Adult Attachment Inventory Research Articles

Attachment and negative affect on mental health and pain experience patients with Multiple Sclerosis: Mediated by coping strategies and loneliness

BackgroundMultiple sclerosis and its related stressors significantly affect the mental health of people with MS. Considering the progressive and relapsing-remitting nature of the disease and somatic complaint, the Pain experience for MS patients is challenging. We examined the direct effects of Attachment and the negative affect on mental health and pain experience and the indirect effects of Attachment, negative affect, loneliness, and coping strategies on the mental health and pain experience of people with multiple sclerosis. MethodsThree hundred forty-five patients with MS were selected through the Iranian MS Association. Measures included the negative affect (PANAS), Adult Attachment Inventory (AAI), General Health Questionnaire (GHQ28), short-form McGill pain questionnaire (SF-mpq-2), Social and emotional loneliness scale for adults (SELSA-S), Coping Inventory for Stressful Situations(CISS-21). The present study has employed the Structural Equation Model (SEM) to investigate the direct and indirect effects of coping strategies, attachment, loneliness, and negative affect on mental health and pain experienced by individuals with MS. The fit of the model to the data was examined using the Discrepancy Function Divided by Degrees of Freedom (CMIN/DF), Normed Fit Index (NFI), TuckerLewis Index (TLI), Comparative Fit Index (CFI), and Root Mean Square Error of Approximation (RMSEA). ResultsThe fit indices results showed that the model's fit was good. Furthermore, findings indicate that 13 % (R2=13) of the pain experience Changes and 47 % (R2=47) of the mental health Changes are explained via study predictors. Negative affect directly affects mental health and pain experience, and Attachment directly affects mental health. Negative affect indirectly affects coping strategies. Attachment and Negative affect indirectly affect loneliness. Loneliness and coping strategies indirectly affect mental health and pain experience. ConclusionStudy findings contribute to our understanding of the crucial structures that play a role in the mental health and pain experience of individuals with MS. Loneliness and coping strategies as mediating variables play essential roles in these people's mental health and pain experience. In the times ahead, it would be beneficial to prioritize addressing negative affect, attachment, coping strategies, and loneliness in the patients with MS' medical and psychological intervention.

Factor Structure of Parental Reflective Functioning Questionnaire for Mothers Working at Qazvin University of Medical Sciences

Background: Maternal reflective functioning refers to a mother's ability to understand the mental states of herself and her child. This capacity is related to the attachment styles of the mother and child, as well as the mentalizing capacity of the child and his/her behavioral problems. The Parental Reflective Functioning Questionnaire (PRFQ) was developed to evaluate the capacity of mothers. Objectives: This study aimed to determine the factor structure, structural validity, and psychometric properties of PRFQ in mothers working at Qazvin University of Medical Sciences. Methods: The study was a methodological one conducted by structural equation modeling to investigate the factor structure of PRFQ designed by Luyten et al. in 2017. Two samples, including 183 and 120 mothers working at Qazvin University of Medical Sciences in 2021, were selected using convenience sampling for exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), respectively. For data collection, the participants completed PRFQ, Adult Attachment Inventory (AAI), Symptom Checklist-25 (SCL-25), RFQ, and Emotional Availability Self-Report (EA-SR). For data analysis, statistical methods, including EFA, CFA, and correlation analysis, were used in SPSS and AMOS software packages. Results: The Cronbach’s alpha for the total questionnaire was equal to 0.6. The exploratory factor analysis showed that PRFQ had a 3-factor structure with a shared variance of 38.03%. Item 11 loaded on all factors, and items 6 and 18 loaded on the pre-mentalization factor. The developed model was approved by removing item 11 and loading items 6 and 18 on the pre-mentalization factor in CFA (comparative fit index [CFI] = 0.93, normed fit index [NFI] = 0.82, Tucker-Lewis index [TLI] = 0.92, and root mean square error of approximation [RMSEA] = 0.05). The results also revealed that the developed questionnaire had adequate concurrent and predictive validity. Conclusions: Overall, the 3-factor structure of PRFQ for mothers showed adequate validity and reliability.

