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O papel do viés de interpretação na relação entre o estilo de apego e a ansiedade social nas crianças: efeitos de moderação e de mediação
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Abstract(s)
Alguns estudos sugerem que um apego inseguro (negligente ou hiperprotetor) resulta em níveis elevados de ansiedade social na infância. Ainda assim, do nosso conhecimento, não existem estudos que explorem potenciais mediadores desta relação, pelo que considerámos pertinente propor um modelo que incluísse o viés de interpretação face à ameaça enquanto fator explicativo desta associação. Neste contexto, o nosso objetivo foi avaliar o papel do viés de interpretação na relação entre o estilo de apego e a ansiedade social em 87 crianças portuguesas (52 raparigas e 35 rapazes), com idades compreendidas entre os 6 e os 12 anos. Recorremos a uma tarefa de cenário ambíguo para avaliar o viés de interpretação, a dois instrumentos de autorrelato para a avaliação da qualidade do apego, respondidos pelas crianças e pelas mães, e um instrumento de autorrelato para a avaliação da ansiedade social. Os resultados sugerem que quer um apego inseguro quer o viés de interpretação estão associados a uma maior presença de sintomas de ansiedade social nas crianças. Observámos que o viés de interpretação tem um papel mediador e moderador na relação entre o apego e os sintomas de ansiedade social. Mais especificamente, uma fração significativa da associação entre apego e ansiedade parece ser mediada pelo nível de viés de interpretação. Por outro lado, o efeito do apego na sintomatologia depressiva aparenta manifestar-se sobretudo na ausência de viés: quando o viés de interpretação é reduzido, um apego seguro parece exercer um efeito protetor face à ansiedade social; no entanto, na presença de viés, as variações na qualidade do apego parecem ter um peso reduzido na sintomatologia ansiosa. De um modo geral, os resultados deste estudo trazem um contributo para o atual conhecimento sobre os fatores que interferem na origem e manutenção da ansiedade social infantil.
Some studies suggest that insecure attachment (negligent or overprotective) results in higher levels of social anxiety in childhood. However, as far as we know, there are no studies that explore potentials mediators of this relationship, so we decided to propose a model that included the interpretation bias toward threat as an explanatory factor for this association. In this context, our objective was to assess the role of interpretation bias in the relationship between attachment style and social anxiety, in 87 Portuguese children (52 girls and 35 boys) with ages between 6 and 12 years. We used a traditional ambiguous scenario task to assess interpretation bias, two instruments for assessing attachment quality, one self-report and one answered by mothers, and a self-report instrument for assessing social anxiety. The results suggest that both insecure attachment and interpretation bias are associated with a higher presence of social anxiety symptoms in children. We observed that interpretation bias plays a mediating and moderating role in the relationship between attachment and social anxiety symptoms. More specifically, a significant fraction of the association between attachment and anxiety appears to be mediated by the level of interpretation bias. On the other hand, the effect of attachment on depressive symptomatology seems to manifest primarily in the absence of bias: when interpretation bias is reduced, secure attachment appears to have a protective effect against social anxiety; however, in the presence of bias, variations in attachment quality seem to have a reduced impact on anxious symptoms. Overall, the results of this study contribute to the current understanding of the factors that interfere with the origin and maintenance of childhood social anxiety.
Some studies suggest that insecure attachment (negligent or overprotective) results in higher levels of social anxiety in childhood. However, as far as we know, there are no studies that explore potentials mediators of this relationship, so we decided to propose a model that included the interpretation bias toward threat as an explanatory factor for this association. In this context, our objective was to assess the role of interpretation bias in the relationship between attachment style and social anxiety, in 87 Portuguese children (52 girls and 35 boys) with ages between 6 and 12 years. We used a traditional ambiguous scenario task to assess interpretation bias, two instruments for assessing attachment quality, one self-report and one answered by mothers, and a self-report instrument for assessing social anxiety. The results suggest that both insecure attachment and interpretation bias are associated with a higher presence of social anxiety symptoms in children. We observed that interpretation bias plays a mediating and moderating role in the relationship between attachment and social anxiety symptoms. More specifically, a significant fraction of the association between attachment and anxiety appears to be mediated by the level of interpretation bias. On the other hand, the effect of attachment on depressive symptomatology seems to manifest primarily in the absence of bias: when interpretation bias is reduced, secure attachment appears to have a protective effect against social anxiety; however, in the presence of bias, variations in attachment quality seem to have a reduced impact on anxious symptoms. Overall, the results of this study contribute to the current understanding of the factors that interfere with the origin and maintenance of childhood social anxiety.
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Keywords
Ansiedade social Apego pais-filho Viés de interpretação Crianças (6-12 anos)