The origins of cognitive vulnerability in early childhood: Mechanisms linking early attachment to later depression

This paper examines the theory and research linking attachment relationships to cognitive vulnerability to depression and assesses evidence that early attachment experiences contribute to the development of these cognitive processes. Most research in this area has involved adult participants using self-report measures of both attachment and depressive vulnerabilities and thus cannot convincingly speak to the existence of such a developmental pathway. Several studies, however, have followed individuals from infancy and examined the emergence of self-esteem and responses to failure throughout childhood and adolescence. These studies suggest that early experiences in non-secure attachment relationships place an individual at-risk for developing a cognitive framework that increases their vulnerability to depression following stressful life events. The paper concludes with a discussion of how future research might best explore specific mechanisms through which distinct attachment relationships may lead to divergent developmental pathways sharing the common outcome of cognitive processes that place individuals at risk for depression.

► This paper examines links between attachment and cognitive risk for depression.
► Most research in this area has involved adult participants and self-report measures.
► A few studies have examined infants and children to provide a developmental link.
► Early non-secure attachment leads to processes linked to depressive vulnerability.
► More research is needed exploring developmental mechanisms behind this association.