Miri Scharf

• Professor
• University of Haifa

The COVID-19 pandemic has negatively influenced families across the world and contributed to the likelihood of increased parental burnout and decreased parental psychological well-being. However, not all parents experienced parental burnout during the pandemic. In the current study, we focused on protective factors that buffered the negative effect...

Introduction The current study examined a growth mindset intervention designed to promote egalitarian gender role attitudes among adolescents during a pivotal stage of their development, as these attitudes may have important implications for their identity development, well‐being, and future life decisions. Methods A sample of 181 eighth‐grade stu...

Curiosity and academic self-concept are essential factors in the process of learning, and relationships with parents have been suggested to be a critical element in nurturing children’s curiosity and academic self-concept. The current study examined the contribution of parents’ psychological control (PPC) to their children’s curiosity (both interes...

The current study examined the contribution of both external (socialization goals) and internal parental characteristics (attachment insecurity, contingent self-worth, and parental helplessness) to parental psychological control (PPC). A sample of 159 Israeli triads of mothers, fathers, and elementary-school-age children participated in the study....

The value given to romantic relationships and the process of romantic exploration differ among societies, cultures, and individuals. Using questionnaires and semi-structured interviews, we examined the associations between personal characteristics, interparental relationships, and romantic relationships of young Arabs in Israel during the COVID-19...

Israeli society is an intermediate one somewhere along the individualism-collectivism axis. It can be characterized as having strong family values. It also has high levels of stress as a result of constant security threats and massive immigration. How are these unique aspects of life in Israel reflected in the parenting practices and the developmen...

Objectives The current study was aimed to identify the factors and mechanisms that promote nonsuicidal self-injury and suicidal ideation (SI) as precursors of suicidal behaviors in a sample of 553 Israeli active-duty soldiers. Methods A mediation model was used to examine the contribution of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms, emotion-r...

This research examines whether sensory processing sensitivity (SPS) in parents is associated with their parenting practices toward their adolescent children and whether attachment insecurity mediates the associations between SPS and parenting practices. One hundred twenty-one parent–adolescent dyads completed self-report questionnaires assessing pa...

Recent conceptualization and research in personality development have shown that significant changes in personality taking place during emerging adulthood where young people tend to become more emotionally mature and stable. In line with these contentions , we examined in a sample of 205 Israeli emerging adults the longitudinal association between...

Struggling with difficulties might result in changes that promote a higher level of functioning than previously exhibited. This chapter focuses on difficult experiences prior to the transition to parenthood, and the imagined and actual implications of these experiences on future parenting. Two studies focusing on the experience of stillbirth and tr...

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the role of maturation processes – personality change and reflectivity as characterized by greater awareness to self and others – during emerging adulthood in predicting career success. Design/methodology/approach A sample of 205 of Israeli emerging adults was followed over a 12-year period. Particip...

Adolescent sexual behavior was examined within a health perspective. Assuming a developmental perspective, the current study investigated the associations between sexual behavior in either stable relationships or in casual encounters, and the quality of romantic relationships and affect 4 years later. Data were collected from 144 Israeli adolescent...

Objective: Past research has confirmed the role of self-criticism in numerous forms of psychopathology and negative interpersonal outcomes. However, the majority of these studies were cross-sectional and have not addressed the role of possible changes in self-criticism across time for future outcomes. The current study investigated the degree to wh...

In recent years, an increasing number of young adults have difficulties making a smooth transition to adulthood in becoming romantically committed and balancing romantic commitments and other aspects of life. The present study was conducted on a sample of 100 Israeli emerging adults (54 males) who were followed from age 23 to 34 years. The study ex...

Parental psychological control (PPC) involves attempts to control the child through psychological tactics that invalidate the child's sense of self, and has adverse effects across cultural contexts. PPC restricts and violates children's basic needs for security, closeness and relatedness, and competence and autonomy, and it disrupts the autonomy–co...

In addition to the major physical, sexual and cognitive changes, as well as changes in relationships with parents and peers, in recent years adolescents also have to cope with many technological changes and increasing societal instabilities. Most of the existing research has examined the extent to which increasing uncertainties might impact express...

Using a sample of 110 Israeli youth (72% female), the present study investigates associations between initial levels of rejection sensitivity as well as changes in rejection sensitivity from age 16 to age 23 and relationship involvement, quality, and (growth following) coping with relationship stress. Results showed that rejection sensitivity gener...