Predicting high-risk behaviors based on satisfying basic psychological needs, cognitive emotion regulation and attachment styles mediated by mental vitality in female adolescents

Introduction: Given that basic psychological needs, cognitive emotion regulation, attachment styles and mental vitality are among the factors that play a protective role in the occurrence of high-risk behaviors; therefore, predicting the underlying or eliminating factors of high-risk behaviors seems necessary. Aim: This study was conducted to predicting high-risk behaviors based on satisfying basic psychological needs, cognitive regulation of emotion and attachment styles mediated by mental vitality in female adolescents. Method: The statistical population of this descriptive-correlational study included all female students of the second year of high school in Tabriz in the academic year 2018-2019, from which 282 people were selected using multi-stage cluster sampling. Data were collected through Iranian Adolescents Risk-Taking Scale (IARTS), Basic Psychological Needs Scale (BPNS), Adult Attachment Inventory (AAI), Cognitive Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (CERQ) and Mental Vitality Questionnaire (MVQ). Data were analyzed using path analysis method in SPSS-23 and Lisrel-8 software. Results: There is a negative and significant relationship between high-risk behaviors with the satisfaction of basic psychological needs (P=0.001, r=-0.230), and mental vitality (P=0.001, r=-0.313) and attachment styles (P=0.001, r=0.247) there is a positive and significant relationship; while only the satisfaction of basic psychological needs (P=0.004) can predict high-risk behaviors due to the mediating role of mental vitality. Conclusion: Satisfaction of basic psychological needs due to the mediating role of mental vitality has the ability to predict high-risk behaviors; these findings can be helpful in effectively preventing high-risk behaviors among female adolescents.

The relationship between adolescent refugees’ attachment patterns and their experiences of trauma

ABSTRACTNearly half of all young refugees experience trauma-related mental health problems. However, protective factors, such as attachment style, may mitigate the impact of traumatic events. This study explores the relationship between adolescent refugees’ traumatic experiences and their Adult Attachment Inventory classifications. Attachment and trauma data were gathered from 37 refugee youths resettled in the United States. Results suggest refugees who are securely attached may have greater resilience in the face of traumatic events than refugees with insecure or disorganized attachment styles. Future research should further explore links between adolescent refugee attachment and resiliency in the face of traumatic experiences.

The Young Schema Questionnaire-Short Form: a Persian Version Among a Large Sample of Psychiatric Patients

The Young Schema Questionnaire-Short Form (YSQ-SF), as a measure of early maladaptive schemas (EMSs), showed good validity and reliability. Factor analytic studies have studied various models regarding first-order and second-order factors by using confirmatory factor analyses (CFAs). A limitation of prior psychometric studies on the YSQ-SF is the reliance on normal samples. This study aimed to assess latent factor structure, validity, and reliability of the Persian-translated version of YSQ-SF in a large sample of patients with different mental disorders. One thousand and six patients with different psychiatric disorders completed the YSQ-SF, the Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II), the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire-Short Form (CTQ-SF), and the Adult Attachment Inventory (AAI). The results showed that the 15-factor first-order and five-factor second-order models had more acceptable fits than other models. The internal reliability of the YSQ-SF in terms of Cronbach’s alpha was found to be good. Criterion, predictive, and discriminant validity of the scale was confirmed to be acceptable. The findings suggest that among the proposed models of YSQ-SF, the 75-item YSQ-SF with 15-factor first-order and five-factor second-order models has acceptable fits among Iranian psychiatric patients.

