TY - JOUR

T1 - Effects of attachment and rearing behavior on anxiety in normal developing youth

T2 - A mediational study

AU - Breinholst, Sonja

AU - Esbjørn, Barbara Hoff

AU - Reinholdt-Dunne, Marie Louise

PY - 2015/7/1

Y1 - 2015/7/1

N2 - A few studies have examined the relative contribution of insecure attachment and negative parental rearing behaviors on childhood anxiety, but none have examined if insecure attachment mediates the association between negative parental rearing behavior and anxiety. The present study investigated the direct, as well as the indirect, relation between attachment to parents, parental rearing behaviors and anxiety symptoms in a sample of 1134 normal developing children and adolescent. Attachment relation was measured by the Security Scale (SEC), negative parental rearing behavior was measured by the Rearing Behavior Questionnaire (RBQ), and anxiety was assessed using the Screen for Anxiety Related Emotional Disorders-Revised (SCARED-R). We found, in accordance with previous research, that insecure attachment, maternal rejection and overprotection, each accounted for a significant proportion of the variance of anxiety symptoms. Another result was that insecure attachment was found to mediate the relationship between maternal psychological control and rejection, and anxiety symptoms. Findings are discussed with respect to future directions.

AB - A few studies have examined the relative contribution of insecure attachment and negative parental rearing behaviors on childhood anxiety, but none have examined if insecure attachment mediates the association between negative parental rearing behavior and anxiety. The present study investigated the direct, as well as the indirect, relation between attachment to parents, parental rearing behaviors and anxiety symptoms in a sample of 1134 normal developing children and adolescent. Attachment relation was measured by the Security Scale (SEC), negative parental rearing behavior was measured by the Rearing Behavior Questionnaire (RBQ), and anxiety was assessed using the Screen for Anxiety Related Emotional Disorders-Revised (SCARED-R). We found, in accordance with previous research, that insecure attachment, maternal rejection and overprotection, each accounted for a significant proportion of the variance of anxiety symptoms. Another result was that insecure attachment was found to mediate the relationship between maternal psychological control and rejection, and anxiety symptoms. Findings are discussed with respect to future directions.

KW - Anxiety

KW - Attachment

KW - Childhood

KW - Mediation

KW - Parenting

KW - Rearing behavior

U2 - 10.1016/j.paid.2014.08.022

DO - 10.1016/j.paid.2014.08.022

M3 - Journal article

AN - SCOPUS:84926612242

VL - 81

SP - 155

EP - 161

JO - Personality and Individual Differences

JF - Personality and Individual Differences

SN - 0191-8869

ER -