The presence of security blankets or mothers (or both) affects distress during pediatric examinations.

Abstract

Because of parental interference, some pediatricians prefer examining children without parents nearby. Can inanimate, noninterfering attachment agents placate children during medical evaluations? Accompanied through random assignment by their mother, blanket, mother plus blanket, or no supportive agent, 64 blanket-attached or blanket-nonattached 3-year-olds underwent 4 routine medical procedures. Behavioral and physiological measures showed that mothers and blankets (for children attached to them) equally mitigated distress compared with no supportive agents. However, simultaneously presenting 2 attachment agents did not produce additive soothing effects. For comforting blanket-attached children during moderately upsetting medical procedures, blankets can function as appropriate maternal substitutes. Distress evidenced by children with no attachment agent demonstrates the undesirability of conducting medical examinations without supportive agents.

Thrust to Wholeness: The Nature of Self-Protection

“…As noted earlier, regarding the defensive process of fending off affronts to self-regard by excuses and defense mechanisms, people are similarly inclined in periods of dented identity to utilize various stratagems to restore their integrity. Normal children when anxious may overcome distress by thumb-sucking (Foster, 1998), conversing with imaginary companions (Friedberg, 1995), or finding solace in clutching a security blanket (Ybarra, Passman, & Eisenberg, 2000). Similarly, to compensate for a sense of emptiness, adults may fill up with food (Cushman, 2003) or turn to the ages-old practice of finding a listening ear (Jackson, 1992; Pennebaker, 1990).…”

Mother–toddler attachment in a paediatric setting: Presentation and validation of the Paediatric Attachment Style Indicator

“…For example, physiological stress (measured by the cortisol level) increases less from immunizations when the parent is present, but only if the child is securely attached. Alternatively, physiological and behavioural stress increases for insecurely attached children when the mother is present (Gunnar, Brodersen, Nachmias, Buss, & Rigatuso, 1996;Ybarra, Passman, & Eisenberg, 2000). According to what has been observed in non-medical settings, the way that the mother manages communication about emotions is the main attachment-related variable explaining differences in stress reactions in children.…”

Huggable Communication Medium Maintains Level of Trust during Conversation Game

“…The trust obtained through Hugvie may represent a generalized feeling caused by the physiological sensation of a hug during remote communication, rather than it being attributed to a specific individual. Research in embodied cognitive science suggests that the state of a person’s body significantly influences the way in which he/she views the outside world ( Ballard et al, 1997 ; Ybarra et al, 2000 ; Tschacher and Bergomi, 2015 ). The results of this study suggest that the physical posture of hugging along with the sensation of being hugged might influence feelings toward remote conversation partners without necessarily attributing them to a specific individual.…”