The Relationship of Attachment Styles with Childbirth Self-efficacy in Nulliparous Pregnant Women: The Mediating Role of Alexithymia

Background & aim: The enhancement of childbirth self-efficacy to manage the labor pain can help the nulliparous pregnant women to make informed choice about vaginal delivery. Regarding the relationship of the childbirth self-efficacy with psychological antecedents, the present study aimed to explore the meditating role of alexithymia in the relationship of attachment styles and childbirth self-efficacy among the nulliparous pregnant women. Methods: This descriptive correlational study was conducted on 210 nulliparous pregnant women, living in Shiraz in 2016. The samples were selected from the nulliparous women referring to the public and private health and medical centers through the purposive sampling technique. The data were collected using a researcher-made demographic form, Iranian version of Childbirth Self-Efficacy Inventory, Hazan and Shaver’s Adult Attachment Inventory, and Farsi Toronto Alexithymia Scale-20. The data analysis was performed using the descriptive statistics and structural equation modeling through the SPSS version 20 and AMOS version 21, respectively. Results: Our findings indicated that all aspects of attachment styles (i.e., secure, avoidant, and ambivalent) would be able to predict the childbirth self-efficacy in the nulliparous pregnant women. On the other hand, the secure and insecure attachment styles predicted alexithymia among this population. The results of the path analysis demonstrated that alexithymia had a mediating role in the relationship of the attachment styles and the childbirth self-efficacy. Conclusion: Based on the findings of the present study, it can be concluded that the attachment styles and childbirth self-efficacy had an indirect relationship mediating through such variables as alexithymia.

Quality of Romantic Attachment, Forgiveness, and Altruism in Parents of Children with Special Needs and Parents of Regular School Children

Abstract The aim of the current study was to investigate the relationship between forgiveness, quality of romantic attachment with altruism in parents of children with special needs and regular school children. In this study, 275 individuals (144 parents of regular school children using cluster sampling and 131 parents of children with special needs using available sampling [ procedure) were selected. In this study Enright forgiveness inventory (Enright, 1977), Adult Attachment Inventory (Hazen& Shaver, 1987), and altruism (Ashton & et al., 1998); were used. Analysis of data was performed by using multiple regression analysis. Results of the analysis revealed that in parents of regular school children there was a significant negative correlation between insecure attachment to spouse and cognitive, emotional and behavioral domain of forgiveness. Whereas in parents of exceptional children there was a significant negative correlation between insecure attachment to spouse and cognitive and behavioral dimensions of forgiveness. Multiple regression analysis revealed that in mothers of children with special needs and regular school children quality of attachment to the spouse was a significant variable in determining the forgiveness (cognitive, behavioral and emotional dimension of forgiveness). The quality of attachment is a significant variable in determining the magnitude of forgiveness. Keyword : forgiveness, quality of attachment to spouse, altruism, exceptional parents, regular school children’s mother.

Mother-Infant Attachment Style as a Predictor of Depression among Female Students

Background and aim: There are an increasing number of studies showing an association of adult attachment styles to psychopathology. Therefore, the purpose of the present study was to investigate the relation between attachment style and depression among students of Bu-Ali Sina University in Iran. Methods: This descriptive correlational study was conducted on 157 girl students who were randomly selected. They were evaluated by demographic questionnaire, Adult Attachment Inventory (AAI) (Hazan and Shaver), and theBeck Depression Inventory (BDI-II). The data was analysis by using Pearson correlation coefficient and regression analysis in SPSS 16 statistical package. Results: Findings indicated that secure attachment style had no significant correlation with depression and insecure attachment styles had a significant positive correlation with depression (p <0.05). Regression analysis showed that Attachment styles may predict acceptable rate of depression. Finally analysis showed, Anxious/Ambivalent style had a significant positive effect on girls depression (p <0.05, β=0.24), so that with a one-unit increase in the standard deviation of the predicting variable (Anxious/Ambivalent style), standard deviation of the dependent variable (girls depression) increased by 0.24 units (p <0.05). Conclusions: The findings of the present study supply to improve the understanding of attachment styles involved in the development of vulnerability to depression.

RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN ATTACHMENT AND ADJUSTMENT WITH CHRONIC PAIN; WITH STUDY THE MODERATOR ROLE OF RESILIENCY

The present study investigated the relationship between attachment style with adjustment and resiliency in chronic pain patients and probable mediating role of resiliency between attachment and adjustment. &#x0D; Adult Attachment Inventory; Depression‚ Anxiety‚ Stress Scale (DASS_21) Resiliency Scale (CS_RISC) and Roland–Morris Disability Questionnaire (RDQ). Data were analyzed using parson’s correlation and regression.&#x0D; Results revealed that avoidant and ambivalent attachment styles negatively correlated with adjustment (positively correlated with depression, anxiety and stress) and positively with resiliency. Secure attachment wasn’t correlated with none of them. Resiliency didn’t mediate the impact of attachment style on adjustment. These findings suggest that insecure attachment style is a vulnerability factor for adjustment with chronic pain and predicts lower resiliency in these patients.&#x0D; Briefly present the conclusions and importance of the results. Concisely summarize the study’s implications. Please do not include any citations in the abstract.

Mother-infant Attachment Styles as a Predictor of Aggression

Background: Aggression is a phenomenon that causes irreversible damage to a community. Psychodynamic theory suggests that aggression is rooted in early relationships with family members, especially mother. According to this theory, infant-mother relationship is a major predictor of an individual’s behavior from childhood to adulthood. This study aimed to investigate the correlation between mother-infant attachment styles and aggression. Methods:This study was conducted on 150 university students (75 female, 75 male) randomly selected from Bu-Ali Sina University in Hamadan, Iran. Data were collected via demographic questionnaires, Persian version of Adult Attachment Inventory (AAS) (Hazen and Shaver) and Ahvaz Aggression Inventory (AAI). Data analysis was performed using Pearson correlation and regression analysis. Results: According to our findings, secure mother-infantattachment had a significant negative correlation with aggression. In addition, ambivalent mother-infantattachment had a significant positive correlation with aggression, while avoidant attachment style had no significant correlation with aggression. Conclusion: According to the results of this study, secure attachment of mother with infant could reduce aggression during adulthood. On the other hand, ambivalent attachment between mother and infant could clearly increase the risk of aggression. Therefore, it is recommended to train different attachment styles to pregnant women through related workshops during pregnancy in order to prevent ambivalent mother-infant attachment.

Relationship between Attachment Styles to Somatization and Anxiety

Introduction: Attachment theory is one of the appropriate models for understanding the adaptive and maladaptive methods that people are faced multiple developmental challenges by these models. Secure attachment Experience is necessary for healthy and normal development, and it is the substructure of mental health functioning. This study examined the relationship between attachment styles with anxiety and somatization disorders. Materials and Methods: The research was a descriptive-correlational study. The statistical population comprised of all students at coed universities in Tehran. A group of 384 male and female students (due to the population size by using the Cochran formula), using random multiple cluster sampling method, were selected. The adult attachment inventory (AAI) and the symptom checklist-90-revised (SCL-90-R) were completed by these students. For data analysis, correlation coefficients and regression analysis were used. Results: Our data revealed a significant correlation between attachment style and vulnerability to anxiety and somatization disorders. Conclusion: Insecure attachment styles (ambivalent and avoidant) can play an important role in the creation and maintenance of anxiety and somatization disorders. Therefore, evaluation of these traumatic factors can lead to a new orientation in the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of the disorders mentioned above.

The Moderating Role of Attachment Styles on the Relationship of Alexithymia and Fear of Intimacy with Marital Satisfaction

Attachment styles, alexithymia, and fear of intimacy are considered to be detrimental to degree of satisfactionwithin the couples relationships. The present study aimed to investigate the moderating role of attachment styleson the relationship of alexithymia and fear of intimacy with marital satisfaction in a sample of Iranian students.Participants (313 males, 375 females) filled the Adult Attachment Inventory (AAI), the Farsi version of theToronto Alexithymia Scale-20 (FTAS-20), Fear of Intimacy Scale (FIS), and the Golombok Rust Inventory ofMarital State Questionnaire (GRIMS). Secure attachment style showed a significant positive association withmarital satisfaction, while insecure attachment styles as well as fear of intimacy and alexithymia showedsignificant negative associations with marital satisfaction. The relationship between fear of intimacy and maritalsatisfaction was moderated by secure and avoidant attachment styles. The results revealed that only avoidantattachment style could moderate the relationship between alexithymia and marital satisfaction. Results of thepresent study suggest that the relationship of alexithymia and fear of intimacy with marital satisfaction is not asimple linear one. This is moderated in part by attachment styles. Hence, secure and insecure attachmentcharacteristics may have significant influence in marital relationship in opposite directions.

