The analysis by Dr Pasco Fearon, from the School of Psychology and Clinical Language Sciences, looked at 69 studies involving almost 6,000 children aged 12 and younger.

The quality of the relationship between children and their parents is important to children’s development, but past research on the link between attachment and development has been inconsistent. The volume, range and diversity of earlier studies made it difficult to get a clear picture. However this new analysis has been able to pull together evidence from past research to answer a number of scientific questions around attachment.

According to attachment theory, children with secure attachments expect and receive support and comfort from their care givers. In contrast, children with insecure attachments have requests discouraged, rejected, or responded to inconsistently, which is thought to make them vulnerable to developing behavioural problems.

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The study was published in the March 2010 issue of the Psychological Bulletin, an American Psychological Association journal. It reports that exposure to violent video games is a causal risk factor for increased aggressive thoughts and behavior, and decreased empathy and pro-social behavior in youths.

“We can now say with utmost confidence that regardless of research method – that is experimental, correlational, or longitudinal – and regardless of the cultures tested in this study [East and West], you get the same effects,” said Anderson, who is also director of Iowa State’s Center for the Study of Violence. “And the effects are that exposure to violent video games increases the likelihood of aggressive behavior in both short-term and long-term contexts. Such exposure also increases aggressive thinking and aggressive affect, and decreases prosocial behaviour”.

To read the full story click here . If you are a parent how do you feel about this research and its findings? Does it put you off buying violent games for your children? Or had you already made a decision to ban such games?

The word ‘Adolescence’ comes from the Greek word adolescere which means ‘to grow into maturity’. Some psychologists believe that the term was first used in its current context at the end of the Second World War, but Coleman disputes this. He believes the conflicts between children and parents during adolescence, and the issues surrounding these conflicts, have existed since the time of Plato. Coleman believes the word ‘teenager’ came about at the end of the Second World War, and this can be seen in the icons of the 1950′s.

The first formal psychological definition of adolescence was published in 1904, so in theory it must have been around before then. However, it means different things to different societies. In Samoa, for example, children make the transition from childhood to adulthood with little trauma or stress, and the word ‘teenager’ doesn’t appear in their vocabulary. In western societies this stage is often defined as a period of rebellion, breaking away from parental rules and finding one’s place in society as an adult. Coleman believes that some form of transitional stage between childhood and adulthood is found in most societies.

Avoidant: unconsciously we consider our mother to be rejecting, controlling and negative. Mothers of avoidant children are observed to communicate with their children about their own emotions and difficulties, rather than commenting on their child’s acts, sounds or emotions. They are controlling and intrusive, ensuring their child focuses on the things they want rather than the things the child wants, and are adverse to cuddling. This rejecting pattern of care causes the child to grow up expecting rejection – so they always reject first. They are fiercely independent, assuming other people will be hostile and rejecting, and don’t want to settle down and have children. Avoidant children who do marry are more likely to divorce. Avoidant adults work long hours, preferring work to love, but are critical of co-workers because they are less committed to work than they are. Generally avoidant children grow up feeling very unhappy on the inside, but they dare not show it.

Clinger: One in ten of us are clingers. The mothers of clinger children provide inconsistent and unreliable care. They are very confusing to the child because although their mother’s try to engage with them, they do not respond to their communication. To the clinger child it seems their mother is not particularly involved with them, that they don’t have any real passion for them. Although she did pick them up there was little warmth or communication towards the child. If the mother left the clinger child for too long they would be extremely ‘clingy’ on their return, but then feel a need to punish their mother’s by withdrawing for a period of time to show them how frustrated they felt at their absence. The clinger fundamentally fears abandonment and this carries on in to adulthood and their adult relationships, which are often full of highs and lows, jealousy, conflict and dissatisfaction. The clinger adult mothers their partners, wanting them to commit early and move in with them. Clinger adults fall in love easily, and are often hurt badly when the relationship ends because they idealise every partner they have. They have a very negative view of themselves. Clinger adults constantly worry about letting down their boss and losing their job, and are very over protective of their children – almost to the point of smothering them with attention. They limit their child’s exploring activities and promote dependence on them.

Wobbler:  The wobbler has characteristics of avoidants and clingers in that they want secure relationships but are terrified of being rejected and hurt – ‘wobbling’ when things get serious, difficult or stressful. 85 per cent of wobbler children suffered emotional or physical abuse or neglect. Mother’s of wobbler children are more likely to be alcoholics, or dependent on drugs, or to have suffered a severe trauma, depression, mental illness or bereavement. Wobbler children desperately want the closeness and security of a mother, but fear what will happen when they do seek out their mother due to her unpredictable nature. Wobbler children are ‘all over the place’ emotionally, and spend a lot of time in their own world. By six they boss their mothers around, the role of child and mother almost becoming reversed. To friends and colleagues wobbler adults are a mystery, and difficult to relate to as people. Sometimes they are annoying, other times they are withdrawn and sometimes they are very engaging.  

Secure: 50 per cent of us are secure. Secure children are comfortable depending upon others, and in turn being depended upon. The secure mother was responsive to her child(ren) and was there when needed. Although she couldn’t be there all the time secure mother was very interested in her child(ren), allowing them to take the lead and explore. She maintained eye contact and enjoyed cuddling, and never allowed how she was feeling to impact on her relationship with her child(ren). Secure mothers are very unlikely to have suffered from any form of depression or mental illness. As a result secure adults are good partners. When there is a problem they are positive and supportive, not getting annoyed, being competitive or showing any malice. They are generally warm and caring people who have a great deal of empathy for others.

Many teenagers crave independence. They want to strike out into the world and not have to do what their parents want. This seems like a healthy response going into young adulthood, but there is an emotional and financial cost to independence that teenagers often struggle to come to terms with.

As parents it can be difficult to empathise with your teenage son/daughter, particularly when you have spent years trying to find a balance between freedom and responsibility yourself. Teenagers can appear unmotivated, disengaged, directionless and undisciplined. For the teenager this is a time to escape from school, parents and the constraints of ‘being told what to do’. As adults we realise that freedom, in this sense, is largely a myth.

So how can you help your teenager to adjust to this critical time? Change your role from manager to mentor. As a manager you will try to sort out your teenager’s problems, motivate them to get a job and do things in a certain way – the behaviours they want to rebel against. As a mentor you must let go of correcting and disciplining your teenager. Instead be there as a consultant when needed and don’t try to make decisions for them. Be understanding, rather than disappointed, when they don’t do things the way you would have done them. Be patient, rather than angry. You are encouraging your teenager to be independent and by being supportive, rather than taking a problem solving stance, you can help them make the transition to independence more smoothly. Good luck!
 

Anti-social behaviour and anxiety is considered a big problem among young boys because they usually go on to become more anti-social during their adolescence. It has been discovered that girls, rather than become more anti-social, often turn their feelings inward which can lead to increased anger and anxiety, as well as mental health issues such as depression and eating disorders.

One of the findings from this research is that young children can often identify themselves as being anxious or depressed. As a result the researchers who carried out this study could see the benefit of schools carrying out health surveys amongst their pupils.

So what should you do if you believe your child is depressed? The NHS recommends that you contact your doctor or school nurse so that your child can be properly assessed.