TY - JOUR
T1 - The relation of attachment security status to effortful self-regulation
T2 - A meta-analysis
AU - Pallini, Susanna
AU - Chirumbolo, Antonio
AU - Morelli, Mara
AU - Baiocco, Roberto
AU - Laghi, Fiorenzo
AU - Eisenberg, Nancy
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2018 American Psychological Association.
PY - 2018/5
Y1 - 2018/5
N2 - Secure attachment relationships have been described as having a regulatory function in regard to children's emotions, social cognition, and behavior. Although some theorists and researchers have argued that attachment affects children's self-regulation, most attachment theorists have not strongly emphasized this association. The goal of the current meta-analysis was to determine the magnitude of the relation between attachment security status and effortful control (EC)/top-down self-regulation in children up to 18 years of age. One hundred six papers met the inclusion criteria and 101 independent samples were used in analyses. When secure attachment status was compared with insecure attachment status, a significant relation (effect size [ES]) with EC favoring children with a secure attachment was found (100 studies; 20,350 participants; r=.20). A stronger relation was found when the same coder evaluated attachment than when the coder was different and when the measure of attachment was continuous; other moderators were not significant. Securely attached children were higher in EC than their avoidant (r=.10) or resistant (r=.17) counterparts. Children with organized attachments were higher in EC than those with disorganized attachments (r=.17), although this finding could be due to publication bias. For some comparisons of subgroups (B vs. A, B vs. C, and/or D vs. all others), moderation was found by source of information (higher ES for same reporter), age at assessment of EC and/or attachment (higher ES at older ages), method of attachment (lower ES for observational measures), time difference between assessments or research design (higher ESs for smaller time differences and concurrent findings), and published versus unpublished studies (higher ES for unpublished studies for A vs. B).
AB - Secure attachment relationships have been described as having a regulatory function in regard to children's emotions, social cognition, and behavior. Although some theorists and researchers have argued that attachment affects children's self-regulation, most attachment theorists have not strongly emphasized this association. The goal of the current meta-analysis was to determine the magnitude of the relation between attachment security status and effortful control (EC)/top-down self-regulation in children up to 18 years of age. One hundred six papers met the inclusion criteria and 101 independent samples were used in analyses. When secure attachment status was compared with insecure attachment status, a significant relation (effect size [ES]) with EC favoring children with a secure attachment was found (100 studies; 20,350 participants; r=.20). A stronger relation was found when the same coder evaluated attachment than when the coder was different and when the measure of attachment was continuous; other moderators were not significant. Securely attached children were higher in EC than their avoidant (r=.10) or resistant (r=.17) counterparts. Children with organized attachments were higher in EC than those with disorganized attachments (r=.17), although this finding could be due to publication bias. For some comparisons of subgroups (B vs. A, B vs. C, and/or D vs. all others), moderation was found by source of information (higher ES for same reporter), age at assessment of EC and/or attachment (higher ES at older ages), method of attachment (lower ES for observational measures), time difference between assessments or research design (higher ESs for smaller time differences and concurrent findings), and published versus unpublished studies (higher ES for unpublished studies for A vs. B).
KW - Attachment.
KW - Effortful self-regulation.
KW - Internal working models.
KW - Meta-analysis
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U2 - 10.1037/bul0000134
DO - 10.1037/bul0000134
M3 - Article
C2 - 29517260
AN - SCOPUS:85043299913
SN - 0033-2909
VL - 144
SP - 501
EP - 531
JO - Psychological bulletin
JF - Psychological bulletin
IS - 5
ER -