With a sample of emerging adults (N = 110; 72% female) this brief report utilized self-report measures to examine the role of relationship satisfaction and emotion regulation strategies assessed at age 20 in predicting breakup distress and posttraumatic growth three years later. Results showed that higher relationship satisfaction is associated wit...

Self-silencing is a tendency to suppress the expression of thoughts and opinions from a romantic partner due to the fear that this self-expression would lead to a dissolution of the relationship. The aim of the current study was to assess the longitudinal effects of self-silencing during adolescence and its change across time in the context of futu...

Early parenting representations are likely to affect future parenting, and it is therefore important to investigate their predictors. In this study, we focused on one dimension of early parenting representations, i.e., perceived ability to relate well to children (PARC) in young adults who are not yet parents, and examined whether this was associat...

The first goal of this study was to investigate whether levels of overparenting behavior (anticipatory problem-solving, advice/affect management, tangible assistance, and low levels of child self-direction) differ depending on the context (Arab-Israeli vs. Jewish-Israeli; mothers vs. fathers). Second, we considered whether the association between o...

Helicopter parenting among parents of young adults has risen in the last few decades, especially in middle-class families, and is identified as a risk factor for offspring’s maladaptive adjustment. Using actor–partner interdependence modeling, this study investigated why mothers and fathers use helicopter parenting. More specifically, the study inv...

Breakups are a normative and frequent part of the romantic experience. In this longitudinal study, we followed 144 adolescents (mean age = 16.57) for a period of 4 years and examined the extent to which level of depressive symptoms predicts the intensity of breakup distress during emerging adulthood and, further, the extent to which breakup distres...

The associations between attachment orientations, temperament, resilience, and various dimensions of self-defining memories were examined in 83 female Israeli adolescents and young adults. Resiliency and positive temperament were associated with positive qualities of memories, whereas negative emotionality and reactivity were associated with poor r...

Middle childhood is considered a sensitive phase for the development of both dependency and achievement-related problems. In order to target efficient prevention and treatment, it is necessary to identify unique associations with possible precursors. This study hypothesized that children’s dependency-related problems (i.e., separation anxiety and g...

The Bird's Nest Drawing (BND) (Kaiser, 1996) is an art-based technique originally developed to assess attachment security. In an attempt to expand the use of the BND technique among adults, the study explored the use of the BND in assessing parental caregiving representations. Specifically, the current study examined the associations between qualit...

The present study examined patterns of romantic pathways in 100 Israeli emerging adults (54 males) who were followed from age 22 to 29 years. Analyses of interviews at age 29 yielded four distinctive romantic pathways differing in stability and ability to learn from romantic experiences: Sporadic, Lengthy Relationships but Absence of Experiential L...

Understanding somatization presents a challenge to clinicians because it is often associated with other syndromes. We addressed somatization's comorbidity with other internalizing syndromes (anxiety, depression, withdrawal) using latent profile analysis. A representative sample of 3496 Israeli middle and high-school youths reported their internaliz...

The current study examined the distinctive gender-related expressions of adolescent romantic competence and patterns of maternal and paternal attitudes toward daughters’ and sons’ romantic involvements. Employing a qualitative approach, an in-depth interview assessing romantic competence was given to 69 Israeli adolescents (37 boys) ranging in age...

The goal of the study was to examine the joint and distinct contribution of attachment security and social anxiety to Arab children’s peer competence in middle childhood. We focused on Arab children as very little research has examined close relationships for this group. A sample of 404 third-, fourth- and fifth-grade Arabic students (203 boys and...

Depression among children is a prevalent, distressing phenomenon. Children's hope and negative attributional style are significant precursors for children's depressive symptoms. Thus, the aim of the current study is to examine parents' characteristics that contribute to children's attributional style and hope in a sample of 85 Israeli young element...

The psychometric properties of the Dependency-oriented and Achievement-oriented Psychological Control Scale (DAPCS) have been proved appropriate for adolescent samples. Since parental psychological control plays a key role in the development of child pathology from an early age, it is important to evaluate the DAPCS in younger samples too. We exami...

Parents' representations include parents' views of their adolescent, of their own parenting and of the parent-adolescent relationship. Two longitudinal studies of parents and their adolescent sons and daughters support the validity of scales coding mothers in the Parenting Representations Interview-Adolescence (PRI-A). The studies, conducted in Isr...

