Fear Acquisition through Mother’s Verbal Threat Information: The Interplay between Children’s Trait Anxiety and the Quality of Mother-Child Relationships

Bosmans, Guy; Dujardin, Adinda; Field, Andy; Salemink, Elske; Vasey, Michael W

doi:10.1080/15295192.2015.1053336

Fear Acquisition through Mother’s Verbal Threat Information: The Interplay between Children’s Trait Anxiety and the Quality of Mother-Child Relationships

Author:

Bosmans, Guy

Dujardin, Adinda ; Field, Andy ; Salemink, Elske ; Vasey, Michael W

Keywords:

Social Sciences, Family Studies, Psychology, Developmental, Psychology, ADOLESCENCE, SYMPTOMS, ANXIETY, 1608 Sociology, 1701 Psychology, 1702 Cognitive Sciences, Developmental & Child Psychology, 5201 Applied and developmental psychology, 5202 Biological psychology, 5203 Clinical and health psychology

Abstract:

Copyright © Taylor & Francis Group, LLC. SYNOPSIS: Objective. Maternal verbal threat information influences fear acquisition during childhood. This study investigates whether child attachment moderates the impact of maternal verbal threat information on children’s fear beliefs and behavioral avoidance. Design. Mothers of 60 children provided verbal threat information about one of two unfamiliar Australian animals. Change in children’s fear beliefs was measured with a questionnaire, and their behavioral avoidance was observed. Attachment anxiety and attachment avoidance were measured using children’s self-report. Results. The impact of verbal threat information on fear beliefs was not moderated by attachment. However, attachment anxiety enhanced the effect of maternal verbal threat information on child behavioral avoidance. Conclusion. These results provide insight into complex processes that explain the impact of parent–child relationships on child fear acquisition through maternal verbal threat information.