Past Issues

Background: Early parent-child attachment has been thought to infl uence the
diverse functional development of the individual in later life. The research results
of the infl uence of parental attachment on individuals show only the precipitating
and perpetuating factors. But the predisposing and possibly mediating latent covariates,
or several confounding variables, can be neglected, and pseudo-associations
can be identifi ed. The aim of this overview was to provide a clear protocol for
the investigation of the infl uence of parent-child attachment on the personality,
mental health, experience of chronic pain, sexual orientation, and criminal behavior
of an individual. Methods: In this review article, I assessed relevant research
articles dealing with developmental aspects of parental attachment and mental
health in structural equation modeling. Combining with my own data, I also explored
the natural course of the path effect, current effect, and the regression and
concurrent validity in each variable, using Structural Equation Modeling and Latent
Class Analysis. Results: I fi rst introduced assessment instruments to measure
parenting, personality and psychiatric morbidity; then covered the issues of parental
attachment, personality, and psychological adjustment, as well as mental health
and traumatic stress. Later I deal with the issues of relationship between parental
bonding and criminal behavior, adolescent prostitutes and parental rearing attitudes,
parental bonding and psychiatric psychopath, such as psychosomatic symptoms,
chronic regional pain, hyperventilation syndrome, sexual orientation, increased
expressed emotion and alexithymia. Conclusion: Issues associated with
the relationship between genetic factors and parental attachment, expressed emotion
and alexithymia, and the interaction between nature and nurture, have not yet
settled. Future research are needed to deal with those inconclusive issues.