Israeli society has a strong familial culture in conjunction with high levels of stress and massive immigration. In this chapter, I discuss relatedness and autonomy in parent-adolescent relationships. Israeli parents favor proximal parenting that might be more adequate in collectivistic cultural contexts and is especially crucial in dangerous and u...

Elementary school children already show signs of problematic attitudes toward their body and disturbed eating attitudes. This study examined the contribution of familial and social variables to children’s eating behaviors and attitudes and body image. 225 third and fourth graders completed questionnaires regarding eating behaviors and attitudes, bo...

Associations among protégés' attachment orientations, the quality of their mentoring relationships, and mentoring outcomes were explored within the context of an Israeli national community-based mentoring program (Perach) comprising 167 protégés (47 % females, mean age 9.6). Contrary to expectations, we did not find a correlation between protégés'...

This study addresses the similarities and differences in fatherhood across two generations, relying on the experiences of fathers and their sons. Twenty representative father and son dyads were selected from a larger sample of participants in a longitudinal study examining the leaving home transition in Israel. The fathers and their sons were inter...

The associations between attachment style, ADHD symptoms, and social adjustments were examined in a community sample of adolescents. Five hundred and eight junior high school students completed questionnaires pertaining to attachment style, ADHD symptoms (inattention and hyperactivity), and rejection sensitivity, and were rated by homeroom teachers...

Preterm birth may constitute a risk factor for long-term difficulties when facing developmental tasks of relatedness and individuation in young adulthood. Since these early experiences might leave individuals more susceptible to anxiety, we examined whether relationships with parents and death anxiety mediated the associations between preterm birth...

The present study examined patterns of romantic involvement in 100 Israeli emerging adults (54 males) who were followed from age 22 to 29 years. Analyses of interviews at age 29 yielded four distinctive relational patterns that are associated with different levels of concurrent wellbeing: Intimately committed, Intimate, Non- intimately committed, a...

Children's development is assumed to be closely related to their attachment security and their personality. The authors' aim was to examine the joint contribution of attachment security and personality traits to children's adjustment by examining diverse children's outcomes (emotional symptoms, social functioning, and behavioral problems) and using...

The associations between self-perception and attachment orientations and three aspects of children's competence within friendships were examined: Managing conflict, seeking support, and giving support. Questionnaires were completed by 260 4th- and 5th-grade students. Homeroom teachers reported on the children's social adjustment. Secure attachment...

The aim of this study was to examine the associations between specific indicators in children's family drawings and their internalizing problems among Two hundred twenty-two Israeli children (M = 9.70). Drawings were coded using Kaplan and Main's (1986) coding system. Indicators reflecting attachment insecurity, such as omitting and adding parts of...

The study examined: (1) the intergenerational concordance between parents and their adolescent sons using the Adult Attachment Interview (AAI) categories and state-of-mind scales; and (2) the contribution of parents' state of mind with respect to attachment to their sons' adjustment during a stressful separation, as well as the possibility that son...

Attachment theory provides a rich framework for the development of interventions for trauma. This study examined processes underlying treatment outcomes of an attachment-based program (Connect; Moretti, Braber, & Obsuth, 2009) for parents of teens with severe behavior problems. Caregivers completed the Parenting Representations Interview and the Ch...

This chapter examines how parents' own romantic experiences as adolescents serve as models for the way they address their adolescent offspring's romance and sexuality and how this, in turn, shapes adolescent romantic behavior. In particular, emerging adolescent romantic interests and activities can reawaken parents' own relationship difficulties an...

This study examined how parent-adolescent relationships are related to adolescent loneliness, interpersonal difficulties and school adjustment among Israeli Arabs. Two hundred and thirty-one 11th graders (103 boys and 128 girls) and their homeroom teachers participated. Four groups of adolescents were identified according to parenting practice prof...

The authors examine the precursors of parenting buds (representations regarding parenting before actual parenting) by following 60 men from adolescence to emerging adulthood. Quality of relationships with parents, and attachment representations (state of mind with respect to attachment and attachment styles) assessed in adolescence, contribute to t...

Adjustment to the transition from high school to military service in Israel was examined in a longitudinal study with a sample of 120 late-adolescent girls. During their senior year in high school (Time 1) the young women were administered the Adult Attachment Interview. Their coping and adjustment to the new environment were assessed (at two furth...

This study examined the relationship between children's attachment security, as manifested in their family drawings, and their personality and adjustment. Family drawings were collected from 222 Israeli children, as well as data regarding their personality and adjustment. Each drawing was coded and classified into 1 of 4 attachment categories based...

