1985) `Attachment Theory: Retrospect and Prospect', in I. Bretherton and E. Waters (eds) Growing Points of Attachment Theory and Research. Monographs of the Society for Research in Child Development50(1—2, serial No. 209): 3—35.
10.
Burchinal, M.R., Bryant, D.M., Lee, M.W. and Ramey, C.T. (1992) `Early Day Care, Infant—Mother Attachment, and Maternal Responsiveness in the Infant's First Year', Early Childhood Research Quarterly7(3): 383—96.
11.
Burchinal, M.R., Peisner-Feinberg, E., Pianta, R.C. and Howes, C. (2002) `Development of Academic Skills from Preschool Through Second Grade: Family and Classroom Predictors of Developmental Trajectories' , Journal of School Psychology40: 415—36.
12.
Bureau, J.F., Moss, E. and Dubois-Comtois, K. (2005, April) `Correlates of Disorganized Models of Attachment at School Age: Self and Teachers' Perceptions of Children's Social Adaptation', paper presented at Society for Research in Child Development, Atlanta, GA.
13.
Campbell, S.B. and Ewing, L.J. (1990) `Follow-Up of Hard-to-Manage Preschoolers: Adjustment at Age Nine and Predictors of Continuing Symptoms', Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry31(6): 871—89.
14.
Clarke-Stewart, A. (1988) `The “Effects of Infant Day Care Reconsidered” Reconsidered', Early Childhood Research Quarterly3: 293—318.
15.
Cicchetti, D. and Barnett, D. (1991) `Attachment Organization in Maltreated Preschoolers' , Development and Psychopathology3: 397—411.
16.
Cohn, D.A. (1990) `Child—Mother Attachment of Six-Year-Olds and Social Competence at School', Child Development61: 152—16.
17.
Cummings, E.M. (1991) `Classification of Attachment on a Continuum of Felt Security', in M. T. Greenberg, D. Cicchetti and E. M. Cummings (eds) Attachment in the Preschool Years: Theory, Research, and Intervention, pp. 311—38. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press.
18.
Dozier, M.K., Stovall, C., Albus, K.E. and Bates, B.C. (2001) `Attachment for Infant in Foster Care: The Role of Caregiver State of Mind', Child Development72(5): 1467—77.
19.
Dozier, M., Higley, E., Albus, K.E. and Nutter, A. (2002) `Intervening With Foster Infants' Caregivers: Targeting Three Critical Needs', Infant Mental Health Journal23(5): 541—54.
20.
Egeland, B. and Hiester, M. (1995) `The Long Term Consequences of Infant Day Care and Mother Attachment', Child Development66: 474—85.
21.
Fish, M., Stifter, C.A. and Belsky, J. (1991) `Conditions of Continuity and Discontinuity in Infant Negative Emotionality: Newborn to Five Months', Child Development62: 1525—37.
22.
George, C. and Solomon, J. (1990, 1996, 2000) Six-Year Attachment Doll Play Classification System. Unpublished Classification Manual. Mills College, Oakland, CA.
23.
George, C. and Solomon, J. (1998) Six-Year Doll Play Classification System Supplement Attachment Disorganization Coding. Unpublished Classification Manual. Mills College, Oakland, CA.
24.
Goldberg, S., MacKay-Soroka, S. and Rochester, M. (1994) `Affect, Attachment and Maternal Responsiveness' , Infant Behavior and Development17: 335—39.
25.
Hamre, B.K. and Pianta, R.C. (2001) `Early Teacher—Child Relationships and Trajectory of Children's School Outcomes Through Eighth Grade', Child Development72(2): 625—38.
26.
Harel, J. and Scher, A. (2002) `Insufficient Responsiveness in Ambivalent Mother—Infant Relationships: Contextual and Affective Aspects', Infant Behavior and Development26: 371—83.
27.
Horppu, R. and Iknoje-Varila, M. (2004) `Mental Models of Attachment as a Part of Kindergarten Student Teachers' Practical Knowledge About Caregiving' , International Journal of the Early Years12(3): 231—43.
28.
Howes, C. (1999) `Attachment Relationships in the Context of Multiple Caregivers', in J. Cassidy and P. R. Shaver (eds) Handbook of Attachment: Theory and Research, pp. 671—87. New York: Guilford.
29.
Howes, C. and Galinsky, E. (1998) `Child Care Caregiver Sensitivity and Attachment' , Social Development7(1): 25—36.
30.
Hubbs-Tait, L., Osofsky, J., Hann, D. and Culp, A. (1994) `Predicting Behavior Problems and Social Competence in Children of Adolescent Mothers', Family Relations43: 439—46.
31.
