Evaluating the Relationship between Maternal Attachment Styles and Children's Separation Anxiety Level: The Mediating Role of Mothers’ Maternal Early Maladaptive Schemas
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.22100/ijhs.v8i3.792Keywords:
Separation anxiety, Early maladaptive schemas, Attachment styles, MothersAbstract
Backgrounds: This study was aimed to evaluate the relationship between maternal attachment style and early maladaptive schemas and the separation anxiety level of children aged 3 to 6 years in the city of Mashhad.
Methods: The research sample consisted of 300 mothers with children aged 3 to 6 years who were selected from kindergartens in Mashhad (Iran) by random clustered sampling method. We used Hazan and Shaver’s adult attachment questionnaire, young schemas questionnaire - short form, and the separation anxiety questionnaire (parents’ form) to collect the data. We also used the correlation coefficient and the path analysis model to examine and test the research hypotheses. Data analysis was performed using SPSS-20 and Amos 20 software.
Results: The results showed that ambivalent and avoidant attachment styles are mediated by the emotional deprivation, abandonment, dependence, and social isolation schemas and predict separation anxiety.
Conclusion: Therefore, among the early maladaptive schemas, emotional deprivation, abandonment, dependence, and social isolation play a mediating role concerning the attachment styles and separation anxiety, which can be used in the design of treatment plans.
Keywords: Separation anxiety, Early maladaptive schemas, Attachment styles, Mothers
References
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25. Waller G, Meyer C, Ohanian V. Psychometric properties of the long and short versions of the Young Schema Questionnaire: Core beliefs among bulimic and comparison women. Cognitive Therapy and Research 2001 ;25(2):137-47.
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27. Cui L, Lin W, Oei TP. Factor structure and psychometric properties of the young schema questionnaire (short form) in Chinese undergraduate students. International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction 2011; 9(6):645-55.
28. Divandari, H., Ahi, G., Akbari, H., & Mahdian, H. (2009). The Short Form of Young Schema Questionnaire (SQ-SF): An investigation of the psychometric properties and factorial structure among the students of Islamic Azad University of Kashmar on 2006-2007 Academic year. Educational Bulletinof Islamic Azad University of Bojnoord, 5, 103-133.
29. Manicavasagar V, Silove D, Marnane C, Wagner R. Adult attachment styles in panic disorder with and without comorbid adult separation anxiety disorder. Australian & New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry 2009;43(2):167-72. doi:10.1080/00048670802607139
30. Schimmenti A, Bifulco A. Linking lack of care in childhood to anxiety disorders in emerging adulthood: the role of attachment styles. Child and Adolescent Mental Health 2015;20(1):41-8.
31. Muris P, Mayer B, Meesters C. Self-reported attachment style, anxiety, and depression in children. Social Behavior and Personality: an international journal 2000 ;28(2):157-62. doi:10.2224/sbp.2000.28.2.157
32. Saedi F, Aqdasi AN. The relationship between the three styles of attachment and depression and anxiety among seventh and eighth grade female students in Tabriz. Women and Family Studies 2018; 11 (40): 165-89. [Persian]
33. Naibi Nia A, Salari P, Modarres Ghoruri M. Investigating the Relationship between Adult Attachment Style to Parents with Stress, Anxiety and Depression. Principles of Mental Health 2011; 13 (2): 194-202. [Persian]
34. Oshri A, Sutton TE, Clay-Warner J, Miller JD. Child maltreatment types and risk behaviors: Associations with attachment style and emotion regulation dimensions. Personality and Individual Differences 2015 ;73:127-33. doi:10.1016/j.paid.2014.09.015
35. Vivona JM. Parental attachment styles of late adolescents: Qualities of attachment relationships and consequences for adjustment. Journal of counseling psychology 2000;47(3):316.
36. Borjali M, Mad Beigi Z, Golshani F. The relationship between early maladaptive schemas and mothers 'attachment styles to students' anxiety disorders. Family and Research Quarterly Journal of Family and Research 2017; 14 (2): 31-48. [Persian]
37. Zare Soltani A, Ghamari M. The relationship of early maladaptive schemas of mothers with overt and covert anxiety of elementary school girls. Women and Family Studies2016; 9 (33): 45-62. [Persian]
38. Beyrami M, Peymannia B, Mousavi Qahe Qashlaghi E. The role of quality of mother-child relationship and maladaptive self-management schema and dysfunction with child anxiety National Congress of Child and Adolescent Psychology, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran; 2013. [Persian]
39. Delattre V, Servant D, Rusinek S, Lorette C, Parquet PJ, Goudemand M, Hautekeete M. The early maladaptive schemas: a study in adult patients with anxiety disorders. L'Encephale 2004;30(3):255-8. doi: 10.1016/s0013-7006(04)95437-1
40. Cámara M, Calvete E. Early maladaptive schemas as moderators of the impact of stressful events on anxiety and depression in university students. Journal of Psychopathology and Behavioral Assessment 2012; 34(1):58-68.
