DISORGANIZED INFANT ATTACHMENT CLASSIFICATION AND MATERNAL PSYCHOSOCIAL PROBLEMS AS PREDICTORS OF HOSTILE-AGGRESSIVE BEHAVIOR IN THE PRESCHOOL CLASSROOM

This study of 62 low-income families examined the relation between mat ernal and infant measures assessed at 18 months infant age and child b ehavior problems at age 5 as rated by preschool teachers. The infancy assessments included measures of mother-infant interaction, maternal p sychosocial problems, infant cognitive development, and infant attachm ent security, including the disorganized/disoriented classification. T he strongest single predictor of deviant levels of hostile behavior to ward peers in the classroom was earlier disorganized/disoriented attac hment status, with 71% of hostile preschoolers classified as disorgani zed in their attachment relationships in infancy. Maternal psychosocia l problems independently predicted hostile aggression in preschool and combined additively with infant attachment security in prediction. Re sults are discussed in relation to the asymmetry of forward and backwa rd prediction that characterized the findings and iii relation to the potential significance of disorganized attachment behavior as a precur sor to later maladaptation.