title: Attachment and physiological reactivity to infant crying in young adulthood: dissociation between experiential and physiological arousal in insecure adoptees.
abstract: The associations between attachment representations of adopted young adults and their experiential and physiological arousal to infant crying were examined. Attachment representations were assessed with the Attachment Script Assessment (ASA), and the young adults listened to infant cries, during which ratings of cry perception were collected and physiological reactivity was measured. Secure adoptees showed a well-integrated response to infant distress: heart-rate increases and respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) withdrawal were coupled with heightened perception of urgency in these individuals. In insecure adoptees RSA withdrawal was absent, and a combination of lowered perceived urgency and heightened sympathetic arousal was found, reflecting a deactivating style of emotional reactivity. Overall, our findings support the idea that internal working models of attachment explain individual differences in the way attachment-related information is processed.
authors.affiliation: Leiden University, Centre for Child and Family Studies, Leiden, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Christie
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Schoenmaker
authors.affiliation: Leiden University, Centre for Child and Family Studies, Leiden, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Renske
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Huffmeijer
authors.affiliation: Leiden University, Centre for Child and Family Studies, Leiden, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Marinus H
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: van IJzendoorn
authors.affiliation: Leiden University, Centre for Child and Family Studies, Leiden, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Marian J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Bakermans-Kranenburg
authors.affiliation: Leiden University, Centre for Child and Family Studies, Leiden, The Netherlands; Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Linda
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: van den Dries
authors.affiliation: Leiden University, Centre for Child and Family Studies, Leiden, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Mariëlle
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Linting
authors.affiliation: Leiden University, Centre for Child and Family Studies, Leiden, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Anja
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: van der Voort
authors.affiliation: Leiden University, Centre for Child and Family Studies, Leiden, The Netherlands. Electronic address: juffer@fsw.leidenuniv.nl.
authors.forename: Femmie
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Juffer
mesh_terms: D000300:Adoption / Q000523:psychology*; D001143:Arousal / Q000502:physiology*; D001307:Auditory Perception / Q000502:physiology*; D003448:Crying; D004644:Emotions; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005712:Galvanic Skin Response; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D009769:Object Attachment; D065809:Respiratory Sinus Arrhythmia; D012649:Self Concept; D054063:Superior Sagittal Sinus; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Adoption; Adult attachment; Attachment Script Assessment; Emotional reactivity; Physiological reactivity