TY - JOUR PY - 2016// TI - Attachment and depressive symptoms in middle childhood: the moderating role of skin conductance level variability JO - Journal of social and personal relationships A1 - Bosmans, Guy A1 - Poiana, Nicoleta A1 - Van Leeuwen, Karla A1 - Dujardin, Adinda A1 - de Winter, Simon A1 - Finet, Chloe A1 - Heylen, Joke A1 - Van de Walle, Magali SP - 1135 EP - 1148 VL - 33 IS - 8 N2 - The current study investigated whether biological sensitivity to emotional information moderates the link between attachment anxiety/avoidance and depressive symptoms. Sixty children (9-12 years old) completed questionnaires on attachment and depressive symptoms. Skin conductance level (SCL) was measured across three conditions: an emotionally neutral baseline condition, a negative mood induction condition, and a positive mood induction condition. SCL variability (SCLV) was calculated as the intraindividual variation across these conditions expressing the extent to which children are biologically sensitive to positive and negative emotional information.

RESULTS showed that SCLV moderated the association between depressive symptoms and attachment anxiety. Attachment anxiety was only linked with depressive symptoms when children showed more SCLV, suggesting that attachment anxiety is only a risk factor for children who are biologically sensitive to respond to emotional information. SCLV did not moderate the association between depressive symptoms and attachment avoidance. Instead, a significant correlation was found between attachment avoidance and SCLV, which replicated previous research and might be caused by more avoidantly attached children's unsuccessful attempts to suppress emotional reactions.

Language: en

LA - en SN - 0265-4075 UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0265407515618278 ID - ref1 ER -