Mediating Role of Cognitive Emotion Regulation Strategies on the Relationship Between Attachment Styles and Alexithymia

The main objective of the present study was to investigate the mediating role of cognitive emotion regulation strategies on the relationship between attachment styles and alexithymia. Five hundred and thirty six undergraduate students (282 girls, 254 boys) from public universities in Tehran participated in this study. Participants were asked to complete the Adult Attachment Inventory (AAI), the Farsi version of the Toronto Alexithymia Scale (FTAS-20), and Cognitive Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (CERQ). The results illustrated a significant negative correlation between secure attachment style and alexithymia. Moreover, the results revealed a significant positive correlation between avoidant and ambivalent attachment styles with alexithymia. Regression analysis showed that both adaptive and maladaptive cognitive emotion regulation strategies, have a mediating role on the relationship between attachment styles and alexithymia. Secure and insecure attachment styles predicted changes in alexithymia through adaptive and maladaptive cognitive emotion regulation strategies in opposite directions. Based on these findings, it can be concluded that the mediating role of cognitive emotion regulation strategies on the relationship between attachment styles and alexithymia is partial.

The relationship between attachment styles and alexithymia: Mediating role of self-regulation

The present study examined mediating role of self-regulation on the relationship between secure, avoidant, and ambivalent attachment styles with alexithymia in a sample of undergraduate students consisted of 546 volunteers (259 males, 287 females). Participants completed Adult Attachment Inventory, Toronto Alexithymia Scale, and the Self-Regulation Inventory. Secure attachment style showed a significant negative association with alexithymia, while avoidant and ambivalent attachment styles showed significant positive associations with alexithymia. Analysis of the data revealed that the relationship between attachment styles and alexithymia was mediated by self-regulation. Secure attachment style as the main effective factor in development of impressive emotion regulation skills provides well identification, expression and better exchange of emotions in social and emotional interactions by reinforcement of self-regulation. In contrast, insecure attachment styles deprive potential developmental opportunities for learning emotion regulation skills within the frame of mother-child and child-environment relations and diminish ability of emotional identification, expression and interactions.

Attachment and separation–individuation: two ways of looking at the mother–infant relationship

The early development of two sisters was observed in a naturalistic setting as part of the research contributing to an understanding of the separation–individuation process. Forty years later, the women were administered the Adult Attachment Inventory (AAI). The results of the AAI, which were unexpected and surprising, are used in this paper to add to the understanding of the earlier observations, and to demonstrate how both theories together can be used to enrich our understanding of the earliest relationship.

Adult Attachment Among Partnered Gay Men: Patterns and Associations with Sexual Relationship Quality

Previous research has found secure adult attachment to be associated positively with dimensions of main partner relationship quality and negatively with sexual risk taking and sex with casual partners among heterosexuals in primary relationships. Potential associations between adult attachment and aspects of relationship functioning have received limited attention among gay men. Data were collected from both members of 344 gay male couples as part of a community survey (M age=38.6, SD=9.4). Participants completed a shortened version of the Adult Attachment Inventory (Collins & Read, 1990) and the Dyadic Sexual Communication Scale (Catania, 1998). They reported the frequency of sex with main partners and the number of casual male unprotected sex partners. Data were analyzed using the Actor-Partner Interdependence Model. Securely attached individuals reported the highest levels of sexual communication and men with securely attached partners were the most likely to report having sex with their partners as least once per week. Avoidantly attached men reported significantly more casual unprotected anal intercourse (UAI) partners compared to other attachment styles. Having an avoidantly attached partner was also associated with an increase in the number of UAI partners reported. Attachment style is relevant to the sexual relationship quality and sexual safety of partnered gay men. Cognitive-interpersonal intervention approaches developed to target attachment-related cognitions and behaviors may be relevant to HIV prevention efforts in this population.

