There should be some empirical information in the following: Emotional availability (EA): Theoretical background, empirical research using the EA Scales, and clinical applications.

doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.dr.2014.01.002

By Biringen, Zeynep; Derscheid, Della; Vliegen, Nicole; Closson, Lia; Easterbrooks, M. Ann

Developmental Review, Vol 34(2), Jun 2014, 114-167.

Emotional availability (EA), as a construct, refers to the capacity of a dyad to share an emotionally healthy relationship. The Emotional Availability (EA) Scales assess this construct using a multi-dimensional framework, with scales measuring the affect and behavior of both the child and adult partner (caregiver). The four caregiver components are sensitivity, structuring, non-intrusiveness, and non-hostility. The two child components are the child’s responsiveness to the caregiver and the child’s involvement of the caregiver. We first describe this relationship construct, look at psychometric properties in basic and prevention/intervention efforts, then review the extant empirical literature in order to examine the scope of studies assessing EA by using the EA Scales. We also explore its use in clinical practice. Throughout, we critically evaluate the knowledge base in this area as well as identify areas for further growth. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)

Emotional availability in a sample of mothers with a history of abuse.

doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/0002-9432.77.4.624

By Moehler, Eva; Biringen, Zeynep; Poustka, Luise

American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, Vol 77(4), Oct 2007, 624-628.

Maternal history of abuse has been proposed as a risk factor for child maltreatment, but the background of this "cycle of abuse" is as yet poorly understood. As a contribution toward a deeper understanding of this phenomenon, this study analyzed whether emotional availability is altered by maternal experiences of physical or sexual abuse during their upbringing. Mothers were contacted by mail and presented with the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire. To form the index group, women who reached a cutoff for severe sexual and/or physical abuse and whose children were term babies with APGAR scores 7 were included in the study. The women were invited to the laboratory when their infants were 5 months old. Emotional availability was compared with a group of mother-infant pairs matched for infant gender, maternal education, marital status, number of infants, and birth weight. The results show that 5-month postnatal mothers with a history of physical or sexual abuse were significantly more intrusive toward their children than were control mothers. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)

26.

Journal Article

Perceived Parent-Child Alienation: Empirical Assessment of Parent-Child Relationships Within Divorced and Intact Families.

doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1300/J087v45n03_07

By Moné, Jennifer Gerber; Biringen, Zeynep

Journal of Divorce & Remarriage, Vol 45(3-4), 2006, 131-156.

Parental alienation refers to a parent's attempts to distance a child from the child's other parent. We examined (1) the effects of "feeling alienation" upon college students' recollections of their childhood relationships, (2) the effects of "feeling alienation" on perceptions of adult parent-child relationships, and (3) the likelihood of alienation in intact and divorced families. A sample of undergraduates (N = 227) completed the Relationship Distancing Questionnaire and numerous other relationship questionnaires. Results suggested feeling alienation is inversely related to the quality of parent-child relationships during childhood and young adulthood and can be found in intact as well as divorced families. Findings also indicate parental conflict is a better predictor of whether alienation occurs than parents' marital status is. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)

The Emotional Availability Scales: Methodological Refinements of the Construct and Clinical Implications Related to Gender and At-Risk Interactions.

doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/imhj.20053

By Easterbrooks, M. Ann; Biringen, Zeynep

Infant Mental Health Journal, Vol 26(4), Jul-Aug 2005, 291-294.

Emotional Availability (EA), is described as the "connective tissue of healthy socio-emotional development". The series of empirical articles in that volume linked attachment (behavior and mental representations) in infancy, childhood, and adulthood to EA in mother-child relationships, both concurrently and longitudinally. Each aspect of EA, including parental sensitivity, emphasizes the quality of emotional dialogue between partners and the relational or systemic nature of these qualities. The six articles comprising the present special issue include two studies which address issues related to the refinement of EA methodology, one that takes into account the importance of time and context of assessment and the other describing a new way of compositing the six EA dimensions to reflect the dyadic nature of the assessment, with clinical implications of these methodological refinements. These two articles are followed by studies that examine issues of gender, clinically at-risk, economically at-risk, and developmentally at-risk interactions. This collection of articles reflects the growing maturity of the construct of EA as it is operationalized in the Emotional Availability Scales (EAS). They examine some of the emerging questions about EA, in terms of refinements of methodology and exploration of clinical implications, as "next steps" in EA research. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)

Thank you for your answer with this thorough summary of the EA research, Hendrika! This was very useful, I  certainly got some new sources to seek for relevant information about the EA scales I can use in the work with my thesis.

Thank you, Andrew!

With kind regard,

Magnhild Høivik