Attachment Anxiety and Depressive Symptoms in Middle Childhood: the Role of Repetitive Thinking about Negative Affect and about Mother

Abstract

Two studies with two independent samples aimed to investigate whether repetitive thinking about negative affect (RTna) and repetitive thinking about mother (RTm) can be mechanisms in the association between attachment anxiety and depressive symptoms in middle childhood. In Study 1 (N = 381) and Study 2 (N = 157) 9-to 12-year-olds completed self-report questionnaires measuring attachment, RTna and depressive symptoms. In Study 2, additionally, a questionnaire was developed to measure RTm, and a compound score for self-and mother-reported depressive symptoms was calculated. Results showed positive associations between attachment anxiety, RTna and RTm, and self-reported depressive symptoms and depressive symptoms agreed upon by mother and child. RTna and RTm mediated the relationship between attachment anxiety and these depressive symptoms. RTm mediated this relationship even beyond RTna for the multi-informant compound score. Thus, RTna and RTm seem to be independent mechanisms explaining the association between attachment anxiety and depressive symptoms in middle childhood.

Repetitive thinking about the mother during distress moderates the link between children's attentional breadth around the mother and depressive symptoms in middle childhood

“…With regard to the RTm questionnaire, there is first promising support of the validity of this novel research instrument in two different samples (Van de Walle, Bijttebier, Braet, et al, 2016;Van de Walle et al, 2014). However, despite these interesting findings, the current study was conducted on the same sample as Van de Walle et al (in press).…”

“…Convergent evidence shows that repetitive thinking is involved in the onset and maintenance of depressive symptoms (Ehring & Watkins, 2008;Watkins, 2008). Van de Walle, Bijttebier, De Raedt, et al (2014) and Van de Walle, Bijttebier, Braet, et al (2016) demonstrated that the link between less trust in maternal support and more depressive symptoms was partially mediated by more RTm during distress. More specifically, children with less trust indicated that, during distress, they had more frequent thoughts about the mother that they experienced as repetitive, intrusive, and difficult to disengage from, as capturing cognitive capacity, and as being unproductive.…”

“…More specifically, children with less trust indicated that, during distress, they had more frequent thoughts about the mother that they experienced as repetitive, intrusive, and difficult to disengage from, as capturing cognitive capacity, and as being unproductive. Moreover, RTm during distress explained a substantial percentage of shared variance in the link between less trust and depressive symptoms (Van de Walle, Bijttebier, Braet, et al, 2016;Van de Walle et al, 2014), even over and above repetitive thinking about negative affect (Van de Walle, Bijttebier, Braet, et al, 2016). This suggests that RTm and repetitive thinking about negative affect are related, but different, Running head: INCREASED FOCUS ON MOTHER AND DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS 8 maladaptive cognitive regulation processes.…”

“…Both predictors might reflect an increased focus on the mother on different levels of automaticity, or the degree that they are "unintentional, uncontrolled/uncontrollable, goal independent, autonomous, purely stimulus driven, unconscious, efficient, and fast" (Moors & De Houwer, 2006, p. 297). While the attentional narrowing effect occurs so fast (at 34 ms) that it can be considered as reflecting an automatic increased focus on the mother (Bosmans et al, 2009), RTm is measured using self- report, and might tap into a potentially more controllable increased focus on the mother (Beevers, 2005;Segerstrom et al, 2003;Van de Walle, Bijttebier, Braet, et al, 2016). According to dual process models, while an antagonizing controllable cognitive process can correct an automatic one, congruency between an automatic and controllable cognitive process amplifies their effect on developmental outcomes (Beevers, 2005;Gawronski & Creighton, 2013).…”

Children’s Attention to Mother and Adolescent Stress Moderate the Attachment-Depressive Symptoms Link

“…However, an accumulating number of studies showed that a narrower attentional field around mother serves as a protective factor for more securely attached children, but as a risk factor for more insecurely attached children. This effect was found for emotional and behavioral problems Van de Walle et al, 2016) and for non-suicidal self-injury (Claes et al, 2016). It has been proposed that having a narrower attentional field around the mother may be helpful during distress for more securely attached children because it can facilitate support seeking behavior.…”