The Moderating Role of Attachment Styles on the Relationship between Alexithymia and Interpersonal Problems in an Iranian Population

The moderating role of attachment styles on the relationship between alexithymia and interpersonal problemswas assessed in the present study. Eight hundred and twenty nine Iranian general populations (372 men, 457women) who were living in Tehran were involved in this study. The participants were asked to complete threequestionnaires including Adult Attachment Inventory, Toronto Alexithymia Scale-20, and Inventory ofInterpersonal Problems. Results showed a significant negative correlation between secure attachment style andinterpersonal problems. Moreover, the results revealed that avoidant and ambivalent attachment styles as well asalexithymia had a significant positive correlation with interpersonal problems. Regression analysis indicated thatattachment styles have a moderating role on the relationship between alexithymia and interpersonal problems. Itcan be concluded that the relationship between alexithymia and interpersonal problems is not a simple linear one.This is partly moderated by attachment styles.

The Relationship between Early Maladaptive Schemas and Anxious/Ambivalent Attachment Style in Individuals with Borderline Personality Disorder

The purpose of this research was to study the relationship between early maladaptive schemas(EMS) and anxious/ambivalent attachment style in individuals with borderline personality disorder. The sampling group was consisted of 60 men and women with borderline personality disorder(BPD) qualified for entering in the research who were selected by purposeful sampling method. The data was collected by means of two questionnaires (1) Adult Attachment Inventory(AAI), and (2) Schema Questionnaire-Short Form(SQ-SF). The data was analyzed via Pearson coefficient of correlation and stepwise regression analysis. The summary of the research indicated that: 1- a significant relationship exists between the schemas of emotional deprivation, abandonment/instability, mistrust/abuse, social isolation/alienation, and defectiveness/shame schemas in adultness and anxious/ambivalent attachment of individuals with BPD. 2- stepwise regression analysis indicated that at the first step, enmeshment/undeveloped self variable has been entered into the prediction equation and expresses solely 34% of attachment style variations which is significant within P DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2013.v4n13p231

The relationship between attachment styles and alexithymia: Mediating role of defense mechanisms

This study examined the mediating role of ego defense mechanisms on the relationship between attachment styles and alexithymia. Four hundred and forty-three Iranian high school students (213 boys, 230 girls) participated in this study. Participants completed Defense Styles Questionnaire (DSQ-40), Adult Attachment Inventory (AAI), and Farsi version of the Toronto Alexithymia Scale (FTAS-20). Results showed a significant negative correlation between secure attachment style and alexithymia, while avoidant and ambivalent attachment styles showed significant positive associations with alexithymia. Regression analysis indicated that defense mechanisms have a mediating role between attachment styles and alexithymia. It can be concluded that a mediation role of ego defense mechanisms on the relationship between attachment styles and alexithymia was partial.

Prevalence of Obsessive Love and Its Association with Attachment Styles

The purpose of current study was examined the prevalence of emotional immature or obsessive love and it has relationship between attachment styles of university students. The Sample of this study consisted of 290 students (117 female and 173 male) of Shahid Chamran University of Ahwaz that were selected with convenience sampling method. The instruments for collecting data consisted Passionate Love Scale and Adult Attachment Inventory. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistic, Pearson correlation and multiple regression through software program SPSS (version 16) and the significant level of analysis were P<0/05. Results showed that the prevalence of obsessive love among population was 17/9 percent. The results of multiple regressions showed that ambivalent attachment style significantly (P<0/01) can be predicted obsessive love. The research findings could be Based on concluding that activity of attachment system is not limited to childhood, And it remain during of life and the emotional ties such as friendships and romantic relationships, so that ambivalent attachment style in romantic relationships can be immature to predict.