Infant attachment predicts bodily freezing in adolescence: evidence from a prospective longitudinal study
Early life-stress, particularly maternal deprivation, is associated with long-lasting deviations in animals’ freezing responses. Given the relevance of freezing for stress-coping, translational research is needed to examine the relation between insecure infant-parent attachment and bodily freezing-l...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2015-10-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://journal.frontiersin.org/Journal/10.3389/fnbeh.2015.00263/full |
| _version_ | 1811294489295192064 |
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| author | Hannah C. M. Niermann Hannah C. M. Niermann Verena eLy Verena eLy Sanny eSmeekens Bernd eFigner Bernd eFigner Marianne eRiksen-Walraven Karin eRoelofs Karin eRoelofs |
| author_facet | Hannah C. M. Niermann Hannah C. M. Niermann Verena eLy Verena eLy Sanny eSmeekens Bernd eFigner Bernd eFigner Marianne eRiksen-Walraven Karin eRoelofs Karin eRoelofs |
| author_sort | Hannah C. M. Niermann |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Early life-stress, particularly maternal deprivation, is associated with long-lasting deviations in animals’ freezing responses. Given the relevance of freezing for stress-coping, translational research is needed to examine the relation between insecure infant-parent attachment and bodily freezing-like behavior in humans. Therefore, we investigated threat-related reductions in body sway (indicative of freezing-like behavior) in 14-year-old adolescents (N=79), for whom attachment security was earlier assessed in infancy. As expected, insecure (versus secure) attachment was associated with less body sway for angry versus neutral faces. This effect remained when controlling for intermediate life-events. These results suggest that the long-lasting effects of early negative caregiving experiences on the human stress and threat systems extend to the primary defensive reaction of freezing. Additionally, we replicated earlier work in adults, by observing a significant correlation (in adolescents assessed as securely attached) between subjective state anxiety and reduced body sway in response to angry versus neutral faces. Together, this research opens venues to start exploring the role of freezing in the development of human psychopathology. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-13T05:18:23Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-5031f518750a4b6d88d0ba22627d2f94 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1662-5153 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-13T05:18:23Z |
| publishDate | 2015-10-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience |
| spelling | doaj.art-5031f518750a4b6d88d0ba22627d2f942022-12-22T03:00:50ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience1662-51532015-10-01910.3389/fnbeh.2015.00263160603Infant attachment predicts bodily freezing in adolescence: evidence from a prospective longitudinal studyHannah C. M. Niermann0Hannah C. M. Niermann1Verena eLy2Verena eLy3Sanny eSmeekens4Bernd eFigner5Bernd eFigner6Marianne eRiksen-Walraven7Karin eRoelofs8Karin eRoelofs9Behavioural Science Institute, Radboud University NijmegenDonders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behavior, Radboud University NijmegenBehavioural Science Institute, Radboud University NijmegenDonders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behavior, Radboud University NijmegenFaculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, Open University of the NetherlandsBehavioural Science Institute, Radboud University NijmegenDonders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behavior, Radboud University NijmegenBehavioural Science Institute, Radboud University NijmegenBehavioural Science Institute, Radboud University NijmegenDonders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behavior, Radboud University NijmegenEarly life-stress, particularly maternal deprivation, is associated with long-lasting deviations in animals’ freezing responses. Given the relevance of freezing for stress-coping, translational research is needed to examine the relation between insecure infant-parent attachment and bodily freezing-like behavior in humans. Therefore, we investigated threat-related reductions in body sway (indicative of freezing-like behavior) in 14-year-old adolescents (N=79), for whom attachment security was earlier assessed in infancy. As expected, insecure (versus secure) attachment was associated with less body sway for angry versus neutral faces. This effect remained when controlling for intermediate life-events. These results suggest that the long-lasting effects of early negative caregiving experiences on the human stress and threat systems extend to the primary defensive reaction of freezing. Additionally, we replicated earlier work in adults, by observing a significant correlation (in adolescents assessed as securely attached) between subjective state anxiety and reduced body sway in response to angry versus neutral faces. Together, this research opens venues to start exploring the role of freezing in the development of human psychopathology.http://journal.frontiersin.org/Journal/10.3389/fnbeh.2015.00263/fullAdolescentFreezingInfantLongitudinalAttachment |
| spellingShingle | Hannah C. M. Niermann Hannah C. M. Niermann Verena eLy Verena eLy Sanny eSmeekens Bernd eFigner Bernd eFigner Marianne eRiksen-Walraven Karin eRoelofs Karin eRoelofs Infant attachment predicts bodily freezing in adolescence: evidence from a prospective longitudinal study Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience Adolescent Freezing Infant Longitudinal Attachment |
| title | Infant attachment predicts bodily freezing in adolescence: evidence from a prospective longitudinal study |
| title_full | Infant attachment predicts bodily freezing in adolescence: evidence from a prospective longitudinal study |
| title_fullStr | Infant attachment predicts bodily freezing in adolescence: evidence from a prospective longitudinal study |
| title_full_unstemmed | Infant attachment predicts bodily freezing in adolescence: evidence from a prospective longitudinal study |
| title_short | Infant attachment predicts bodily freezing in adolescence: evidence from a prospective longitudinal study |
| title_sort | infant attachment predicts bodily freezing in adolescence evidence from a prospective longitudinal study |
| topic | Adolescent Freezing Infant Longitudinal Attachment |
| url | http://journal.frontiersin.org/Journal/10.3389/fnbeh.2015.00263/full |
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