Do Postnatal Depression and Anxiety Symptoms "Invade" Attachment Script Narrative Assessment?
(2022) PSYP01 20221Department of Psychology
- Abstract
- Background: Secure base scripts (SBS) comprise implicit procedural expectations about the availability of significant others, and are formed early in life based on experiences with caregivers. SBS are conventionally captured via word-prompted, impersonal narratives, but as this assessment paradigm is relatively new, little is known about how it may be affected by situational mental health problems. The study examined whether situational mental health symptoms of postnatal depression and anxiety affect SBS narrative production.
Methods: Parents (N=152, 100 mothers) with children 18 months or younger produced two SBS narratives (‘Baby’s Morning’ and ‘Accident’) and completed self-report measures of postnatal depression, anxiety, and... (More) - Background: Secure base scripts (SBS) comprise implicit procedural expectations about the availability of significant others, and are formed early in life based on experiences with caregivers. SBS are conventionally captured via word-prompted, impersonal narratives, but as this assessment paradigm is relatively new, little is known about how it may be affected by situational mental health problems. The study examined whether situational mental health symptoms of postnatal depression and anxiety affect SBS narrative production.
Methods: Parents (N=152, 100 mothers) with children 18 months or younger produced two SBS narratives (‘Baby’s Morning’ and ‘Accident’) and completed self-report measures of postnatal depression, anxiety, and attachment. Participants also recounted a recent personal experience of separation/reunification with their baby. We examined whether symptoms of postnatal depression and anxiety above cutoff levels affect SBS narratives and a personal experience narrative differently, and whether parents afflicted with postnatal depression and/or anxiety produce narratives reflective of their self-reported attachment security.
Results: Depression symptoms were above cut-off levels in 43.4% of mothers and 30.8% of fathers. Anxiety symptoms were above cutoff for 55.6% of mothers and 46.2% of fathers. Symptoms of postnatal depression and/or anxiety mediated the links between self-reported attachment, and one of the SBS narratives (‘Baby’s Morning’) and the personal narrative, respectively, but not the other SBS narrative (‘Accident’).
Conclusion: Results indicate that SBS-content in ‘Baby’s Morning’ and in the personal narrative were linked to postnatal depression and anxiety symptoms above cutoff, possibly due to contextual similarity to the postnatal period and mood-congruent biases. The study provides insight into the relationship between SBS narrative assessment and postnatal depression and anxiety, and suggests that choice of narratives for SBS assessment ought to be thoughtful based on context. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
http://lup.lub.lu.se/student-papers/record/9102487
- author
- Cheshire, Cassidy LU
- supervisor
-
- Elia Psouni LU
- organization
- course
- PSYP01 20221
- year
- 2022
- type
- H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
- subject
- keywords
- Attachment security, Attachment script assessment, Secure base scripts, Postnatal depression, Postnatal anxiety, mood-congruent biases
- language
- English
- id
- 9102487
- date added to LUP
- 2022-11-07 13:54:58
- date last changed
- 2023-09-14 14:56:46
@misc{9102487,
abstract = {{Background: Secure base scripts (SBS) comprise implicit procedural expectations about the availability of significant others, and are formed early in life based on experiences with caregivers. SBS are conventionally captured via word-prompted, impersonal narratives, but as this assessment paradigm is relatively new, little is known about how it may be affected by situational mental health problems. The study examined whether situational mental health symptoms of postnatal depression and anxiety affect SBS narrative production.
Methods: Parents (N=152, 100 mothers) with children 18 months or younger produced two SBS narratives (‘Baby’s Morning’ and ‘Accident’) and completed self-report measures of postnatal depression, anxiety, and attachment. Participants also recounted a recent personal experience of separation/reunification with their baby. We examined whether symptoms of postnatal depression and anxiety above cutoff levels affect SBS narratives and a personal experience narrative differently, and whether parents afflicted with postnatal depression and/or anxiety produce narratives reflective of their self-reported attachment security.
Results: Depression symptoms were above cut-off levels in 43.4% of mothers and 30.8% of fathers. Anxiety symptoms were above cutoff for 55.6% of mothers and 46.2% of fathers. Symptoms of postnatal depression and/or anxiety mediated the links between self-reported attachment, and one of the SBS narratives (‘Baby’s Morning’) and the personal narrative, respectively, but not the other SBS narrative (‘Accident’).
Conclusion: Results indicate that SBS-content in ‘Baby’s Morning’ and in the personal narrative were linked to postnatal depression and anxiety symptoms above cutoff, possibly due to contextual similarity to the postnatal period and mood-congruent biases. The study provides insight into the relationship between SBS narrative assessment and postnatal depression and anxiety, and suggests that choice of narratives for SBS assessment ought to be thoughtful based on context.}},
author = {{Cheshire, Cassidy}},
language = {{eng}},
note = {{Student Paper}},
title = {{Do Postnatal Depression and Anxiety Symptoms "Invade" Attachment Script Narrative Assessment?}},
year = {{2022}},
}