41. Rafiei S, Hatami A, Foroughi AA. The relationship between early maladaptive schemas and attachment styles in women with marital infidelity. Women and Society (Women's Sociology)2011; 2 (1): 21-36. [Persian]
42. Bowlby J. Attachment and loss: Attachment. Random House; 1997.
2. Cartwright-Hatton S, McNicol K, Doubleday E. Anxiety in a neglected population: Prevalence of anxiety disorders in pre-adolescent children. Clinical psychology review 2006; 1;26(7):817-33. doi:10.1016/j.cpr.2005.12.002
3. Lewinsohn PM, Holm-Denoma JM, Small JW, Seeley JR, Joiner Jr TE. Separation anxiety disorder in childhood as a risk factor for future mental illness. Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry 2008 ;47(5):548-55. doi:10.1097/CHI.0b013e31816765e7
4. Brückl TM, Wittchen HU, Höfler M, Pfister H, Schneider S, Lieb R. Childhood separation anxiety and the risk of subsequent psychopathology: Results from a community study. Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics 2007;76(1):47-56.
5. Ghasemzadeh S, Matbou Riahi M, Alavi Z, Hasanzadeh M. Effectiveness of family based intervention and play therapy on the parenting style of mothers and clinical symptoms in children with separation anxiety disorder. Journal of Psychological Health Research 2018; 11 (4): 78-84. [Persian]
6. Zolfaghari Motlagh M, Jazayeri AR, Khoshabi K, Mazaheri MA, Karimloo M. The effectiveness of attachment-based therapy on reducing the symptoms of separation anxiety disorder. Iranian Journal of Psychiatry and Clinical Psychology 2009; 14 (4): 380-388. [Persian]
7. Talaei Nejad N, Mazaheri MA, Ghanbari S. The effectiveness of group parent-centered attachment training on reducing the symptoms of separation anxiety in preschool children. Thought and Behavior in Clinical Psychology2015; 10 (35): 37-46. [Persian]
8. Wilkinson RB, Scherl FB. Psychological health, maternal attachment and attachment style in breast‐and formula‐feeding mothers: a preliminary study. Journal of Reproductive and Infant Psychology 2006 ;24(1):5-19. doi:10.1080/02646830500475153
9. Mason O, Platts H, Tyson M. Early maladaptive schemas and adult attachment in a UK clinical population. Psychology and psychotherapy: Theory, research and practice2005;78(4):549-64.
10. Young JE, Klosko JS, Weishaar ME. Schema therapy: A practitioner's guide. Guilford press; 2006.
11. Lobbestael J, Van Vreeswijk MF, Arntz A. An empirical test of schema mode conceptualizations in personality disorders. Behaviour research and therapy 2008 ;46(7):854-60. doi:10.1016/j.brat.2008.03.006
12. Nordahl HM, Holthe H, Haugum JA. Early maladaptive schemas in patients with or without personality disorders: Does schema modification predict symptomatic relief? Clinical Psychology & Psychotherapy 2005;12(2):142-9.
13. Fard ZG, Schneider S, Hudson JL, Habibi M, Pooravari M, Heidari ZH. Early maladaptive schemas as predictors of child anxiety: the role of child and mother schemas. International journal of Applied Behavioral Sciences 2015;1(2):9-18. doi:10.22037/ijabs.v1i2.7564
14. Saritas-Atalar PD, Gencoz PT. The mediating role of early maladaptive schemas in the relationship between maternal rejection and psychological problems. Turk Psikiyatri Dergisi 2015 ;26(1):40.
15. Moghadam FR, Quchan AD, Shomia SK. The Role of Mother's Early Maladaptive Schema in Predicting Early Maladaptive Schemas and Loneliness of Children Aged 8 to 15 Years in Amol City, Iran. Journal of Clinical & Diagnostic Research 2018 ;12(9).
16. Mousavi S, Low W, Hashim A. The relationships between perceived parental rearing style and anxiety symptoms in Malaysian adolescents: the mediating role of early maladaptive schemas. Depression and Anxiety 2016; 2:2167-1044.
17. Besharat MA, Sharifi M, Irvani M. Investigating the Relationship between Attachment Styles and Defense Mechanisms. Journal of Psychology 2001; 5 (3): 277-89. [Persian]
18. Wearden A, Peters I, Berry K, Barrowclough C, Liversidge T. Adult attachment, parenting experiences, and core beliefs about self and others. Personality and Individual Differences2008 ;44(5):1246-57. doi:10.1016/j.paid.2007.11.019
19. Eisen AR, Schaefer CE. Separation anxiety in children and adolescents: An individualized approach to assessment and treatment. Guilford Press; 2007; 13.
20. Hahn L, Hajinlian J, Eisen AR, Winder B, & Pincus DB Measuring the dimensions of separation anxiety and early panic in children and adolescents: The Separation Anxiety Assessment Scale. AR Eisen, Recent Advances in the Treatment of Separation Anxiety and Panic in children and adolescents. Presentado en la 37ª convención anual, AABT, Boston, MA, 2003.
