Attachment security priming: Increasing felt security in adolescents with social, emotional and mental health difficulties

Abstract

Attachment security priming (ASP) techniques have resulted in many positive outcomes including increased felt-security, an affective attachment state associated with optimal emotional regulation and relationship functioning. To date, however, ASP studies have almost exclusively been conducted with adult samples. This randomised experimental study investigated whether ASP could increase felt-security in adolescents with social, emotional and mental health (SEMH) difficulties. We further examined the security-related themes of the written protocols produced as part of the ASP procedure, allowing for the observation of the cognitions activated by the primes. Two prime groups (N = 100, Mage = 14.5) completed a mental imagery and written priming task; the experimental group visualised a security-inducing attachment figure, whilst the control group visualised a shopping trip. The experimental group reported significantly higher felt-security (ηp2 = 0.252) and wrote significantly more words related to attachment-relevant themes in their written protocols, compared to the control group. Findings demonstrate the potential of using ASP techniques to improve felt-security and associated outcomes in adolescents with SEMH difficulties.