The document discusses how early attachment experiences shape human connection and development. Secure attachments form through warm caregiver interactions that support self-regulation. Trauma can negatively impact parenting behaviors and increase risks of inappropriate discipline that undermine secure attachment. Interventions should treat trauma in parents and build their capacities for co-regulation to support healthy child development and break intergenerational cycles.

1. ulster.ac.uk
The impact of conflict &
trauma on early attachment
Dr. Áine McKenna

2. Outline
Secure
Attachment
Self
Regulation
Human
Connection

3. Attachment : Template for human
connection
•Nearly all parents feel love for their offspring
•Temperament and parenting experiences influence attachment
quality (Kagan,1984)
•Self Regulation is the key mediator between genetic
predisposition and wellbeing (Fonagy, 2001).
•Someone with a predisposition to feel intense anger is less likely
to behave anti-socially if they can self regulate (feel compassion
for others, understand that others, just like themselves, are
human (therefore flawed) and prone to making mistakes)

4. What is Attachment for ?
Reciprocity

5. Trust
Ourselves
& Others
Love
Ourselves
& Others
Cognitive
& Affective
Empathy
Self
Regulating
Integrated
Sense of
Self &
Others
Secure Attachment: Template for
Reciprocity

6. Secure Attachments : Nurture
Humanity
The greatness of humanity is not in being human but in
being humane.
Mahatma Gandhi

7. What is Self Regulation?
Mahatma Gandhi
The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the
attribute of the strong.
Mahatma Gandhi

8. Revenge Cycle Forgiveness Cycle
Hurt,
Harm &
Loss
Emotional
Pain
Choosing
to Harm
&
Rejecting
Shared
Humanity
Revenge,
Retaliation &
Payback
Violence
and
Cruelty

9. Self Regulation: Mandela’s Journey
Nelson Mandela
•Do not judge me by my successes, judge me by how
many times I fell down and got back up again.
(self love – integrated sense of self, accepts failures and
mistakes and does not hide them from himself or others)
•As I walked out the door toward the gate that would
lead to my freedom, I knew if I didn't leave my
bitterness and hatred behind, I'd still be in prison.
(he had to self regulate)

10. What type of contexts facilitate the
acquisition of self regulation?
• Warm, synchronous, interactions; mirroring of
emotions; caregiver acts as mirror & co-regulator
(Fonagy, 2001).
• In order to be able to co-regulate the caregiver
has to be able to self regulate.

11. How do children learn to hate?
Direct transfer of words and
gestures, beliefs and views
Parental use of threats, harsh
discipline and punishment with a
focus on obedience
McNally Mc Kenna et al.
Prejudice
Allport (1954)

12. Trauma Exposures Change
Parenting Behaviours
•Negatively impact on bonding processes
•Poorly regulated children develop internalising/externalising
problems (depending on temperament)
•Increases risks for inappropriate behaviour management
especially for externalisers (difficult temperament 10%)
•Association between PTSD, domestic violence and aggressive
parenting (Roberts et al. 2012; Roth et al. 2014; Sailea et al.
2014; Leen-Feldner et al. 2011; Harkness,1993).

13. physical abuse sexual abuse neglect
parental mental
health
parental substance
abuse
parental criminal
behaviour
family violence harsh punishment
Harsh Class (4.4%) 0 0.15064 0 0.2806 0.23967 0.14086 0.25404 0.40089
Maltreatment Class (4.3%) 0.68203 0.16577 0.33595 0.34038 0.15096 0.16098 0.51879 0.94264
Low Risk Class (91.3%) 0.00254 0.00632 0.00245 0.03001 0 0.00294 0.01344 0.10655
0
0.1
0.2
0.3
0.4
0.5
0.6
0.7
0.8
0.9
1
EstimatedProbabilities

14. Age category Harsh Maltreatment Low Risk
18-34 31(32.2%) 27(32.4%) 441(31%)
35-49 45(42.7%) 31(35.7%) 508(29.1%)
50-64 28(20.6%) 31(27.3%) 452(21.5%)
65+ 7(4.5%) 7(4.6%) 354(18.4%)

15. 4 and a half times more likely

16. 4 and a half times more likely

17. Teaching Compassion
No one is born hating another person because of the
colour of his skin, or his background, or his religion.
People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate,
they can be taught to love, for love comes more
naturally to the human heart than its opposite.
Nelson Mandela

18. Co-regulation
Self
regulated
Child
Social &
Emotional
Competence
Achieves
potential &
Contributes to
Community
Healthy
Adult
Can’t
Co-
regulate
Unregulated Child
Lacks Emotional
& Social
Competence
Does not achieve
potential and
cannot contribute
to community
Traumatized
Adult

19. Implications for Intervention
•Treat Trauma Related Psychopathology in Parents
•Build their capacities so they can become co-regulators for
their infants. This will reduce difficult behaviours and social
skill deficits in their children.
•Build Parents capacities so they can become breadwinners
and this will facilitate social mobility (Two generation
Approaches).
•Support parents to construct age and stage appropriate
narratives for explaining their trauma related experiences to
their children