Finding and cultivating a sense of authentic self is an important life goal for emerging adults. In collectivist cultures, youngsters might need to distance themselves to find and discover their authentic selves separate of the expectations of society and significant others. Creating an autonomous time bubble that focuses on the present allows youn...

Second-generation Holocaust survivors might not show direct symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder or attachment disorganization, but are at risk for developing high levels of psychological distress. We present themes of difficult experiences of second-generation Holocaust survivors, arguing that some of these aversive experiences might have dis...

The aim of this study was to examine the extent to which perception of parental divorce among young adults is related to their recounting of the relationships with their parents. Interviews were held with 51 (30 female and 21 male) Israeli young adults involved in a romantic relationship and whose parents had divorced. Participants were asked to ta...

This longitudinal study examined the ramifications of psychological control-guilt induction, parentification, triangulation, and blurring in parent-adolescent relationships for girls' individuation and adjustment. The study followed 120 girls in their transition from high school to military service. Results from the variable-centered and person-cen...

Elementary school teachers identified characteristics in 4 major socioemotional domains associated with children's social leadership: self-perception, social anxiety, attachment orientation with peers, and interpersonal goals and skills in close friendships. Participants were 260 4th- and 5th-grade students (126 boys, 134 girls) from 10 classes in...

The chapter examines the importance of respect in two developmental contexts: the parent-child relations and the school context. Building upon conceptualizations advanced mainly in philosophical and social psychology literature, we lay out a conceptual framework for the study of respect in developmental contexts. We discuss two types of respect - u...

The distinct role of mothers and fathers in shaping the quality of relationships with romantic partner was explored. One hundred and twenty 17‐year old girls were observed during their senior year in high school with each of their parents during a Revealed differences task [Allen, J. P., Hauser, S. T., Bell, K. L., Boykin, K. A., & Tate, D. C. (199...

A secure state of mind with regard to attachment, as assessed by the Adult Attachment Interview (AAI), as well as attachment styles as assessed by questionnaires (the two most prevalent facets of attachment representations assessed in adolescence and adulthood) were examined as potential contributors to adolescents' capacity for intimacy. Eighty ma...

Intriguing issues pertaining to normative changes in attachment in adolescence are addressed, integrating psychoanalytical thinking, developmental and attachment theory, and research.

The long-term effects of extreme war-related trauma on the second and the third generation of Holocaust survivors (HS) were examined in 88 middle-class families. Differences in functioning between adult offspring of HS (HSO) and a comparison group, as well as the psychosocial functioning of adolescent grandchildren of HS, were studied. Degree of pr...

The notion of caregiving representations was applied to assess parenting representations of mothers of adolescent sons. The association between these representations and the mothers' state of mind with respect to attachment was examined. In addition, mothers' parenting representations were examined as predictive of the coping of the sons with the d...

This chapter addresses behavioral and representational facets of the mother–child emotional tie at two developmental periods: towards the end of infancy and towards school entry. Using data from a longitudinal study with low-risk mothers and infants (Scher, 1991), we examined the predictive validity of mothers' sensitivity when playing with their 1...

The chapter focuses on the nature of intergenerational transmission of parenting during adolescence, namely how parents' past experiences with their own parents in adolescence are related to their parenting of their adolescents. This issue was examined in relation to attachment theory and psychoanalytic conceptualizations. Five case studies from a...

The unifying theme of this broad-reaching volume is that responsible, ethical, and effective social work practice rests on the diagnostic skills of the practitioner. Social work diagnosis refers to the conscious formulation of an ongoing set of decisions about the client and his or her situation, which serve as the basis for intervention - decision...

In this study, 116 emerging adults and adolescents completed questionnaires and were interviewed about their relationship with a sibling. Respondents’ siblings and their mothers also rated the quality of the sibling relationship. Emerging adults were found to spend less time and to be less involved in joint activities with their siblings than adole...

The association between attachment representations and adolescents' coping with 3 developmental tasks of emerging adulthood-leaving home, advancing in the capacity for mature intimacy, and developing individuation-was examined. Israeli male adolescents (N = 88) were administered the Adult Attachment Interview during their high-school senior year. A...

During the Holocaust, extreme trauma was inflicted on child survivors. Two questions are central to the current investigation : First, do Holocaust child survivors still show marks of their traumatic experiences, even after more than 50 years ? Second, has the trauma been « passed on » to the next generation, that is, to the children of Holocaust c...

