About this Research Topic
In humans or animals, it is of crucial importance that individuals have developed mental and social skills good enough to cope with stressful situations/environment, challenging events, and/or to interact adequately with their conspecifics. For instance, providing a feeling of secure attachment to the young should be considered as very important for its future emotional balance and well-being. This question concerns just as well human and many animal species, displaying extended implications from the field of psychiatry with mental/behavioral disorders issue to the field of agricultural and veterinary sciences with putative consequences in breeding systems’ management, animals involved in assistance or therapy activities, or even pet species suffering from behavioral problems.
This Research Topic aims to open and stimulate transversal research and discussions on the attachment quality/type and the nature of the interactions between the young and his/her mother/parent/main figure of attachment, and their consequences at the adult age. The topics might include but are not limited to:
- The effects on the development, physiology, and functioning of the young’s brain
- The interaction/correlation between the genes and the environment in the attachment context, including the recent findings in genetic, epigenetic, and transcriptomic aspects
- The link with the apparition of mental or behavioral disorders, the acquisition of appropriate social skills and mental health, and the capability to cope with challenging/stressful events
- Hence, the global impact on the welfare/well-being of an individual and the development of prosocial/affiliative behaviors
- New approaches, methods, and tools to resolve attachment problems or welfare problems linked to a dysfunctional attachment
Manuscripts dealing with the most recent advances on these topics are particularly welcomed.
We invite submissions from a wide variety of scientific fields, aiming at crossing different disciplines in human and animal sciences around these universal central topics that are attachment and welfare, and notably those based on the most advanced methods in genetic, neurobiology, and psychophysiology. We will consider both manuscripts with a mainly theoretical focus and contributions dealing with more practical issues. In addition to the original empirical contributions, we encourage researchers to contribute theoretical papers such as meta-analysis, reviews, mini-reviews, perspective, opinion, commentary, as well as other types of contributions supported by Frontiers.
This Research Topic aims to open and stimulate transversal research and discussions on the attachment quality/type and the nature of the interactions between the young and his/her mother/parent/main figure of attachment, and their consequences at the adult age. The topics might include but are not limited to:
- The effects on the development, physiology, and functioning of the young’s brain
- The interaction/correlation between the genes and the environment in the attachment context, including the recent findings in genetic, epigenetic, and transcriptomic aspects
- The link with the apparition of mental or behavioral disorders, the acquisition of appropriate social skills and mental health, and the capability to cope with challenging/stressful events
- Hence, the global impact on the welfare/well-being of an individual and the development of prosocial/affiliative behaviors
- New approaches, methods, and tools to resolve attachment problems or welfare problems linked to a dysfunctional attachment
Manuscripts dealing with the most recent advances on these topics are particularly welcomed.
We invite submissions from a wide variety of scientific fields, aiming at crossing different disciplines in human and animal sciences around these universal central topics that are attachment and welfare, and notably those based on the most advanced methods in genetic, neurobiology, and psychophysiology. We will consider both manuscripts with a mainly theoretical focus and contributions dealing with more practical issues. In addition to the original empirical contributions, we encourage researchers to contribute theoretical papers such as meta-analysis, reviews, mini-reviews, perspective, opinion, commentary, as well as other types of contributions supported by Frontiers.
Keywords: attachment, bonding, maternal separation, parental caregiving, mother-young interactions, mental health, emotional balance, prosocial behaviors, behavioral disorders, stress, welfare, breeding management, animals-assisted interventions, human-animal interactions
Important Note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.
