Attachment anxiety moderates the relationship between childhood maltreatment and attention bias for emotion in adults

• Type of Material: Article
• Authors: Jennifer S Davis, Emory University; Negar Fani, Emory University; Kerry Ressler, Emory University; Tanja Jovanovic, Emory University; Erin B. Tone, Georgia State University; Bekh Bradley-Davino, Emory University
• Language: English
• Date: 2014-06-30
• Publisher: Elsevier: 12 months
• Publication Version: Author Accepted Manuscript (After Peer Review)
• Copyright Statement: © 2014 Elsevier Ireland Ltd.
• License: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 4.0 International
• Final Published Version (URL): http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.psychres.2014.03.010
• Title of Journal or Parent Work: Psychiatry Research
• ISSN: 0165-1781
• Volume: 217
• Issue: 1-2
• Start Page: 79
• End Page: 85
• Keywords: Life Sciences & Biomedicine; DOT-PROBE; POSTTRAUMATIC-STRESS-DISORDER; Science & Technology; LIFE-SPAN; PROCESSING BIASES; Dot probe; RECEPTOR GENE; Emotion processing; RISK; Child abuse; SOCIAL INFORMATION; THREAT; Psychiatry; SELECTIVE ATTENTION; ABUSE
• Research Categories: Psychology, Clinical; Psychology, Behavioral; Health Sciences, Mental Health

Abstract

Research indicates that some individuals who were maltreated in childhood demonstrate biases in social information processing. However, the mechanisms through which these biases develop remain unclear-one possible mechanism is via attachment-related processes. Childhood maltreatment increases risk for insecure attachment. The internal working models of self and others associated with insecure attachment may impact the processing of socially relevant information, particularly emotion conveyed in facial expressions. We investigated associations among child abuse, attachment anxiety and avoidance, and attention biases for emotion in an adult population. Specifically, we examined how self-reported attachment influences the relationship between childhood abuse and attention bias for emotion. A dot probe task consisting of happy, threatening, and neutral female facial stimuli was used to assess possible biases in attention for socially relevant stimuli. Our findings indicate that attachment anxiety moderated the relationship between maltreatment and attention bias for happy emotion; among individuals with a child abuse history, attachment anxiety significantly predicted an attention bias away from happy facial stimuli.