Dismissing child attachment and discordance for subjective and neuroendocrine responses to vulnerability

Emerging evidence suggests that as with adults, dismissing children underreport their psychological distress relative to physiological indicators of their experience (startle response, neural signals). In this report, we extend these observations to neuroendocrine reactivity. One hundred and six 8–1...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Developmental psychobiology 2014-04, Vol.56 (3), p.584-591
Main Authors: Borelli, Jessica L., West, Jessica L., Weekes, Nicole Y., Crowley, Michael J.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adaptation, Psychological - physiology
attachment
Child
cortisol
dismissal
emotion
Emotions - physiology
Female
Humans
Hydrocortisone - analysis
Male
Object Attachment
Saliva - chemistry
Stress, Psychological - physiopathology
Stress, Psychological - psychology
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Summary:Emerging evidence suggests that as with adults, dismissing children underreport their psychological distress relative to physiological indicators of their experience (startle response, neural signals). In this report, we extend these observations to neuroendocrine reactivity. One hundred and six 8–12‐year‐old children completed the Child Attachment Interview and a computer‐based paradigm comprised of vignettes reflecting vulnerability in interpersonal contexts. Dismissing children's cortisol responses remained comparable from pre‐to‐post paradigm, while secure children's cortisol responses decreased from pre‐to‐post paradigm. Furthermore, compared to secure children, dismissing children reported less distress than their cortisol response would suggest. Implications for dismissing children's coping and self‐regulation are discussed. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Dev Psychobiol 56: 584–591, 2014.
ISSN:0012-1630
1098-2302
DOI:10.1002/dev.21107