Adult attachment, dependence, self-criticism and depression: a test of a mediational model

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate whether dependence and self-criticism are two mediators between attachment anxiety and avoidance and depression. Participants were 424 undergraduate students at a large Midwestern university. Data was analyzed using structural equation modeling. Results indicated that the relationship between attachment anxiety and depression was fully mediated by dependence and self-criticism while the relationship between attachment avoidance and depression was partially mediated by dependence and self-criticism. Moreover, about 49% of the variance in dependence was explained by attachment anxiety and attachment avoidance, 27% of the variance in self-criticism was explained by attachment anxiety and attachment avoidance, and 47% of the variance in depression was explained by attachment avoidance, dependence, and self-criticism in the final structural model. These results provide valuable information for working with college students with higher levels of attachment anxiety to decrease their depression through managing their levels of dependence and self-criticism.