ACEs, secure base behavior, and insecure attachment

Today, I address two studies related to attachment. First, Snyder, Luchner & Tantleff-Dunn (2023) published “Adverse Childhood Experiences and Insecure Attachment: The indirect effects of dissociation and emotion regulation difficulties” in Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy.  Here’s the edited abstract and impact statement:

Difficulties with dissociation and emotion regulation are well-documented reactions to early adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). Although findings identify dissociation and emotion dysregulation as explaining the relationship between various forms of ACEs and adult psychopathology, less is known about their combined effect in the relationship between ACEs and insecure attachment in adulthood. This study examined the indirect effects of dissociation and emotion regulation difficulties in the relationship between early adverse experiences and insecure attachment traits. Participants (N = 260) completed an online questionnaire measuring ACEs, dissociation, emotion regulation difficulties, and anxious and avoidant attachment. Results indicated that, after controlling for mental health treatment, dissociation and emotion regulation difficulties explained the relationship between ACEs and insecure (anxious and avoidant) attachment. Emotion regulation difficulties were not a significant predictor of avoidant attachment. Findings provide support for greater research on mediating factors in the maintenance of insecure attachment across development and potential implications of dissociation and emotion regulation in clinical and nonclinical populations. 

Lasting difficulties like dissociation and emotional dysregulation may influence the relational insecurities many survivors of ACEs may face in adult relationships, and our findings underscore the importance of investigating factors that influence individuals who are exposed to greater childhood adversity. Additionally, the roles of dissociation and emotion regulation difficulties are likely important when assessing the impact of ACEs on individuals and may also be central when considering the impact of interpersonal trauma in research and practice. 

We expect ACEs to relate to insecure attachment. However, I find it interesting and not surprising that dissociation is a predictor of avoidant attachment in adulthood. The fact that emotion regulation difficulties are not may mean that children who are avoidantly attached get very good at emotion regulation on their own terms. The link from ACEs to challenges in adult relationships is also important. 

The next study looks at secure base scripts. This is the definition I found: Secure base scripts (SBS) are thought of as the earliest, rudimentary mental representations of attachment, comprising temporally and causally-related events occurring in interactions between children and their attachment figures. In the attachment literature it is called the dance of attunement that ideally enables children to trust that a parent will be a secure base – a safe harbor. Houbrechts et al. (2023) published “Cumulative family stress and externalizing problems: Secure base script knowledge as a protective factor” in Child Development. Here’s the edited abstract:

The current study examined whether secure base script knowledge can buffer against higher concurrent externalizing problems and against relative increases in externalizing problems associated with cumulative family stress. We conducted a one-year longitudinal study with two waves between 2017 and 2019 in which 272 Dutch-speaking Western European children from Flanders (47.8% boys) participated. Secure base script knowledge was associated with lower concurrent externalizing problems (f2 = 0.03). High levels of secure base script knowledge also buffered against relative increases in externalizing problems associated with cumulative family risk (f2 = 0.02). These findings suggest that secure base script knowledge can mitigate the negative effects of a stressful family environment on externalizing problems.

In many ways, this article reinforces the finding of the previous one. Cumulative family stress is undoubtedly related to ACEs as well as externalizing problems. Establishing a secure base script is protective against externalizing problems and the likely increase in externalizing problems when faced with cumulative family stress. These studies make it clear that secure attachment is critical in setting the stage for coping with childhood and adulthood stress and that dysfunctional attachment has pervasive negative consequences.