The parental predictors of child's attachment security and the moderation role of child's disability. Reframing parenting programs for families with children affected by neurological illness

Most of research showed that secure attachment tends to increase child‟s autonomy and initiative (1) and to develop more positive social and emotional competences, as well as better cognitive functioning and physical and mental health (2, 3). In this regard, albeit research primarily focused on the mother-child dyad, current studies have emphasized the role of both mothers and fathers as relevant to the development of the attachment relationship, which also results in different child outcomes (4-7). The issue of attachment security seems to be particularly important in children affected by disabilities, because some pieces of research have found that the existence of a disability in the child may influence his/her socio-emotional competence and the development of attachment (8, 9); as well, children with disabilities are generally more likely to be classified as insecurely attached (10). However, it is demonstrated that disability alone is unlikely to be the sole factor that contributes to the development of an insecure attachment, which has more to do with the parents‟ psychological well-being, than the child (8). Indeed, it is known that parental sensitivity is a key factor for the development of a secure attachment (1, 2, 4, 6, 7, 11) and that, when dealing with a child with a disability, the parental ability to communicate effectively and recognize a child‟s state may be more difficult, thus resulting in greater challenges in achieving parental sensitivity (8, 12-15). Besides, child‟s disability may increase some parental responses that were found in newly mothers in general samples, such as annoyance and anger towards the infant, detachment and rejection or anxiety about infant care (16, 17).