Abstract
The sense of touch develops early in life and becomes a determinant aspect of our personal narratives, providing crucial information about the world around us and playing a prominent role in affective and social interactions. In this study we aimed to explore whether individual differences in touch experiences across the lifespan are related to adult attachment styles and to perceived touch deprivation. For this we first developed an instrument, namely the Tactile Biography, to quantify individual differences in affective touch experiences throughout life. Secondly, we performed a set of regressions models and a mediation analysis to investigate the role of attachment in relation to both the tactile history and perceived touch deprivation. We found that experiences of affective touch during childhood and adolescence seem to be closely associated with adult attachment styles and adult social touch experiences. Avoidant attachment appears to serve as a mediator in the relationship between earlier (childhood/adolescent) and later (adult) affective touch experiences, as well as between earlier affective touch experiences and perceived touch deprivation. These findings offer further support to existing literature, providing novel insights for the fields of social affective touch and attachment research.
Highlights
The ontogeny of the sense of touch takes place in the early stages of the intrauterine life [1]
In this study we aimed to explore whether individual differences in touch experiences across the lifespan are related to adult attachment styles and to perceived touch deprivation
We found that experiences of affective touch during childhood and adolescence seem to be closely associated with adult attachment styles and adult social touch experiences
Summary
The ontogeny of the sense of touch takes place in the early stages of the intrauterine life [1]. The sense of touch further develops and becomes a determinant aspect of our personal narratives. On a daily basis we interact with the world and others around us and touch can have a central role in these interactions. Throughout the lifespan, the sense of touch provides crucial information about the physical world, and plays a prominent role in affective and social interactions (see [3] for a full review). As a natural part of our relationship with others, interpersonal touch can constitute an essential part of our life, our memories and personal stories
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