Maternal sensitivity, neuroanatomy, and attachment

A study suggests that maternal sensitivity and neonatal neuroanatomy interact to influence attachment disorganization. Disorganized attachment in early life is a risk factor for socio-emotional, attentional, and mental health problems. The form of parenting a child receives can predict the development of disorganized attachment, but the relationship between parenting and attachment disorganization is not clear. Anne Rifkin-Graboi, Anqi Qiu, and colleagues examined whether brain structural differences could moderate the relationship between parenting and levels of attachment disorganization. The authors obtained MRI scans from 82 infants in Singapore at 5-14 days of age. At this early age, neuroanatomy was likely to be unaffected by parenting differences. The degree of maternal sensitivity in caregiving was assessed at 6 months of age and the level of attachment disorganization at 18 months of age. The authors found a significant interaction between maternal sensitivity and volume of the left hippocampus in their relationship to attachment disorganization. Maternal sensitivity was significantly negatively correlated with levels of attachment disorganization among infants with comparatively large left hippocampi, whereas no correlation between sensitivity and disorganization was observed among infants with comparatively small left hippocampi. While the results are preliminary, they may lead to targeted interventions for reducing attachment disorganization, according to the authors.

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Article #19-00362: "An initial investigation of neonatal neuroanatomy, caregiving, and levels of disorganized behavior," by Anne Rifkin-Graboi et al.

MEDIA CONTACT: Anne Rifkin-Graboi, Nanyang Technological University, SINGAPORE; tel: +65-91684875; e-mail: anne.rifkin@nie.edu.sg; Anqi Qiu, National University of Singapore, SINGAPORE; tel: +65-65167002; e-mail: bieqa@nus.edu.sg