1. Objectifs

Intentions :
« The first goal of this study was to examine whether insecure attachment to parents serves as a risk factor for depression, both in symptom severity and clinical episodes, in children. […] The second goal was to examine whether the relation between insecure attachment and depression in children is moderated by excessive reassurance seeking. » (p. 183)

Questions/Hypothèses :
« Children who are insecurely attached to their caregivers and who consistently seek reassurance from these caregivers will be particularly likely to have their requests for reassurance not met as a result of their developmental history of unresponsive care giving. Thus, although the extant literature shows that both insecure attachment and reassurance seeking are independent predictors of depression, we hypothesized that the interaction of these two independent risk factors would be a particularly potent risk for depression. » (p. 184)

2. Méthode

Échantillon/Matériau :
« The final sample consisted of 140 children (69 boys and 71 girls) and one of their parents (88 mothers and 14 fathers). » (p. 185) « Children and their parents participated in a semistructured clinical interview assessing children’s current and past history of depressive symptoms and episodes. » (p. 182)

Instruments :
- SCID–I (First et al., 1995). The SCID–I is a semistructured clinical interview designed to arrive at current and lifetime DSM–IV diagnoses;
- K–SADS (Kaufman et al., 1996). The K–SADS is a semistructured clinical interview designed to arrive at DSM–IV and RDC diagnoses;
- Child Depression Inventory (CDI; Kovacs, 1992);
- Inventory of Parent and Peer Attachment (IPPA; Armsden & Greenberg, 1987);
- The Reassurance-Seeking Scale for Children (RSSC; Joiner & Metalsky, 1995).

Type de traitement des données :
Analyse de contenu

3. Résumé

« This study examined the relation between insecure attachment and depression in a sample of […] children whose parents have a history of major depressive episodes. In addition, we examined whether this relation was moderated by excessive reassurance seeking. Children completed measures assessing insecure attachment to parents, excessive reassurance seeking, and current depressive symptoms. In line with hypotheses, children who exhibited high levels of both insecure attachment and excessive reassurance seeking experienced higher levels of current depressive symptoms than children who possessed only one or neither of these interpersonal risk factors. Furthermore, the interaction of insecure attachment with excessive reassurance was associated with a past history and greater severity of depressive episodes even after controlling for current depressive symptoms. » (p. 182)