Environmental sensitivity, supportive parenting, and the development of attachment and internalizing problems

Abstract

Supportive parenting experiences link to secure attachment development, and secure attachment in turn links to children’s emotional well-being. However, little is known whether child-factors, like their environmental sensitivity, moderate these associations for better or for worse. We used longitudinal data (three data waves spanning two years) from 614 children (Wave 1: Mage = 10.28; SDage = 0.58; 44% boys). At all waves, attachment was operationalized as children’s knowledge of the Secure Base Script with a coded narrative task. Children filled out questionnaires on supportive parenting, their environmental sensitivity and their depressive symptoms. Parents filled out questionnaires on children’s internalizing problems. Results: environmental sensitivity moderated the link between supportive parenting and attachment. More sensitive children that perceived their parents as less supportive less likely developed SBS knowledge. Further, environmental sensitivity moderated the link between SBS knowledge and the development of internalizing problems. More sensitive children with less SBS knowledge developed more internalizing problems. The findings support the importance of accounting for environmental sensitivity in attachment research.