The Effects of Ego Identity, Gender Role, and Attachment on Depression and Anxiety in Young Adults

Abstract

Main and interaction effects of Ego Identity Status/Type (Bennion & Adams, 1986), Gender-Role Orientation (Bem, 1981a), and Adult Attachment Style (Feeney, Noller, & Hanrahan, 1994) on Depression (Beck, Steer, & Brown, 1996) and Anxiety (Beck, Epstein, Brown, & Steer, 1988) were examined. Participants included adults 18 years and older from a midwestern U.S. university. Multivariate analysis revealed significant interactions between ego identity status and gender-role orientation only for participants with an insecure attachment style. A significant main effect for attachment style revealed that secure individuals were less anxious and depressed than insecure individuals. The influence of gender (rather than gender role) is explored. The influence of ethnicity on levels of depression and anxiety for various ego identity statuses and clinical implications are discussed.