Depression in middle childhood: secure base script as a cognitive diathesis in the relationship between daily stress and depressive symptoms

• Published in: Attachment & human development Vol. 25; no. 3-4; pp. 353 - 367
• Main Authors: van Aswegen, T., Seedat, S., van Straten, A., Goossens, L., Bosmans, G.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Routledge 04.07.2023; Taylor & Francis Ltd
• Subjects: Attachment; depression; Mental depression; middle childhood; protective factor; secure base script; secure base script; Attachment; depression; protective factor; middle childhood
• ISSN: 1461-6734; 1469-2988
• DOI: 10.1080/14616734.2023.2204837

A better understanding of protective factors against childhood depression may allow for the mitigation of severe and chronic symptoms and the timely implementation of intervention strategies. This study investigated the protective effect of having a secure base script on depressive symptoms when children face daily stressors. To test this hypothesis, moderation analyses were performed in a cross-sectional study with 378 children (48.5% boys, 51.5%) aged 8-12 years (M = 10.20; SD = 0.57). The results provided some support for the moderation effect when secure base script knowledge was investigated as a categorical variable in middle childhood. However, the results did not support the moderation effect when investigating secure base script as a continuous variable. Therefore, future investigations may need to address whether a categorical approach could better elucidate the protective role of secure base script knowledge in childhood depression.