There has been growing research attention on the topic of child anxiety
applying the theoretical framework of Attachment Theory, and the results have been
encouraging so far with consistent findings on the positive association between
insecure attachment and child anxiety. Child anxiety has also been associated with a
diminished sense of control with extensive empirical evidences. Nevertheless,
despite the rich empirical support on the associations between insecure attachment
and child anxiety, and between diminished sense of control and child anxiety, the
potential pathways of anxiety transmission remain largely unclear. In their
discussion on the development of child anxiety, Chopita and Barlow (1998) proposed
a conceptual link between attachment security and sense of control, even though it
has not been followed up with empirical studies. Since available empirical evidences
have validated the role of attachment security and sense of control in the
development of child anxiety, it will be conceptually meaningful to investigate the
potential link between attachment security and sense of control, and their respective
and interactive roles in the development of child anxiety. The current study also
aspires to improve understanding on the relationships between parental anxiety,
parent’s and child’s sense of control, and child anxiety within the context of children
undergoing elective surgeries.
Children of 151 parents were about to receive elective surgeries participated
in this study. Among these parents, 59 of them have children reached age 6 or above
and all these children also participated in the current study. Information from 144
parents (95.36%) and 51 children (86.44%) was used for subsequent analyses.
Information from 7 parents (4.64%) and 8 children (13.56%) was excluded from
further analyses as they filled in less than 30% of the questionnaire items.
Findings from present study showed children with insecure attachment and/or
high external LOC experienced increased anxiety in preoperative period. The
findings are consistent with existing literature. Children with insecure attachment
were also found to espouse a higher level of external LOC. Besides, regression
analyses showed that attachment security moderated the relationships between
child’s external LOC and anxiety. Results also support the notion that secure
attachment could be a protective factor against child anxiety development.
Moreover, mediation analyses indicated child’s LOC mediated the relationship
between parental and child anxiety, thereby supporting the mediation model by
Chopita and Barlow.
From a theoretical standpoint, findings from current study provided initial
support on the linkage between attachment security and sense of control. Child’s
external LOC as a potential pathway for intergenerational transmission of anxiety
was also supported. The findings also bear significant clinical implications.
Specifically, early screening and identification of children with insecure attachment
and external LOC would allow more effective allocation of resources targeting at
anxiety management in preoperative setting. Besides, taking into consideration the
impact of parental anxiety, intervention for child anxiety including components for
parental anxiety management should be emphasized. / published_or_final_version / Clinical Psychology / Doctoral / Doctor of Psychology
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:HKU/oai:hub.hku.hk:10722/179883 |
| Date | January 2010 |
| Creators | Lam, Sui-bik, Brenda., 林萃碧. |
| Publisher | The University of Hong Kong (Pokfulam, Hong Kong) |
| Source Sets | Hong Kong University Theses |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | PG_Thesis |
| Source | http://hub.hku.hk/bib/B47657078 |
| Rights | The author retains all proprietary rights, (such as patent rights) and the right to use in future works., Creative Commons: Attribution 3.0 Hong Kong License |
| Relation | HKU Theses Online (HKUTO) |
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