ATTACHMENT STYLE AS A PREDICTOR OF RISKY SEXUAL BEHAVIOR IN ADOLESCENTS

Abstract

ABSTRACTThe aim of the current study was to examine attachment style as a predictor of risky sexual behavior in a younger, more vulnerable sample than previously investigated in the literature: High school aged adolescents. The hypothesized associations among the variables were partially supported. Contrary to our predictions, there was no significant association between avoidance and risky sexual behavior. However, higher anxiety was positively associated with risky sexual behavior. Finally, the prediction that the highest levels of risky sexual behavior would be found for those individuals with higher levels of anxiety and higher levels of avoidance (i.e., insecure attachment style) was supported.Keywords: Risky Sexual Behavior, Attachment Style, Adolescents1. INTRODUCTIONDeveloped by Bowlby (1982; 1983), attachment theory asserts that individuals from internal working models, or mental representations of self and other, which impact their feelings about and behavior in, relationships. Models of self can be either positive (i.e., one feels worthy of love and care) or negative (i.e., one feels unworthy of love and care) and models of other can be either positive (i.e., one feels others are available and responsive) or negative (i.e., one feels others are distant or rejecting) (Batholomew, 1990). A secure attachment style is characterized by possessing both positive models of self and of other. In contrast, insecure attachment styles are categorized as anxious or avoidant. An anxious attachment style is characterized by a negative model of self, while an avoidant attachment style is characterized as a negative model of other (Feeney and Noller, 1996). Although attachment was initially studied in the context of parent-child relationships, Bowlby (1982) contended that subsequent interactions with other relationship partners could potentially update one's working models. In subsequent research, attachment was studied in other types of relationships (e.g., with peers and romantic partners) and these studies found that models of self and other can vary across different types of relationships (Collins and Read, 1994; Guardia et al., 2000).One of the primary differences between romantic relationship attachment and other types of attachment relationships (e.g., peers, parents) is that romantic relationships include the integration of sexual behavior (Bowlby, 1982; 1983; Shaver et al, 1988). Indeed, studies have shown that couples report a reciprocal relationship between attachment and their sexual relationships (Feeney, 1999; Sprecher and Cate, 2004). A series of reviews by Feeney (1999) and Feeney and Noller (2004) indicate that attachment styles influence how adults interpret many aspects of their romantic relationships, including their sexual attitudes and beliefs and several studies have focused on the association between romantic relationship attachment and sexual behavior (Bogaert and Sadava, 2002; Gentzler and Kerns, 2004; Strachman and Impett, 2009).In a study of college undergraduates, Strachman and Impett (2009) examined how attachment style (i.e., avoidance or anxiety) was associated with condom use across a period of 14 days. Attachment style was measured using the Experiences in Close Relationships Scale (Brennan et al, 1998), which is a 36 item self-report measure of attachment style which yields scores for anxiety and avoidance, with low scores on both indicating a secure attachment style. During the two week period, participants were asked to keep a diary of their sexual contact and indicate if a condom was used during intercourse. The study found that participants with an anxious attachment style were less likely to use condoms. The association between attachment style and condom use remained significant when controlling for other related variables such as gender, alternative birth control use, sex frequency and knowledge of a partner's sexual history.In a similar study, Gentzler and Kerns (2004) examined the association between attachment style and sexual behaviors in college students. …