21. Mofrad S, Abdullah R, Abu Samah B, Mansor MB, Baba MB. Maternal psychological distress and separation anxiety disorder in children. European Journal of Social Sciences 2009;8(3):386-94.
22. Besharat MA. Construction and standardization of adult attachment scale [research project report]. Tehran: Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, University of Tehran; 2000. [Persian]
23. Hazan C, & Shaver P. Romantic love conceptualized as an attachment process. Journal of personality and social psychology 1987; 52(3), 511.
24. Pakdaman Sh. A study of the relationship between attachment and community-seeking in adolescence. Journal of Psychological Sciences 2004; 3 (49): 25-9. [Persian]
25. Waller G, Meyer C, Ohanian V. Psychometric properties of the long and short versions of the Young Schema Questionnaire: Core beliefs among bulimic and comparison women. Cognitive Therapy and Research 2001 ;25(2):137-47.
26. Kriston L, Schäfer J, Jacob GA, Härter M, Hölzel LP. Reliability and validity of the German version of the Young Schema Questionnaire–Short Form 3 (YSQ-S3). European Journal of Psychological Assessment 2013. doi:10.1027/1015-5759/a000143
27. Cui L, Lin W, Oei TP. Factor structure and psychometric properties of the young schema questionnaire (short form) in Chinese undergraduate students. International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction 2011; 9(6):645-55.
28. Divandari, H., Ahi, G., Akbari, H., & Mahdian, H. (2009). The Short Form of Young Schema Questionnaire (SQ-SF): An investigation of the psychometric properties and factorial structure among the students of Islamic Azad University of Kashmar on 2006-2007 Academic year. Educational Bulletinof Islamic Azad University of Bojnoord, 5, 103-133.
29. Manicavasagar V, Silove D, Marnane C, Wagner R. Adult attachment styles in panic disorder with and without comorbid adult separation anxiety disorder. Australian & New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry 2009;43(2):167-72. doi:10.1080/00048670802607139
30. Schimmenti A, Bifulco A. Linking lack of care in childhood to anxiety disorders in emerging adulthood: the role of attachment styles. Child and Adolescent Mental Health 2015;20(1):41-8.
31. Muris P, Mayer B, Meesters C. Self-reported attachment style, anxiety, and depression in children. Social Behavior and Personality: an international journal 2000 ;28(2):157-62. doi:10.2224/sbp.2000.28.2.157
32. Saedi F, Aqdasi AN. The relationship between the three styles of attachment and depression and anxiety among seventh and eighth grade female students in Tabriz. Women and Family Studies 2018; 11 (40): 165-89. [Persian]
33. Naibi Nia A, Salari P, Modarres Ghoruri M. Investigating the Relationship between Adult Attachment Style to Parents with Stress, Anxiety and Depression. Principles of Mental Health 2011; 13 (2): 194-202. [Persian]
34. Oshri A, Sutton TE, Clay-Warner J, Miller JD. Child maltreatment types and risk behaviors: Associations with attachment style and emotion regulation dimensions. Personality and Individual Differences 2015 ;73:127-33. doi:10.1016/j.paid.2014.09.015
35. Vivona JM. Parental attachment styles of late adolescents: Qualities of attachment relationships and consequences for adjustment. Journal of counseling psychology 2000;47(3):316.
36. Borjali M, Mad Beigi Z, Golshani F. The relationship between early maladaptive schemas and mothers 'attachment styles to students' anxiety disorders. Family and Research Quarterly Journal of Family and Research 2017; 14 (2): 31-48. [Persian]
37. Zare Soltani A, Ghamari M. The relationship of early maladaptive schemas of mothers with overt and covert anxiety of elementary school girls. Women and Family Studies2016; 9 (33): 45-62. [Persian]
38. Beyrami M, Peymannia B, Mousavi Qahe Qashlaghi E. The role of quality of mother-child relationship and maladaptive self-management schema and dysfunction with child anxiety National Congress of Child and Adolescent Psychology, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran; 2013. [Persian]
39. Delattre V, Servant D, Rusinek S, Lorette C, Parquet PJ, Goudemand M, Hautekeete M. The early maladaptive schemas: a study in adult patients with anxiety disorders. L'Encephale 2004;30(3):255-8. doi: 10.1016/s0013-7006(04)95437-1
40. Cámara M, Calvete E. Early maladaptive schemas as moderators of the impact of stressful events on anxiety and depression in university students. Journal of Psychopathology and Behavioral Assessment 2012; 34(1):58-68.
41. Rafiei S, Hatami A, Foroughi AA. The relationship between early maladaptive schemas and attachment styles in women with marital infidelity. Women and Society (Women's Sociology)2011; 2 (1): 21-36. [Persian]
42. Bowlby J. Attachment and loss: Attachment. Random House; 1997.
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2021-11-17
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How to Cite
Evaluating the Relationship between Maternal Attachment Styles and Children’s Separation Anxiety Level: The Mediating Role of Mothers’ Maternal Early Maladaptive Schemas. (2021). International Journal of Health Studies, 8(3), 18-23. https://doi.org/10.22100/ijhs.v8i3.792
