Heritability of children's Secure Base Script Knowledge in middle childhood: a twin study with the Attachment Script Assessment

Jana  Runze; Annemieke Witte; Marinus  van IJzendoorn; Marian Bakermans-Kranenburg

doi:10.1111/jcpp.14089

Heritability of children's Secure Base Script Knowledge in middle childhood: a twin study with the Attachment Script Assessment

Jana Runze
, Annemieke Witte
, Marinus van IJzendoorn
, Marian Bakermans-Kranenburg

Research output: Contribution to Journal › Article › Academic › peer-review

Abstract

Background

Are individual differences in attachment security inborn or shaped by the social environment? In infancy and early childhood, the evidence points to a substantial role of the environment, but a large twin study in early adolescence showed considerable heritability. Here we examined the twin heritability of attachment in middle childhood. We hypothesized that in middle childhood some heritability would emerge. Furthermore, we expected a role for cognitive and language abilities in explaining variance in attachment in middle childhood, partly related to the measurement of attachment, and we therefore examined associations with IQ.
Methods

This pre-registered study included 415 same-sex twin pairs (52% girls, 58% monozygotic) between 8 and 11 years old (M = 9.59, SD = 0.79). Participants were recruited from an experimental cohort-sequential study including two age-overlapping longitudinal cohorts. Secure Base Script Knowledge was assessed with the Middle Childhood Attachment Script Assessment . Zygosity of the twins was determined using DNA samples. In the younger cohort, cognitive development was assessed with the Dutch version of the Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence . In the older cohort, the Dutch version of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children was used .
Results

Significant additive heritability (38%) was found in the absence of a common environment component. This result diverges from findings in infancy and early childhood and aligns with the results in early adolescence.
Conclusions

The gene–environment correlation hypothesis suggesting that older children more actively shape their experiences in social contexts may offer a plausible explanation for the heritability of attachment in middle childhood. In middle childhood this mechanism might tip the balance toward a larger role for additive genetics. Larger longitudinal twin studies are needed to replicate the heritability of attachment after preschool age.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	796-804
Number of pages	9
Journal	Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry
Volume	66
Issue number	6
Early online date	17 Dec 2024
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1111/jcpp.14089
Publication status	Published - Jun 2025

Funding

The authors thank the participating families for their enthusiastic involvement in the Leiden Consortium on Individual Development (L\u2010CID). They are also grateful to the data\u2010collection and data\u2010processing team, including all current and former students, research assistants, PhD students, and post\u2010doctoral researchers, for their dedicated and invaluable contributions. Marinus van IJzendoorn, Eveline Crone, and Marian Bakermans\u2010Kranenburg designed the L\u2010CID experimental cohort\u2010sequential twin study \u201CSamen Uniek\u201D as part of the Consortium on Individual Development (CID; Gravitation Grant 2013\u20102023 awarded by the Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture, & Science, and the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research, NWO Grant Number 024.001.003). This work was also funded throught the Fundacao poara a Ciencia e Technologica (FCT), project UID/04810/2020.

Funders	Funder number
Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture, & Science
Nederlandse Organisatie voor Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek	024.001.003
Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia	UID/04810/2020

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@article{5de1916c8196486b9e2b36e853ba675e,

title = "Heritability of children's Secure Base Script Knowledge in middle childhood: a twin study with the Attachment Script Assessment",

abstract = " Background Are individual differences in attachment security inborn or shaped by the social environment? In infancy and early childhood, the evidence points to a substantial role of the environment, but a large twin study in early adolescence showed considerable heritability. Here we examined the twin heritability of attachment in middle childhood. We hypothesized that in middle childhood some heritability would emerge. Furthermore, we expected a role for cognitive and language abilities in explaining variance in attachment in middle childhood, partly related to the measurement of attachment, and we therefore examined associations with IQ. Methods This pre-registered study included 415 same-sex twin pairs (52\% girls, 58\% monozygotic) between 8 and 11 years old (M = 9.59, SD = 0.79). Participants were recruited from an experimental cohort-sequential study including two age-overlapping longitudinal cohorts. Secure Base Script Knowledge was assessed with the Middle Childhood Attachment Script Assessment . Zygosity of the twins was determined using DNA samples. In the younger cohort, cognitive development was assessed with the Dutch version of the Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence . In the older cohort, the Dutch version of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children was used . Results Significant additive heritability (38\%) was found in the absence of a common environment component. This result diverges from findings in infancy and early childhood and aligns with the results in early adolescence. Conclusions The gene–environment correlation hypothesis suggesting that older children more actively shape their experiences in social contexts may offer a plausible explanation for the heritability of attachment in middle childhood. In middle childhood this mechanism might tip the balance toward a larger role for additive genetics. Larger longitudinal twin studies are needed to replicate the heritability of attachment after preschool age. ",

