Assessing both safe haven and secure base support in parent-child relationships. Attach Hum Dev 2015;17(4):337-53
Date
05/13/2015Pubmed ID
25965983DOI
10.1080/14616734.2015.1042487Scopus ID
2-s2.0-84938423698 (requires institutional sign-in at Scopus site) 123 CitationsAbstract
Although the attachment construct refers to a child's tendency to use an attachment figure both as a safe haven in times of distress as well as a secure base from which to explore, approaches to assessing attachment at older ages have focused on safe haven behavior. We tested modified versions of the Friends and Family Interview and the Security Scale Questionnaire to examine separately the correlates of safe haven and secure base support from parents. The main study (n = 107 children, 10-14-year-olds) included both interview and questionnaire assessments of safe haven and secure base support from mothers and fathers. The two methods converged in expected ways, and both showed associations with narrative coherence. Children reported greater safe haven support from mothers and greater secure base support from fathers, suggesting secure base support is a key aspect of father-child attachment. Both mother-child and father-child relationships were related to children's school adjustment and coping.
Author List
Kerns KA, Mathews BL, Koehn AJ, Williams CT, Siener-Ciesla SMESH terms used to index this publication - Major topics in bold
Adaptation, PsychologicalAdolescent
Child
Data Collection
Educational Status
Father-Child Relations
Female
Humans
Male
Mother-Child Relations
Object Attachment
Parent-Child Relations
Social Skills