Kennedy, J.H. and Kennedy, C.E. (2004) `Attachment Theory: Implications for School Psychology' , Psychology in the Schools41(2): 247—59.
32.
Kobak, R. (1999) `The Emotional Dynamics of Disruptions in Attachment Relationship: Implications for Theory, Research, and Clinical Intervention' , in J. Cassidy and P. R. Shaver (eds) The Handbook of Attachment, pp. 21— 43. New York: Guilford.
33.
Lamb, M.E. and Sternberg, K.J. (1990) `Do We Really Know How Day Care Affects Children? ', Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology11: 351—79.
34.
Lynch, M. and Cicchetti, D. (1992) `Maltreated Children's Reports of Related-ness to Their Teachers', in R. C. Pianta (ed.) Beyond the Parent: The Role of Other Adults in Children's Lives . New Directions for Child Development57: 81—107. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
35.
Lyons-Ruth, K., Alpern, L. and Repacholi, B. (1993) `Disorganized Infant Attachment Classification and Maternal Psychosocial Problems as Predictors of Hostile-Aggressive Behavior in the Preschool Classroom', Child Development64: 572—85.
36.
Lyons-Ruth, K., Easterbrooks, A. and Cibelli, C. (1997) `Infant Attachment Strategies, Infant Mental Lag, and Maternal Depressive Symptoms: Predictors of Internalizing and Externalizing Problems at Age Seven', Development and Psychopathology3: 377—96.
37.
Lyons-Ruth, K. and Zeanah, C.H. (1993) `The Family Context of Infant Mental Health: I. Affective Development in the Primary Caregiving Relationship', in C. H. Zeanah, Jr. (ed.) Handbook of Infant Mental Health, pp. 14—37. New York: Guilford Press.
38.
Main, M. and Hesse, E. (1990) `Parents' Unresolved Traumatic Experiences are Related to Infant Disorganized Attachment Status: Is Frightened and/or Frightening Parental Behavior the Lining Mechanism?', in M. T. Greenberg, D. Cicchetti and M. Cummings (eds) Attachment in the Preschool Years: Theory, Research and Intervention, pp. 161—82. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press.
39.
Main, M. and Solomon, J. (1990) `Procedures for Identifying Infants as Disorganized/Disoriented During the Ainsworth Strange Situation', in M. T. Greenberg, D. Cicchetti, and E. M. Cummings (eds) Attachment in the Preschool Years, pp. 121—60. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press.
40.
Moss, E., Bureau, J., Cyr, C., Mongeau, C. and St-Laurent, D. (2004) `Correlates of Attachment at Age Three: Construct Validity of the Preschool Attachment Classification System', Developmental Psychology40(3): 323—34.
41.
Moss, E., Parent, S., Gosselin, C., Roussear, D. and St-Laurent, D. (1996) `Attachment and Teacher-Reported Behavior Problems During the Preschool and Early School-Age Period', Development and Psychopathology8: 511—25.
42.
Oppenheim, D., Sagi, A. and Lamb, M. (1988) `Infant—Adult Attachments on the Kibbutz and Their Relation to Socioemotional Development Four Years Later', Developmental Psychology24: 427—33.
43.
Park, K.J. and Honig, A.S. (1991) `Infant Child Care Patterns and Later Teacher Ratings of Preschool Behaviors', Early Child Development and Care68: 89—96.
44.
Peth-Pierce, R. (2001) A Good Beginning: Sending America's Children to School with the Social and Emotional Competence they need to Succeed. [Electronic Version] http://www.nimh.nih.gob/chldhp/monograph.pdf .
45.
Pianta, R.C., Hamre, B. and Stuhlman, M. (2003) `Relationships Between Teachers and Children', in W. M. Reynolds and G. Miller (eds) Handbook of Psychology: Educational Psychology (Vol. 7), pp. 199—234. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley and Sons.
46.
Pianta, R.C. and Stuhlman, M.W. (2004) `Teacher—Child Relationships and Children's Success in the First Years of School', School Psychology Review33(3): 444—58.
47.
Pierrehumbert, B., Ramstein, T., Karmaniola, A. and Halfon, O. (1996) `Child Care in the Preschool Years: Attachment, Behaviour Problems and Cognitive Development', European Journal of Psychology of Education11(2): 201—14.
48.
Rauh, H., Ziegenhain, U., Muller, B. and Wijnrocks. L. (2000) `Stability and Change in Infant—Mother Attachment in the Second Year of Life: Relations to Parenting Quality and Varying Degrees of Day-Care Experience', in P. M. Crittenden and A. H. Claussen (eds) The Organization of Attachment Relationships: Maturation, Culture, and Contexti , pp. 251—76. New York: Camabridge University Press.
