Adult Attachment Behavior Research Articles

Natural clues to danger: attachment behavior in threatening situations

ABSTRACT A fundamental principle of attachment theory is that threatening situations give rise to individual differences in the extent to which people seek proximity to close others. The current research examines the way in which attachment styles predict individual differences in attachment-relevant behavior during threatening events. We tested alternative theoretical perspectives concerning the association between adult attachment (specifically, attachment avoidance) and attachment behavior in the presence of natural clues to danger by observing couples (N = 204) when they were watching horror vs. control film excerpts. Results suggest that highly avoidant people engaged in less attachment behavior across both threatening and non-threatening situations. These findings have implications for the understanding of attachment-related processes and how working models of the self and others facilitate (or inhibit) the expression of attachment behavior.

Mediation Effects of Grit and Sense of School Belonging on the Relationship between Adult Attachment and Career Preparation Behavior of Specialized Vocational High School Students

Mediation Effects of Grit and Sense of School Belonging on the Relationship between Adult Attachment and Career Preparation Behavior of Specialized Vocational High School Students

Genetic Loss of Oxytocin Receptor Signaling Sex-Specifically Affects the Dynamics of Pair Bond Formation and Promiscuity in Prairie Voles

Social attachment is central to human health, and becomes significantly disrupted in many devastating neuropsychiatric disorders, such as autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and schizophrenia. Mechanistic understanding of attachment disruptions in these disorders has been limited as standard genetic model species do not display adult attachment behavior.

Adult Attachment System Links With Brain Mu Opioid Receptor Availability In Vivo

BackgroundSecure attachment is important in maintaining an individual’s health and well-being. Attachment disturbances increase the risk for developing psychiatric disorders such as affective disorders. Yet, the neurobiological correlates of human attachment are poorly understood at the neurotransmitter level. We investigated whether adult attachment style is linked to functioning of the opioid and serotonergic systems in the human brain. MethodsWe used positron emission tomography with radioligands [11C]carfentanil and [11C]MADAM to quantify mu opioid receptor (n = 39) and serotonin transporter (n = 37) availability in volunteers with no current psychiatric disorders. Attachment style was determined according to the Dynamic-Maturational Model of Attachment and Adaptation with the structured Adult Attachment Interview. ResultsSecure attachment was associated with higher mu opioid receptor availability in the hippocampus, amygdala, thalamus, and prefrontal cortex when compared with insecure (i.e., avoidant or ambivalent groups combined) attachment. In contrast, attachment style was not associated with serotonin transporter availability. ConclusionsOur results provide preliminary in vivo evidence that the opioid system may be involved in the neurocircuits associated with individual differences in adult attachment behavior. The results suggest that variation in mu opioid receptor availability may be linked with the individuals’ social relationships and psychosocial well-being and thus contributes to risk for psychiatric morbidity.

Adult Attachment and Altruistic Behavior: The Mediating Role of Empathy

Adult Attachment and Altruistic Behavior: The Mediating Role of Empathy

Adult Attachment and Conflict Behavior: Delineating the Links

In couple relationships, intense or protracted conflict can activate the attachment system, raising concerns about the partner‘s availability and the future of the relationship. Hence, individuals with different attachment orientations are expected to respond differently to conflict. This article summarises a series of studies into adult attachment and conflict processes, examining four issues: conflicts regarding closeness and distance in dating couples, patterns of marital conflict, reactions to anger-evoking and hurtful events, and the role of attachment and conflict patterns in the intergenerational transmission of relationship difficulties. The studies point to complex links between attachment and conflict variables. Insecurity - particularly attachment anxiety – is associated with high levels of conflict, and with maladaptive responses such as coercion and conflict avoidance. These conflict behaviors are likely to fuel disagreement, hence maintaining or exacerbating insecurity. There is also evidence that insecurity and maladaptive conflict behaviors create relational dissatisfaction, and that conflict behaviors partially mediate the link between insecurity and dissatisfaction. Research further suggests that parents‘ insecurity and destructive conflict behaviors have negative consequences for adolescent offspring, in terms of attachment difficulties and appraisals of loneliness. These findings highlight the importance of interventions designed to ameliorate insecurities and communication difficulties.

The Relationship among Depression Experiences, Adult Attachment, and Countertransference Behavior of Counselors

The Relationship among Depression Experiences, Adult Attachment, and Countertransference Behavior of Counselors

Examining the role of parental frightened/frightening subtypes in predicting disorganized attachment within a brief observational procedure

Following Main and Hesse's hypothesis, several investigators have affirmed that frightened/frightening (FR) as well as particular atypical maternal behaviors are associated with infant disorganized and adult unresolved attachment. Here, for the first time, FR behavior was observed in (a) middle-class father-infant (n = 25) and independent mother-infant dyads (n = 50) and (b) a brief laboratory play session. In addition, relations between disorganization, unresolved attachment, and the six FR system subscales were explored. Paternal and maternal overall FR behavior was related to infant disorganization (n = 75, phi = .61, p < .001), and for a subsample where Adult Attachment Interviews were available (n = 32), to unresolved adult attachment (phi = .59, p < .001). At the subscale level, disorganized-FR behaviors were related to infant disorganization, but only for mother-infant dyads. Across the whole sample, both dissociative-FR and threatening-FR subscales were associated with infant disorganization. The dissociative-FR subscale emerged as the central predictor of infant disorganization and was the only subscale significantly related to unresolved attachment. The appearance of FR behavior in this 18-min play procedure suggests that FR probably occurs more frequently than previously suspected. The possible role of dissociative processes in unresolved adult attachment, disorganized attachment, and FR parental behavior is discussed.

Observing attachment behavior in couples: the Adult Attachment Behavior Q-Set (AABQ).

Knowledge as to how attachment behavior is observable in couple interaction can be very useful to clinicians who use attachment theory or related theories to guide their work with couples. The development of the Adult Attachment Behavior Q-Set (AABQ), a 100-item Q-sort designed to be consistent with Main's Adult Attachment Interview (AAI) coding system, is described. Videotaped discussions were coded for a sample of 28 couples. The majority of the couples were married and had sought therapy for couple problems. Reliability of coding was adequate. Evidence for validity was promising, with a match of 84% between the AAI and AABQ for secure versus insecure, and 70% for the three categories of secure, dismissing, and preoccupied. Even though additional reliability and validity information are needed for the AABQ, it holds promise for providing insights into couple dynamics that could be useful in guiding interventions and in evaluating the outcome of couple therapy.

Adult Attachment and High‐Risk Sexual Behavior Among HIV‐Positive Patients

The present study investigated the relationship between adult attachment style and sexual behavior among HIV‐positive patients. HIV‐positive (HIV+) participants (N= 48) completed questionnaires assessing number of sexual partners, adult attachment, self‐esteem, and depressive symptoms. Results revealed that insecure attachment styles (particularly negative attachment representations of self and fearful attachment) were associated with having multiple sexual partners, including at‐risk HIV‐negative (HIV‐) partners. These relationships remained significant after controlling for sexual orientation, self‐esteem, and depressive symptomatology. These results suggest that interpersonal issues may play a key role in high‐risk sexual behavior among HIV+ individuals.

Adult attachment and sexual behavior

The relations between adult attachment processes and sexuality were examined in a community sample of 792 young adults (327 men and 465 women) from the Niagara region of Canada. Participants completed questionnaires that included Simpson’s (1990) measure of adult attachment, self‐reported physical attractiveness, erotophilia, and a variety of sexual behavior measures (e.g., number of sexual partners, age of first sexual experience, frequency of sexual behaviors in the past year, whether an affair had occurred in the past year, and consistent condom usage). The sexuality measures were factor analyzed to extract common factors. The results were modest, but a number of significant relationships between sexuality and attachment were observed. For example, people scoring higher on a secure attachment index perceived themselves as more physically attractive, whereas people scoring higher on an anxious attachment index perceived themselves as less physically attractive, had an early first intercourse (and more lifetime partners), more infidelity, and took more sexual precautions (e.g., condom usage). The results were generally stronger in women, with most of the attachment/sexuality associations in the full sample being driven by the results in women. Implications for understanding sexual variability, including high‐risk sexual behavior, are discussed.

Assessing secure base behavior in adulthood: Development of a measure, links to adult attachment representations and relations to couples' communication and reports of relationships.

A focus on the secure base phenomenon creates a framework for exploring the function of the attachment system in adulthood. Engaged couples (N = 157) were videotaped in a problem-solving interaction and assessed using the Secure Base Scoring System (SBSS), a system based on Ainsworth's analyses of infant-parent secure base use and support. Study 1 showed behavior was significantly related to representations assessed with the Adult Attachment Interview (M. Main & R. Goldwyn, 1994). In Study 2, the interactions were independently scored with the Rapid Marital Interaction Coding System (RMICS; R. E. Heyman & D. Vivian, 1993), a communication-based system. The SBSS predicted relationship variables beyond the RMICS, especially for women. Results indicate that the secure base phenomenon provides a cogent perspective on adult attachment behavior.

