The DOI matches its Crossref record; 7 of the 7 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
Child maltreatment and insecure attachment: a meta‐analysis
Abstract
The validity of the insecure/disorganized attachment pattern has been clearly established in over 80 studies with more than 100 samples. However, given that child maltreatment is considered one of the most important causes of insecure/disorganized attachment, it is notable that few studies have been published specifically examining the maltreatment/insecure attachment hypothesis. The purpose of this paper was to review the research findings and conduct a meta‐analysis to examine the effect size of maltreatment and insecure attachment across studies. A second goal was to conduct a subpopulation analysis to investigate effect size by type of maltreatment. Following a literature search which yielded 25 articles, we identified eight studies (n = 791) that: (a) consisted of children who experienced different types of maltreatment including cases of malnutrition and failure‐to‐thrive, (b) consisted of children under 48 months of age, (c) used the Strange Situation or a modification of it to measure attachment, (d) had comparison groups, and (e) contained sufficient detail to conduct a meta‐analysis. Results showed that the maltreated infants were significantly more likely to have an insecure attachment than the controls. A subpopulation analysis by type of abuse was conducted. Overall the findings support the maltreatment/insecure attachment hypothesis. The subpopulation analysis, although extremely small, indicates that different types of maltreatment affect the magnitude of the e…
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“Adverse childhood experiences are key determinants of insecure attachment (Baer and Martinez 2006; Cicchetti et al. 2006; Cyr et al. 2010; Sabaß et al. 2022) and are frequently reported by patients with PDD (Brakemeier et al. 2018, 2021; Nanni et al. 2012; Struck et al. 2020).”
From Reciprocal Dynamics of Therapeutic Alliance and Depressive Symptoms in Inpatient Cognitive Behavioural Analysis System of Psychotherapy: The Role of Attachment Insecurity. (2025) · cites this paper as Baer and Martinez 2006
Citations
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“While the formation of attachment is complex, theorists suggest that the experience of maltreatment can affect the child’s internal working models and subsequently the child’s relationships with others (Bowlby, 1969/1982; Lamb et al., 1985; Finzi et al., 2001).”
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Cited by
Sorted by citations
Parent–Child Interaction Therapy
Thomas, R., & Zimmer-Gembeck, M. (2012) · Child Maltreatment · doi:10.1177/1077559512459555 · Cited by 663
“Further, parents with a history of maltreating their children are likely to be less sensitive in interactions and more likely to have an insecure or disorganized caregiver–child attachment compared to other mothers (Baer & Martinez, 2006).”
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The intergenerational transmission of child maltreatment: A three-level meta-analysis
Assink, M., Spruit, A., Schuts, M., Lindauer, R., van der Put, C. E., & Stams, G.-J. J. M. (2018) · Child Abuse & Neglect · doi:10.1016/j.chiabu.2018.07.037 · Cited by 275
“…of child maltreatment victimization did not have a positive parenting example, and they may be at increased risk for insecure internal working models of attachment (Bear & Martinez, 2006), that have been shown to predict later child maltreatment (Huxtable-Jester, 1995; Lo Chan, & Ip, in press).”
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Accumulating Evidence for Parent–Child Interaction Therapy in the Prevention of Child Maltreatment
Thomas, R., & Zimmer‐Gembeck, M. J. (2011) · Child Development · doi:10.1111/j.1467-8624.2010.01548.x · Cited by 202
Metadata
- Authors
- Baer, J. C., & Martinez, C. D.
- Affiliations
- Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey (US)
- Corresponding author
- Baer, Judith C.
- Venue
- Journal of Reproductive and Infant Psychology
- Publisher
- Informa UK Limited
- Published
- 2006-08
- Volume
- 24
- Issue
- 3
- Pages
- 187-197
- ISSN
- 0264-6838 (ISSN-L)
- 1469-672X
- OpenAlex
- W2159313975
- Cited by
- 366
- References
- 49
- Citations by year
- 2026: 22 · 2025: 33 · 2024: 23 · 2023: 31 · 2022: 23 · 2021: 26 · 2020: 22 · 2019: 41 · 2018: 21 · 2017: 24 · 2016: 24 · 2015: 12 · 2014: 10 · 2013: 10 · 2012: 13
- FWCI
- 3.32
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Journal of Reproductive and Infant Psychology (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Child Abuse and Trauma
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Attachment and Relationship Dynamics
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Child Welfare and Adoption
- Keywords
- child abuse, insecure attachment, disorganized attachment, infant attachment, Strange Situation Procedure, malnutrition, failure to thrive, early childhood
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