Parent-Child Attachment Security and Internalizing Symptoms in Preadolescence: The Role of Gratitude and Forgiveness

• In Event: Poster Session 10
  In Poster Session: PS 10 Topic - Developmental Psychopathology

Abstract

Although children’s secure attachment with parents is a key predictor of their internalizing symptoms (Madigan et al., 2016), less is known about the mechanisms responsible for this association. We propose that two positive traits, gratitude and forgiveness, may explain this relation in preadolescents. More securely attached children develop a positive view of others and their world (Bowlby, 1969), and thus are likely to be thankful for positive encounters and events and overcome negative feelings following interpersonal transgressions. Further, these positive traits might broaden children’s repertoire of problem-solving strategies when experiencing sad or anxious feelings (Fredrickson, 2001). Therefore, we expected that gratitude and forgiveness would 1) be negatively associated with internalizing problems (anxiety and depression); and 2) mediate the relation between parent-child attachment security and internalizing symptoms in preadolescents.
Our sample included 105 mother-child dyads (M child age =12.07 years [range=9-14 years]). Preadolescents completed the Security Scale for each parent (Kerns et al., 2001). Preadolescents also rated their depression (Faulstich et al., 1986), anxiety (Birmaher et al., 1999), dispositional gratitude (McCullough et al., 2002), and trait forgiveness (Tangney et al., 1999), and completed an interview assessing interpersonal forgiveness (Subkoviak et al., 1995). Mothers rated their preadolescent’s behavioral expressions of gratitude (Hussong et al., 2019).
Parent-child attachment security was negatively associated with preadolescent’s internalizing symptoms (Table 1). Preadolescents with greater dispositional gratitude, behavioral expressions of gratitude, and interpersonal forgiveness reported greater attachment security with each parent. Additionally, preadolescents with more dispositional gratitude reported less depressive and anxiety symptoms. Preadolescents with more interpersonal forgiveness experienced less depression, but not anxiety. Bootstrapped mediation analysis (Preacher & Hayes, 2004) showed that preadolescents’ dispositional gratitude partially explained the relation between attachment security with each parent and their depressive symptoms (Table 2). Dispositional gratitude also partially mediated the relationship between attachment security with mothers only and anxiety symptoms.
Complementing the previous literature (Obeldobel & Kerns, 2020), our findings suggest that preadolescents who are more securely attached with their parents are better equipped to forgive others and to experience and express gracious acts towards others, likely because they have better opportunities to openly address both negative and positive emotions (Kerns & Brumariu, 2016).
Negative associations between depressive symptoms and both dispositional gratitude and interpersonal forgiveness in preadolescents may be due to the fact that these positive traits allow preadolescents to overcome and cope with negative past events (Eysenck et al., 2006). Further, associations between dispositional gratitude and anxiety may be due to the active cognitive appraisal of appreciating others and the world, which may in turn lead to interpreting anxious thoughts as less threatening (Alkozei et al., 2018).
Our finding that dispositional gratitude explains why more securely attached preadolescents experience fewer internalizing problems, uniquely underscores the importance of cultivating an appreciation of positive events in a secure parent-child relationship. However, given that only dispositional gratitude mediated the relation between attachment security with mothers and anxiety symptoms, maternal emotional support may be particularly important in guiding the preadolescent to appreciate others, which in turn, serves to regulate anxiety.

Authors

• Gabriela Rodrigues, Adelphi University
  Presenting Author

• Carli Obeldobel, Kent State University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Logan Kochendorfer, Kent State University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Kathryn A Kerns, Kent State University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Dominic Fareri, Adelphi University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Laura E Brumariu, Adelphi University
  Non-Presenting Author