Attachment Processes and Early Manifestations of Aggressive Behaviors

Background. Attachment researchers have long maintained that relationship-based processes are involved in fostering the early emergence of aggressive behavior in high-risk contexts. Specifically, maternal interactive sensitivity in the context of daily interactions, the primary vector of the attachment relationship, is inversely linked to externalized behavior across development (Alink et al., 2009) and attachment security is among the more powerful predictors of externalized behaviors (Fearon et al., 2010). However, it remains unclear whether attachment mediates the association between psychosocial risk and aggressiveness early in development. Studies that have examined these questions early in development are rare (Belsky et al., 2012). The purpose of this study is to address the potential mediating role of attachment processes in the association between risk and aggressiveness during infancy.

Method. 138 mother-infant dyads participated in this study with an oversampling of adolescent mothers (n=93). Psychosocial risk was defined as being the child of an adolescent mother. Maternal sensitivity was assessed at 6 and 10 months using the Maternal Behavior Q-Sort (Pederson & Moran, 1995). Attachment security was assessed at 15 and 18 months using the Attachment Q-Sort (Waters, 1995). Aggressive behaviors at 18 months were based on parent ratings of a 6-item subset of the Child Behavior Checklist-Preschool version (CBCL/1½-5; Achenbach & Rescorla, 2000). All data were obtained via 120-minute home-visits.
Results. Sensitivity and attachment scores were reduced into a single factor extracted through principal components analysis (51% of the variance). Hierarchical regressions indicated that this factor negatively predicted 18-month aggressiveness after controlling for psychosocial risk. The regression model accounted for approximately 20% of aggressiveness. The association between psychosocial risk and aggressiveness was completely mediated by attachment processes.

Conclusions. Attachment processes predict early indicators of aggressiveness and mediate the association between risk and aggressiveness. This result should prompt more observations of attachment-based processes in developmental models of aggressiveness to help guide early prevention efforts.