Background: Research has pointed to secure attachment as a possible key factor of resilience in adulthood. Objective: We aimed to investigate the role of secure attachment as a potential core feature in the properties of resilience. Methods: We conducted a systematic review in accordance with PRISMA guidelines followed by a meta-analysis. Results: Thirty-three studies were included in the review, and 10 of these, including 2305 subjects, were used for meta-analysis. The raw correlation coefficients ranged from .20 to .57, which indicated weak to moderate correlations between resilience and attachment. The synthesized correlation coefficients indicated that the correlations were significant and highly unlikely to be due to random variation. All studies are also reported on qualitatively. Conclusions: In both of our meta-analyses and in the narratively reported studies, we found that secure attachment is associated with the presence of resilience.

Objective: Psychological theories have postulated an association between insecure attachment and ADHD. The objective of this study is to investigate possible association between insecure attachment and ADHD in children and adults. Method: Review of literature was performed using the PsycINFO, Medline, and EMBASE databases. Results: Twenty-nine studies were included in the review. Overall, the studies showed that parental attachment problems and environmental mediating factors were significantly associated with childhood ADHD. Adults with ADHD had a much higher incidence of insecure attachment styles than reported in the general population. Conclusion: There seems to be a clear association between ADHD and insecure attachment. It is likely that early intervention in the form of parent training and pharmacological treatment may prevent development of attachment problems. But such studies have not been carried out. Furthermore, adults with ADHD might need treatment for their lack of attachment competences as well. More research on this topic is much needed.

Epigenetic research has pointed to that the interaction between genetics and environmental factors may play a role in making some individuals more vulnerable than others. The aim of this article was to present a broad perspective on the current state of knowledge in a relatively new and complex field of “attachment and epigenetic processes.” We conducted a scoping review based on a systematic literature search in PsycINFO, PubMed, and Embase databases for relevant abstracts using the terms attachment and epigenet*. In total, 11 studies were included. Research predating 2009 and animal studies were excluded in order to review the current state of research in humans. Overall, there seems to be a consistency in the literature, pointing to a link between early childhood adversity, attachment processes, and epigenetic changes. However, research in human subjects is still limited.

Objective: To investigate the effects of social-skills training and a parental training program on children with ADHD as measured by the children’s attachment competences. Method: The SOSTRA trial is a randomized, parallel-group, outcome-assessor-blinded, superiority trial evaluating 8 weeks social-skills training and parental training plus standard treatment versus standard treatment alone for 8- to 12-year old children with ADHD. Results: There were no significant differences in attachment competences at 6 months between the experimental (n = 25) and the control (n = 22) groups (odds ratio = 1.06, 95% confidence interval = [0.31, 3.58], p = .91). In total, 17 children (36%) changed their entry status, 1 (2%) from secure to insecure attachment, while 16 (34%) changed from insecure to secure attachment. Conclusion: The experimental treatment does not seem to affect attachment competences compared with standard treatment alone. Children in the SOSTRA trial improved their attachment competences significantly at 6-month follow-up.

Differentiating between autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and borderline personality disorder (BPD) is hampered by diagnostic difficulties as there seems to be a significant overlap in symptoms.A cas...