Researcher ORCID Identifier

https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8343-555X

Graduation Year

2021

Document Type

Campus Only Senior Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelor of Science

Department

Psychology

Reader 1

Jennifer Ma

Reader 2

Stacey Wood

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Terms of Use for work posted in Scholarship@Claremont.

Rights Information

© 2020 Christina L. Rusu

Abstract

Previous research has identified potential predictors of negative child pain outcomes such as parental pain catastrophizing. However, there is a gap in knowledge as far as how parental overprotectiveness and attachment style are associated with child pain outcomes. This study asks how parental pain-related responses, parental overprotectiveness, and attachment style play a role in predicting risk of poor child pain outcomes. Approximately 180 child-parent dyads will be recruited for the study. Parents will be given anxiety and depression scales, a pain catastrophizing scale, and a fear of pain questionnaire while children will be given a scale about their parent’s overprotectiveness, a pain risk assessment, and an attachment style questionnaire. Predicted results will likely show that higher levels of parental pain-related responses will be correlated with an increased risk of poor child pain outcomes and higher levels of parental overprotectiveness. They will also likely show that out of all four attachment styles, an anxious-preoccupied attachment style will be most associated with an increased risk of poor child pain outcomes. Lastly, results will likely show that parental overprotectiveness mediates the relationship between attachment style and risk of poor child pain outcomes. This study may benefit society by expanding the general knowledge about potential risk factors associated with negative child pain outcomes.

This thesis is restricted to the Claremont Colleges current faculty, students, and staff.

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