Predictors of parenting: attachment styles, depression, and anxiety

What is it about?

Parents' attachment orientations, depression, and anxiety are known to affect their behavior with children. However, there has been less research on how parents' romantic attachment styles affect their relationships with children, and little work linking attachment, depression, and anxiety as they predict parenting. This paper sheds light on these dynamics.

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Why is it important?

This study shows that romantic attachment style, depression, and anxiety each predict caregiving emotion and behavior during a parent-child reunion scenario. We also demonstrate that depression and anxiety explain the associations between attachment style and caregiving outcomes. Our findings suggest that parents' mental health is an important area for clinical treatment, especially when parents have insecure attachment styles.