Oxytocin and state attachment responses to secure base support after stress in middle childhood

ABSTRACT

We tried to replicate the finding that receiving care increases children’s oxytocin and secure state attachment levels, and tested whether secure trait attachment moderates the oxytocin and state attachment response to care. 109 children (9-11 years old; M = 9.59; SD = 0.63; 34.9% boys) participated in a within-subject experiment. After stress induction (Trier Social Stress Test), children first remained alone and then received maternal secure base support. Salivary oxytocin was measured eight times. Secure trait and state attachment were measured with questionnaires, and Secure Base Script knowledge was assessed. Oxytocin levels increased after receiving secure base support from mother after having been alone. Secure state attachment changed less. Trait attachment and Secure Base Script knowledge did not moderate oxytocin or state attachment responses to support. This might mean that, regardless of the attachment history, in-the-moment positive attachment experiences might have a beneficial effect on trait attachment development in middle childhood.

KEYWORDS:

• Parenting
• trust
• TSST
• stress
• secure base script knowledge

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Author note

The current study would not have been possible without the exceptional support of Eva Ceulemans with the analyses. In addition, we want to thank Erik Van Herck and Rita Van Bree for their lab work on the extraction of oxytocin and cortisol levels and guidance in salivary data collection. Also, we would like to thank the master’s thesis students for their help with data collection over time. Special thanks are extended to all participants without whom the current research would not have been possible. Last, the financial support provided by FWO played a crucial role in the execution of the project, enabling us to conduct rigorous investigations and analyze data comprehensively.

The data necessary to reproduce the analyses presented here are not publicly accessible. The analytic code necessary to reproduce the analyses presented in this paper is publicly accessible on OSF. The analyses presented here were preregistered on OSF as well (DOI 10.17605/OSF.IO/F8YW7). The materials necessary to attempt to replicate the findings presented here are available upon request. The authors report no competing interests to declare.

Supplementary material

Supplemental data for this article can be accessed online at https://doi.org/10.1080/14616734.2024.2304874.

Notes

1. Deviations from the preregistered plan are described at https://osf.io/3fbvn/.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by Fonds Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek (G075718N, G0D6721N, G0I2422N).