49.
Shaw, D.S., Owens, E.B., Vondra, J.I., Keenan, K. and Winslow, E. (1996) `Early Risk Factors and Pathways in the Development of Early Disruptive Behavior Problems', Development and Psychopathology8: 679—99.
50.
Solomon, J., George, C. and De Jong, A. (1995) `Children Classified as Controlling at Age Six: Evidence of Disorganized Representational Strategies and Aggression at Home and at School', Development and Psychology7: 447—63.
51.
Speltz, M.L., Greenberg, M.T. and DeKlyen, M. (1990) `Attachment in Preschoolers with Disruptive Behavior: A Comparison of Clinic-Referred and Nonproblem Children', Development and Psychopathology2: 31—46.
52.
Spieker, S.J., Nelson, D.C., Petras, A., Jolley, S.N. and Barnard, K. (2003) `Joint Influence of Child Care and Infant Attachment Security for Cognitive and Language Outcomes of Low-Income Toddlers', Infant Behavior and Development26: 326—44.
53.
Sroufe, L.A. (2000) `Early Relationships and the Development of Children ', Infant Mental Health Journal21(1—2): 67—74.
54.
Sroufe, L.A., Carleson, E.A., Levy, A.K. and Egeland, B. (1999) `Implications of Attachment Theory for Developmental Psychopathology', Development and Psychopathology1: 1—13.
55.
Sroufe, L.A., Egeland, B., Carlson, E.A. and Collins, W.A. (2005) `Adaptation in the Preschool Period', in The Development of the Person: The Minnesota Study of Risk and Adaptation from Birth to Adulthood, pp. 121—47. New York: Guilford Press
56.
Thompson, R.A. (1988) `The Effects of Infant Day Care Through the Prism of Attachment Theory: A Critical Appraisal', Early Childhood Research Quarterly3: 273—82.
57.
Thompson, R.A., Lamb, M.E. and Estes, D. (1982) `Stability of Infant—Mother Attachment and its Relationship to Changing Life Circumstances in an Unselected Middle Class Sample', Child Development53: 1203—14.
58.
Toth, S.L., Maughan, A., Manly, J.T., Spagnola, M. and Cicchetti, D. (2002) `The Relative Efficacy of Two Interventions in Altering Maltreated Preschool Children's Representational Models: Implications for Attachment Theory', Development and Psychopathology14: 877—908.
59.
Tremblay, R.E., Phil, R.O., Vitaro, F. and Dobkin, P.L. (1994) `Predicting Early Onset of Male Antisocial Behavior From Preschool Behavior', Archives ofGeneral Psychiatry15: 732—39.
60.
van IJzendoorn, M.H., Sagi, A. and Lambermon, M.W.E. (1992) `The Multiple Caretaker Paradox: Data from Holland and Israel', in R. C. Pianta (ed.) Beyond the Parent: The Role of Other Adults in Children's Lives, pp. 5—24. San Franscisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
61.
van IJzendoorn, M.H., Schuengel, C. and Bakermans-Kraneburg, M.J. (1999) Disorganized Attachment in Early Childhood: Meta-Analysis of Precursors, Concomitants, and Sequale', Developmental Psychopathology11(2): 225—49.
62.
Vaughn, B.E., Deane, K.E. and Waters, E. (1985) `The Impact of Daycare on Child—Mother Attachment Quality: Another Look at Some Enduring Questions', in I. Bretherton and E. Waters (eds) Growing Points in Attachment Theory and Research. Monographs of the Society for Research in Child Development50(1—2, serial no. 209): 110—23.
63.
Vondra, J.I., Shaw, D.S., Swearingen, L., Cohen, M. and Owens, E.B. (2001) `Attachment Stability and Emotional and Behavioral Regulation from Infancy to Preschool Age', Development and Psychopathology13: 13—33.
64.
Waters, E. and Deane, K. (1985) `Defining and Assessing Individual Differences in Attachment Relationships: Q-Methodology and the Organization of Behavior in Infancy and Early Childhood', in E. Waters and I. Bretherton (eds) Growing points in Attachment Theory and Research. Monographs for the Society for Research in Child Development50 (1—2, serial no. 209): 41—65.
65.
Watson, J. and Kowalski, H. (1999) `Toddler—Caregiver Interaction: The Effect of Temperament', Early Child Development and Care159: 53—73.
66.
Weinfeld, N.S., Sroufe, L.A., Egeland, B. and Carleson, E.A. (1999) `The Nature of Individual Differences in Infant—Caregiver Attachment', in J. Cassidy and P. R. Shaver (eds) The Handbook of Attachment , pp. 68—88. New York: Guilford .