This study examined whether authoritarian or authoritative parenting practices best prepare youth for coping with an authoritarian context (i.e., the mandatory military service of 18-year-old men in Israel) with specific reference to the issue of person–environment fit. A year before their conscription, 85 male adolescents (M age 5 17.5) and their...

Similarities and differences in children’s interpersonal relationships were assessed through examination of the effects of culture and gender as reflected in the quality of children’s relationships in their social network at school. Two cultural contexts representing collectivistic and individualistic orientations were studied. Questionnaires were...

During the Holocaust, extreme trauma was inflicted on children who experienced it. Two questions were central to the current investigation. First, do survivors of the Holocaust still show marks of their traumatic experiences, even after more than 50 years? Second, was the trauma passed on to the next generation? Careful matching of Holocaust surviv...

This chapter examines the conceptions of adulthood of adolescents, emerging adults, and parents of adolescents in Israel. It shows a general consensus regarding the important markers of adulthood (similar to American middle-class conceptions) while identifying several cultural, age, and gender differences.

In 2 related studies of nonclinical Israeli samples, the long-term sequelae of traumatic Holocaust experiences were investigated from an attachment perspective. In each study, Holocaust survivors were compared with participants who had not experienced the Holocaust, and their attachment style and state of mind with regard to past and present attach...

In 2 related studies of nonclinical Israeli samples, the long-term sequelae of traumatic Holocaust experiences were investigated from an attachment perspective. In each study, Holocaust survivors were compared with participants who had not experienced the Holocaust, and their attachment style and state of mind with regard to past and present attach...

Examined the role played by resolution of the experience of parental divorce in mediating the effects of that experience in relation to the quality of relationships young adults established with their romantic partners. 51 romantically involved young Israeli adults (aged 19-29 yrs) whose parents were divorced completed an interview and 2 questionna...

This study examined, in a longitudinal design, the contributions of three different relationships, namely marital, parent–child and best friend, to the capacity for intimacy in romantic relationships of Israeli male adolescents, as well as the mediating role of socio-emotional capacities. Eighty-four 17-year-old adolescents and their parents filled...

Employing a quasi-experimental design, this study explored the long-term effects of different childrearing ecological contexts. Participants were 131 adolescents (aged 16-18) from four groups: some who lived in a city, some from a kibbutz familial setting, some from a kibbutz communal setting, and a transitional group that included adolescents rais...

This study was designed to examine the social relationships of adolescents with severe disorders. The study sample consisted of 33 adolescent inpatients in a psychiatric unit, as well as 33 nonhospitalized adolescents. Participants completed the Network of Relationship Inventory for an assessment of the quality of their relationships with mother, f...

Associations between family relationships and individual adjustment were studied within a sample of 19-year-old soldiers during their first weeks of basic training. Results showed that family relationships partly explained soldiers' closeness to best friends, number of social nominations, and commanders' ratings of soldiers' military and social com...

This study examined the role of age, gender, and dating experience in adolescent romantic behaviors and perceptions. In addition, the linkage between the quality of relationships with parents and peers, and affective intensity with a romantic partner was investigated. Interviews were held with 168 Israeli adolescents, who also completed questionnai...

To determine whether the transmission of attachment across generations is free from contextual constraints, adult attachment representations were assessed in two kibbutz settings, home-based and communal sleeping. It was hypothesised that under extreme child-rearing circumstances, such as the communal sleeping arrangement, the transmission of attac...

59 male and female Israeli students were interviewed twice by 2 different interviewers at 3 mo intervals to assess the Adult Attachment Interview's (AAI; C. George et al, 1985) test–retest reliability and the effects of the interviewers on the interview itself as well as its subsequent classification. Various memory measures were used to obtain a w...

Fifty-nine male and female Israeli students were interviewed twice by 2 different interviewers at 3-month intervals to assess the Adult Attachment Interview's (AAI; C. George, N. Kaplan, & M. Main, 1985) test—retest reliability and the effects of the interviewers on the interview itself as well as its subsequent classification. Various memory measu...

Israel is a “natural laboratory” for studying child abuse due to the low rate of abuse despite high levels of parental stress. This ecological study examined cultural, social and psychological factors in physical abuse. Twenty-five abused Jewish Israeli children aged 1 to 6 years were matched with the same number of non-abused children on age, sex,...