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Cited by 45Attachment and Relationship DynamicsChild and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional DevelopmentPsychoanalysis and Psychopathology Research

Independent influences upon mother-toddler role reversal: Infant-mother attachment disorganization and role reversal in mother’s childhood

Macfie, Jenny, Fitzpatrick, Katie L., Rivas, Elaine M., Cox, Martha J.·2008·Attachment & Human Development
DOI 10.1080/14616730701868589
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Abstract

In role reversal a child takes an inappropriate parental, spousal, or peer role with the caregiver. The study assessed attachment disorganization with mother in infancy in the Strange Situation (Ainsworth, Blehar, Waters, & Wall, 1978 Ainsworth, M. D.S., Blehar, M. C., Waters, E. and Wall, S. 1978. Patterns of attachment: A psychological study of the strange situation, Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum. [Google Scholar]) and role reversal at 2 years old in videotaped mother–child interactions. By closely observing role reversal at this early age, results fill in the picture concerning the link between disorganized infant–mother attachment and controlling role reversal at 6 years old (Main & Cassidy, 1988 Main, M. and Cassidy, J. 1988. Categories of response to reunion with the parent at age 6: Predictable from infant attachment classifications and stable over a 1-month period. Developmental Psychology, 24: 415–426. [Crossref], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]; Main, Kaplan, & Cassidy, 1985 Main, M., Kaplan, N. and Cassidy, J. C. 1985. “Security in infancy, childhood, and adulthood: A move to the level of representation”. In Monographs of the Society for Research in Child Development Edited by: Bretherton, I. and Waters, E. 50(Serial No. 209, 1–2), 66–104[Crossref] , [Google Scholar]). As hypothesized, infant–mother disorganization significantly predicted mother–toddler role reversal. The study also deepened research that predicted role reversal from parent Adult Attachment Interview (AAI) role reversal assessed before the child was born (Macfie, McElwain, Houts, & Cox, 2005 Macfie, J., McElwain, N. L., Houts, R. M. and Cox, M. J. 2005. Intergenerational transmission of role reversal between parent and child: Dyadic and family systems internal working models. Attachment & Human Development, 7: 51–65. [Taylor & Francis Online], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]). As hypothesized, mother AAI role reversal with her mother in childhood significantly predicted mother–toddler role reversal over and above infant–mother disorganization. Results are discussed within a developmental psychopathology framework including opportunities for developmentally sensitive interventions.

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  • Parentification as an overall construct was positively linked with externalizing problems in four studies, yet an almost equal number of studies (n = 3) found null results.

    “Parentification as an overall construct was positively linked with externalizing problems in four studies [77,82,95,104], yet an almost equal number of studies (n = 3) found null results [76,113,161].”

    From Parentification Vulnerability, Reactivity, Resilience, and Thriving: A Mixed Methods Systematic Literature Review (2023) · cites this paper as [161]

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Authors
Macfie, J., Fitzpatrick, K. L., Rivas, E. M., & Cox, M. J.
Affiliations
  • University of Tennessee at Knoxville (US)
  • University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (US)
Corresponding author
Macfie, Jenny
ORCID
Macfie, Jenny
Venue
Attachment & Human Development
Publisher
Informa UK Limited
Published
2008-03
Volume
10
Issue
1
Pages
29-39
ISSN
  • 1461-6734 (ISSN-L)
  • 1469-2988
DOI
10.1080/14616730701868589
OpenAlex
W2115676823
Cited by
45
References
47
Citations by year
2023: 4 · 2022: 1 · 2021: 4 · 2019: 2 · 2018: 2 · 2017: 3 · 2016: 5 · 2015: 5 · 2014: 5 · 2013: 2 · 2012: 1
FWCI
4.89
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Locations
  • Attachment & Human Development (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Funders
  • Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (R01MN44763)
  • Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (HD-07376)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Attachment and Relationship Dynamics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Child and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional Development
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Psychoanalysis and Psychopathology Research
Keywords
role reversal, disorganized attachment, mother-toddler interaction, toddler development, Adult Attachment Interview, intergenerational transmission, internal working models, maternal attachment, early childhood attachment, mother-son relationship, mother-daughter relationships
MeSH terms
Adolescent, Adult, Anomie, Child, Child Behavior, Child, Preschool, Family, Female, Humans, Male, Maternal Behavior, Mother-Child Relations, Object Attachment, Observation, Reactive Attachment Disorder

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