Attachment Representations in Adolescent Mothers and Aggressive Behaviors in Their Children: A Configurational Analysis
Year: 2026
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: There is limited research on the links between adolescent mothers’ attachment representations and aggressive behaviors in their children, despite evidence suggesting that the offspring of young mothers are at risk for interpersonal and legal problems later in life. The current study used configurational analyses of markers from mothers’ narratives in the Adult Attachment Projective Picture System to examine links between dimensions of attachment in 44 adolescent mothers and aggressive behavior in their children. Results suggest that lack of relational synchrony, ineffective agency (capacity to act), as well as disorganized and preoccupied representations, were salient markers of the pathways associated with high levels of proactive and reactive aggression in children. Conversely, the presence of integrated agency or synchrony in their attachment stories was a protective factor against aggression. These findings highlight several potential targets for therapeutic interventions with this population.
Author: David Joubert
Institution: University of Ottawa
Language: English
Subfield: Social Psychology
Field: Psychology
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7222833662