Further Evidence for a Relationship Between Attachment Insecurity and Coercive Sexual Behavior in Nonoffenders

To replicate and extend the findings of a previous study examining attachment insecurity and coercive sexual behavior in nonoffenders, a new cohort of 119 male undergraduate students completed self-report measures of childhood maternal and paternal attachment, adult attachment, antisociality, aggression, and coercive sexual behavior. Consistent with earlier findings, insecure childhood attachment was significantly associated with coercive sexual behavior, accounting for an additional (although nonsignificant) proportion of variance after anti-sociality and aggression were statistically controlled. In contrast with earlier findings, maternal avoidant attachment rather than paternal avoidant attachment emerged as an important predictor of coercive sexual behavior. Examination of more specific aspects of childhood attachment revealed that insecure patterns of both maternal and paternal attachment were associated with coercive sexual behavior independently of aggression and antisociality. Adult attachment avoidance was found to be associated with coercive sexual behavior, and adult attachment anxiety was found to be associated with antisociality and aggression.

Attachment and coercive sexual behavior.

This study examined the relationships between childhood attachment and coercive sexual behavior. One hundred sixty-two male undergraduate students completed self-report measures of childhood maternal attachment, childhood paternal attachment, adult attachment, antisociality, aggression, and coercive sexual behavior. As predicted, insecure childhood attachment, especially insecure paternal attachment, was associated with antisociality, aggression, and coercive sexual behavior. Moreover, childhood attachment independently predicted coercive sexual behavior after antisociality and aggression were statistically controlled. The hypothesis that paternal avoidant attachment would predict coercive sexual behavior independently of its relationship with aggression and antisociality was also supported. Posthoc analysis indicated that maternal anxious attachment was associated with antisociality and that paternal avoidant attachment was associated with both antisociality and coercive sexual behavior. These results are consistent with criminological and psychological research linking adverse early family experiences with offending and lend support to an attachment-theoretical framework for understanding offending behavior in general and sexual offending behavior in particular.

Airport separations: A naturalistic study of adult attachment dynamics in separating couples.

Couple members separating and not separating from each other in a public airport completed a questionnaire designed to assess relationship length, attachment style, and degree of subjective distress. After they completed these measures, their attachment behavior was observed unobtrusively. Analyses suggested that adult attachment behavior is organized in a manner similar to that observed in children. Relationship length and separation status were associated with the expression of attachment behavior in adults. Analyses also indicated that women with Anxious working models were more likely to experience distress prior to a separation. But the behavioral strategies exhibited by women varied as a function of Avoidant, not Anxious, working models. Results for men were less clear. Implications for adult attachment theory and research are discussed. Throughout the history of attachment research, naturalistic studies have been regarded as an important source of information about the dynamics of attachment relationships (Colin, 1996). When John Bowlby (1969/1982) originally formulated his theory of infant- caregiver attachment, he relied heavily on naturalistic studies of infants who had been separated from their mothers (Bowlby, Robertson, & Rosenbluth, 1952; Heinicke & Westheimer, 1965; Robertson & Robertson, 1971). Similarly, his colleague Mary Ainsworth devoted considerable effort to studying child-caregiver interactions in their natural context. In her early research, she collected observational and ethnographic data on infant-mother dyads in Uganda (Ainsworth, 1967). Later, in Baltimore, she and her colleagues conducted one of the most extensive home observational studies to date on infant-mother interactions (Ainsworth, Blehar, Waters, & Wall, 1978). These and other observational studies (Anderson, 1972; Carr, Dabbs, & Carr, 1975; Grossmann, Grossmann, Spangler, Suess, & Unzner, 1985; Marvin, VanDevender, Iwanaga, LeVine, & LeVine, 1977) are valuable because they provide important insights into the nature and function of attachment behavior and the dynamics of affectional relationships. In the last decade, an increasing number of researchers have applied attachment theory to adult romantic relationships (see Feeney & Noller, 1996, for a review). However, unlike research on infant-caregi ver attachment, very little of the romantic attachment research has been based on observations of couples

Rejection sensitivity as a mediator of the impact of childhood exposure to family violence on adult attachment behavior

Substantial evidence indicates a link between exposure to family violence in childhood and troubled social relationships. We draw on attachment and social-cognitive theory to formulate a model of the mechanisms underlying this association. The model proposes that early experiences of overt rejection (e.g., physical maltreatment) or covert rejection (e.g., emotional neglect) are internalized as sensitivity to rejection. In this study, we operationalize sensitivity to rejection in social-cognitive terms as a tendency to expect and be concerned about rejection across a range of social situations. We hypothesize that rejection sensitivity mediates the link between exposure to family violence and adult attachment behavior. Data from a survey of 212 undergraduates support this hypothesis and also provide evidence that indicates sensitivity to rejection underlies both avoidant and ambivalent patterns of insecure adult attachment behavior. Overall, the results illustrate the power of a process approach to explaining the developmental sequelae of maltreatment.