title: Repetitive thinking about the mother during distress moderates the link between children's attentional breadth around the mother and depressive symptoms in middle childhood.
abstract: It has been suggested that an increased attentional focus on the mother should be maladaptive in middle childhood. However, the effect of a more narrow attentional field around the mother may depend on the mother-child relationship. The current study tested whether a more narrow attentional field around the mother is mainly maladaptive for children who tend to think repetitively about their mother (RTm) during distress. More specifically, it investigates whether RTm during distress provides the context in which an increased attentional focus on the mother is linked to depressive symptoms in middle childhood. RTm was measured using a self-report questionnaire. The breadth of children's attentional field around the mother was measured with the Attentional Breadth Task. This computer task assesses the extent to which children have a more narrow attentional field around the mother compared to unfamiliar women. Results of the current study (N = 157) support the hypothesis that 9-12 year old children who have a more narrow attentional field around the mother and who at the same time report more RTm during distress, have more depressive symptoms.
authors.affiliation: Parenting and Special Education, KU Leuven, Leopold Vanderkelenstraat 32 - box 3765, 3000 Leuven, Belgium. Electronic address: magali.vandewalle@kuleuven.be.
authors.forename: Magali
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Van de Walle
authors.affiliation: School Psychology and Child and Adolescent Development, KU Leuven, Tiensestraat 102 - box 3717, 3000 Leuven, Belgium. Electronic address: patricia.bijttebier@kuleuven.be.
authors.forename: Patricia
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Bijttebier
authors.affiliation: Experimental Clinical and Health Psychology, Ghent University, Henri Dunantlaan 2, 9000 Gent, Belgium. Electronic address: Rudi.DeRaedt@UGent.be.
authors.forename: Rudi
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: De Raedt
authors.affiliation: Parenting and Special Education, KU Leuven, Leopold Vanderkelenstraat 32 - box 3765, 3000 Leuven, Belgium. Electronic address: guy.bosmans@kuleuven.be.
authors.forename: Guy
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Bosmans
mesh_terms: D001288:Attention; D002648:Child; D003863:Depression / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009034:Mother-Child Relations; D010775:Photic Stimulation; D013850:Thinking
keywords: Attentional breadth; Depressive symptoms; Increased focus on the mother; Middle childhood; Repetitive thinking about the mother