Children's memories of removal: a test of attachment theory.
We report a study of parents' attachment orientations and children's autobiographical memory for an experience that according to Bowlby's (1982) attachment theory should be particularly threatening-children's forced separation from their parents. It was hypothesized that individual differences in parents' attachment orientations would be associated with children's distress and memory for this highly traumatic event. Children (n = 28) were observed during forced removal from home or school by Child Protective Services due to allegations of child maltreatment. Children's memory for the removal was tested 1 week later, and biological parents (n = 28) completed an adult attachment measure. Parental attachment anxiety significantly predicted children's distress during less stressful phases of the removal, R(2)  = .25, and parents' attachment-related avoidance predicted fewer correct memory reports from the children (i.e., fewer hits to open-ended questions, R(2)  = .16, and fewer hits to direct questions, R(2)  = .27). The findings indicate that attachment theory provides important guidance for understanding children's autobiographical memory for traumatic events.
Department of Psychology, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway. a.m.d.melinder@psykologi.uio.no
Annika
A
Melinder
Gunn Astrid
GA
Baugerud
Kristianne Stigsdatter
KS
Ovenstad
Gail S
GS
Goodman
D001008:Anxiety Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology; D002648:Child; D002649:Child Abuse / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000523:psychology*; D002650:Child Abuse, Sexual / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000523:psychology*; D002653:Child Behavior Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology; D002669:Child Welfare; D016241:Child of Impaired Parents / Q000523:psychology*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003674:Defense Mechanisms; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007389:Internal-External Control; D008016:Life Change Events; D008297:Male; D061212:Memory, Episodic; D009664:Norway; D009769:Object Attachment; D010287:Parent-Child Relations; D010552:Personality Assessment; D019962:Reactive Attachment Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology*; D012307:Risk Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires