Stability and change in secure base script knowledge during middle childhood and early adolescence: A 3-year longitudinal study

Theodore E.A. Waters; Christopher R. Facompré; Magali V. Van de Walle; Adinda Dujardin; Simon D. De Winter; Joke Heylen; Tara Santens; Martine Verhees; Chloë Finet; Guy Bosmans

doi:10.1037/dev0000798

Stability and change in secure base script knowledge during middle childhood and early adolescence: A 3-year longitudinal study

Theodore E.A. Waters, Christopher R. Facompré, Magali V. Van de Walle, Adinda Dujardin, Simon D. De Winter, Joke Heylen, Tara Santens, Martine Verhees, Chloë Finet, Guy Bosmans

Psychology

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Abstract

There is limited research examining stability and change in attachment security in middle childhood. The current study addresses this gap using data from a 3-year longitudinal study. Specifically, we examined stability and change in secure base script knowledge during middle childhood using a sample of 157 children (Wave 1 mean age [M_age] = 10.91, standard deviation [SD] = 0.87) assessed at 1-year intervals across 4 waves. Secure base script knowledge was moderately stable over time, as script scores were significantly correlated between each wave. We also investigated the impact of life stress on change in secure base script knowledge within individuals across waves. The results demonstrated that daily hassles (minor and frequently occurring stressful life events) but not major (more severe and infrequent) stressful life events predicted change in script knowledge. Implications for attachment-based interventions and, more broadly, the stability of attachment security are discussed.

Original language	English (US)
Pages (from-to)	2379-2388
Number of pages	10
Journal	Developmental psychology
Volume	55
Issue number	11
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1037/dev0000798
State	Published - Nov 2019

Keywords

Attachment
Life stress
Middle childhood
Secure base script
Stability
Child Development/physiology
Object Attachment
Humans
Male
Adolescent Development/physiology
Mother-Child Relations
Adolescent
Female
Child
Longitudinal Studies
Stress, Psychological/psychology

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Demography
Developmental and Educational Psychology
Life-span and Life-course Studies

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10.1037/dev0000798

Cite this

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title = "Stability and change in secure base script knowledge during middle childhood and early adolescence: A 3-year longitudinal study",

abstract = "There is limited research examining stability and change in attachment security in middle childhood. The current study addresses this gap using data from a 3-year longitudinal study. Specifically, we examined stability and change in secure base script knowledge during middle childhood using a sample of 157 children (Wave 1 mean age [Mage] = 10.91, standard deviation [SD] = 0.87) assessed at 1-year intervals across 4 waves. Secure base script knowledge was moderately stable over time, as script scores were significantly correlated between each wave. We also investigated the impact of life stress on change in secure base script knowledge within individuals across waves. The results demonstrated that daily hassles (minor and frequently occurring stressful life events) but not major (more severe and infrequent) stressful life events predicted change in script knowledge. Implications for attachment-based interventions and, more broadly, the stability of attachment security are discussed.",

keywords = "Attachment, Life stress, Middle childhood, Secure base script, Stability, Child Development/physiology, Object Attachment, Humans, Male, Adolescent Development/physiology, Mother-Child Relations, Adolescent, Female, Child, Longitudinal Studies, Stress, Psychological/psychology",

author = "Waters, {Theodore E.A.} and Facompr{\'e}, {Christopher R.} and {Van de Walle}, {Magali V.} and Adinda Dujardin and {De Winter}, {Simon D.} and Joke Heylen and Tara Santens and Martine Verhees and Chlo{\"e} Finet and Guy Bosmans",

note = "Funding Information: This research was supported by Grants G.0934.12 and G.0774.15 of the Research Foundation Flanders (FWO) and Grants OT/12/043 and CREA/ 12/004 from the Research Fund KU Leuven, Belgium. Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2019 American Psychological Association.",

year = "2019",

month = nov,

doi = "10.1037/dev0000798",

language = "English (US)",

volume = "55",

pages = "2379--2388",

journal = "Developmental psychology",

issn = "0012-1649",

publisher = "American Psychological Association",

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T1 - Stability and change in secure base script knowledge during middle childhood and early adolescence

T2 - A 3-year longitudinal study

AU - Waters, Theodore E.A.

AU - Facompré, Christopher R.

AU - Van de Walle, Magali V.

AU - Dujardin, Adinda

AU - De Winter, Simon D.

AU - Heylen, Joke

AU - Santens, Tara

AU - Verhees, Martine

AU - Finet, Chloë

AU - Bosmans, Guy

N1 - Funding Information: This research was supported by Grants G.0934.12 and G.0774.15 of the Research Foundation Flanders (FWO) and Grants OT/12/043 and CREA/ 12/004 from the Research Fund KU Leuven, Belgium. Publisher Copyright: © 2019 American Psychological Association.

PY - 2019/11

Y1 - 2019/11

N2 - There is limited research examining stability and change in attachment security in middle childhood. The current study addresses this gap using data from a 3-year longitudinal study. Specifically, we examined stability and change in secure base script knowledge during middle childhood using a sample of 157 children (Wave 1 mean age [Mage] = 10.91, standard deviation [SD] = 0.87) assessed at 1-year intervals across 4 waves. Secure base script knowledge was moderately stable over time, as script scores were significantly correlated between each wave. We also investigated the impact of life stress on change in secure base script knowledge within individuals across waves. The results demonstrated that daily hassles (minor and frequently occurring stressful life events) but not major (more severe and infrequent) stressful life events predicted change in script knowledge. Implications for attachment-based interventions and, more broadly, the stability of attachment security are discussed.

AB - There is limited research examining stability and change in attachment security in middle childhood. The current study addresses this gap using data from a 3-year longitudinal study. Specifically, we examined stability and change in secure base script knowledge during middle childhood using a sample of 157 children (Wave 1 mean age [Mage] = 10.91, standard deviation [SD] = 0.87) assessed at 1-year intervals across 4 waves. Secure base script knowledge was moderately stable over time, as script scores were significantly correlated between each wave. We also investigated the impact of life stress on change in secure base script knowledge within individuals across waves. The results demonstrated that daily hassles (minor and frequently occurring stressful life events) but not major (more severe and infrequent) stressful life events predicted change in script knowledge. Implications for attachment-based interventions and, more broadly, the stability of attachment security are discussed.

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KW - Adolescent Development/physiology

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KW - Adolescent

KW - Female

KW - Child

KW - Longitudinal Studies

KW - Stress, Psychological/psychology

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Stability and change in secure base script knowledge during middle childhood and early adolescence: A 3-year longitudinal study

Abstract

Keywords

ASJC Scopus subject areas

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