Mothers of securely attached children with autism spectrum disorder are more sensitive than mothers of insecurely attached children

2009/01/12 by Nina Koren‐Karie, David Oppenheim, Smadar Dolev +1 · 12 citations
Neuroscience · Psychology · #Attachment theory #Autism #Autism Spectrum Disorder Research #Autism spectrum disorder #Child and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional Development #Developmental psychology #Family and Disability Support Research #Maternal sensitivity #Psychology #Strange situation #Typically developing

paper · doi:10.1111/j.1469-7610.2008.02043.x

openalex publication_date 2009/01/12 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/27

Abstract

In the current study we examined the links between maternal sensitivity and children's secure attachment in a sample of 45 preschool-age boys with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). We hypothesized that mothers of securely attached children would be more sensitive to their children than mothers of insecurely attached children. Children's attachment was assessed using Ainsworth's Strange Situation Procedure (SSP; Ainsworth, Blehar, Waters, & Wall, 1978). Mothers' sensitivity and children's responsiveness to their mothers were assessed using the Emotional Availability Scales (Biringen, Robinson, & Emde, 1993). The findings supported our hypothesis: mothers of securely attached children were more sensitive to their children even when controlling for the severity of children's diagnosis (Autism Disorder vs. Pervasive Developmental Disorder - Not Otherwise Specified (PDD-NOS)), children's level of functioning (high vs. low), and children's levels of responsiveness. The significance of sensitivity for security of attachment in ASD and the implications of these findings for the validity of the SSP in children with ASD are discussed.

Cited by

• Emotional availability (EA): Theoretical background, empirical research using the EA Scales, and clinical applications
• Predicting friendship quality in autism spectrum disorders and typical development. [europepmc]
• Emotional relationships between mothers and infants: knowns, unknowns, and unknown unknowns. [europepmc]
• A parent-mediated intervention that targets responsive parental behaviors increases attachment behaviors in children with ASD: results from a randomized clinical trial. [europepmc]
• Attunement and Paternal Characteristics in Care Relationships in the Presence of Children Diagnosed with Autism. [europepmc]
• Effects of an attachment-based parent intervention on mothers of children with autism spectrum disorder: preliminary findings from a non-randomized controlled trial. [europepmc]
• The association between maternal sensitivity/availability and attachment in children with autism Spectrum disorder: A systematic review and Meta-analysis. [europepmc]
• Towards a comprehensive approach to mentalization-based treatment for children with autism: integrating attachment, neurosciences, and mentalizing. [europepmc]
• Parent-Child Communication Incongruence in Pediatric Healthcare. [europepmc]
• The Quality of the Parent-Child Relationship in the Context of Autism: The Role of Parental Resolution of the Child's Diagnosis, Parenting Stress, and Caregiving Burden. [europepmc]
• Factor Structure and Validity of the Japanese Version of the Emotional Availability Self-Report. [europepmc]
• The Attachment Process of the Mothers of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders in the Pre-School Years: A Mixed Methods Study. [europepmc]

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