author = "Jana Runze and Annemieke Witte and \{van IJzendoorn\}, Marinus and Marian Bakermans-Kranenburg",

year = "2025",

month = jun,

doi = "10.1111/jcpp.14089",

language = "English",

volume = "66",

pages = "796--804",

journal = "Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry",

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publisher = "Wiley-Blackwell Publishing Ltd",

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AU - Runze, Jana

AU - Witte, Annemieke

AU - van IJzendoorn, Marinus

AU - Bakermans-Kranenburg, Marian

PY - 2025/6

Y1 - 2025/6

N2 - Background Are individual differences in attachment security inborn or shaped by the social environment? In infancy and early childhood, the evidence points to a substantial role of the environment, but a large twin study in early adolescence showed considerable heritability. Here we examined the twin heritability of attachment in middle childhood. We hypothesized that in middle childhood some heritability would emerge. Furthermore, we expected a role for cognitive and language abilities in explaining variance in attachment in middle childhood, partly related to the measurement of attachment, and we therefore examined associations with IQ. Methods This pre-registered study included 415 same-sex twin pairs (52% girls, 58% monozygotic) between 8 and 11 years old (M = 9.59, SD = 0.79). Participants were recruited from an experimental cohort-sequential study including two age-overlapping longitudinal cohorts. Secure Base Script Knowledge was assessed with the Middle Childhood Attachment Script Assessment . Zygosity of the twins was determined using DNA samples. In the younger cohort, cognitive development was assessed with the Dutch version of the Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence . In the older cohort, the Dutch version of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children was used . Results Significant additive heritability (38%) was found in the absence of a common environment component. This result diverges from findings in infancy and early childhood and aligns with the results in early adolescence. Conclusions The gene–environment correlation hypothesis suggesting that older children more actively shape their experiences in social contexts may offer a plausible explanation for the heritability of attachment in middle childhood. In middle childhood this mechanism might tip the balance toward a larger role for additive genetics. Larger longitudinal twin studies are needed to replicate the heritability of attachment after preschool age.

AB - Background Are individual differences in attachment security inborn or shaped by the social environment? In infancy and early childhood, the evidence points to a substantial role of the environment, but a large twin study in early adolescence showed considerable heritability. Here we examined the twin heritability of attachment in middle childhood. We hypothesized that in middle childhood some heritability would emerge. Furthermore, we expected a role for cognitive and language abilities in explaining variance in attachment in middle childhood, partly related to the measurement of attachment, and we therefore examined associations with IQ. Methods This pre-registered study included 415 same-sex twin pairs (52% girls, 58% monozygotic) between 8 and 11 years old (M = 9.59, SD = 0.79). Participants were recruited from an experimental cohort-sequential study including two age-overlapping longitudinal cohorts. Secure Base Script Knowledge was assessed with the Middle Childhood Attachment Script Assessment . Zygosity of the twins was determined using DNA samples. In the younger cohort, cognitive development was assessed with the Dutch version of the Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence . In the older cohort, the Dutch version of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children was used . Results Significant additive heritability (38%) was found in the absence of a common environment component. This result diverges from findings in infancy and early childhood and aligns with the results in early adolescence. Conclusions The gene–environment correlation hypothesis suggesting that older children more actively shape their experiences in social contexts may offer a plausible explanation for the heritability of attachment in middle childhood. In middle childhood this mechanism might tip the balance toward a larger role for additive genetics. Larger longitudinal twin studies are needed to replicate the heritability of attachment after preschool age.

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ER -

Heritability of children's Secure Base Script Knowledge in middle childhood: a twin study with the Attachment Script Assessment

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