School-aged children's vulnerability to depressive symptomatology: The role of attachment security, maternal depressive symptomatology, and economic risk

The influences of three risk factors (insecure attachment, maternal depress ive symptoms. and economic risk) on children's depressive symptomatology we re examined. Subjects were 85 children from a range of income levels; all s ubjects were between 7 and 9 years of age. Children's depressive symptomato logy was assessed with the Dimensions of Depression Profile for Children an d Adolescents. Results indicated that children at high economic risk were m ore likely to exhibit depressive symptomatology than were children at low e conomic risk. Security of attachment was significantly related to children' s depressive symptomatology. In addition, a significant relation was noted between children's depressive symptomatology and the depressive symptomatol ogy of their mothers. Contrary to expectations, no significant relation was found between maternal depressive symptomatology and security of attachmen t. A multiple regression analysis revealed that security of attachment, mat ernal depressive symptomatology, and economic risk accounted fur 47% of the variability in children's depression scores. Secure attachment served as a buffer; economic risk was associated with depressive symptoms only among i nsecurely attached children.