Adult Attachment Style Research Articles

Prenatal coparenting and attachment style in Japanese pregnant women: A cross-sectional survey.

Developing prenatal coparenting is important for preparing couples for parenting immediately after childbirth, but knowledge of prenatal coparenting remains limited. Adult attachment style has been shown to be one of the factors during pregnancy that predict coparenting after childbirth, as well as a significant factor in the developmental process of the coparenting relationship. The present study mainly examines the relationship between prenatal coparenting as perceived by pregnant women and their attachment style. A cross-sectional survey was conducted at a tertiary emergency medical facility in Japan. Data from 181 pregnant women at 22-36 weeks' gestation who completed a self-reported questionnaire consisting of the Prenatal Coparenting Scale (PCS), relationship-specific attachment styles, and characteristics were subjected to analysis. The mean age of the women in this study was 33.1 years (standard deviation = 5.2), 80 (44.2%) were expecting their first child, and 101 (55.8%) were expecting their second or subsequent child. Women's attachment avoidance toward their mother (r = -.26), father (r = -.23), and partner (r = -.60) and attachment anxiety toward their partner (r = -.33) were significantly negatively correlated with PCS scores. When classified into two groups by fetal birth order, attachment avoidance and attachment anxiety toward the partner were significantly negatively correlated with PCS scores, regardless of fetal birth order. Unlike attachment style toward the partner, attachment avoidance toward the mother (r = -.33) and father (r = -.32) was significantly negatively correlated with PCS scores in the group of women expecting their second or subsequent child only. These results provide valuable insights into the relationship between prenatal coparenting and adult attachment style and deepen the understanding of prenatal coparenting. Future studies using longitudinal surveys and multivariate analyses could present relevant suggestions for specific types of support that promote the development of prenatal coparenting.

Impact of childhood trauma on resilience and attachment style in adulthood

Impact of childhood trauma on resilience and attachment style in adulthood

Modelling the effect of Psychological Resilience, Inferiority, and Coping Style Between Adult Attachment Style and Social Anxiety Among Chinese Colleges Students in Gansu China

Modelling the effect of Psychological Resilience, Inferiority, and Coping Style Between Adult Attachment Style and Social Anxiety Among Chinese Colleges Students in Gansu China

Adult Attachment Functioning and Marital Quality: A Psychosocial Study on Early & Middle Adults

Marital quality, adjustment and post-marital family harmony have been considered to be significant precursors to adult well-being. The research aimed to find out gender differences, if any, among early and middle-adult participants. It also sought interactions/ interconnections between adult attachment style, stressful life events and marital quality of male and female early and middle adults aged between 25 and 45 years. Each participant individually filled out selfreport measures such as the Relationship Structure Scale and the Marital Quality Scale. Snowball sampling was used to collect data from a sample of 45 couple participants aged 25 to 45 years. Statistical analyses were done. Statistical analyses revealed no significant gender difference in the marital quality of the participants. Global Avoidance, Global Anxiety and Anxious Attachment Styles are the predictors of high scores on the Marital Quality Scale (higher score indicates poorer marital quality). Discussion and implications throw light on policy-making in the area of family and marital therapy and the rights and well-being of children.

Structural Relationship of Metacognitive Beliefs, Stress, Attachment Styles with Anorexia Nervosa Mediated by Self-Image

Objective: The aim of this study was to determine the structural relationship between metacognitive beliefs, stress, attachment styles, and anorexia nervosa mediated by self-image. Methods: This research is a descriptive correlational study and is a type of modeling research; the study population included female middle school students from Tehran in the 2022-2023 academic year. The research sample was collected through convenience sampling. Participants included 215 female students who completed online questionnaires on Anorexia Nervosa (Stice et al., 2004), Body Self-Image (Rue & Associates, 1999), Anxiety, Depression, Stress-21 (Lovibond & Lovibond, 1995), Metacognitive Beliefs-30 (Cartwright et al., 2004), and the Adult Attachment Styles Questionnaire (Besharat, 2005). Data were analyzed using the Partial Least Squares method in SPSS and Smart-PLS software. Findings: The results showed that the modified structural relationship model of metacognitive beliefs, stress, and attachment styles with anorexia nervosa mediated by body self-image had the necessary fit. Conclusion: Based on the results obtained, it can be concluded that body self-image played a mediating role in the relationship between metacognitive beliefs, stress, and attachment styles with anorexia nervosa.

Specificity of Perception of the Life Path of Clients with Different Types of Attachment

The purpose of this article is the formation of a theoretical construct that allows us to study the specifics of perception of the life path of an individual with different types of attachment. This article presents the main attachment styles in adults and gives a brief description of them. The hypothetical assumption that clients with different types of attachment have different perceptions of their life path is discussed. Securely attached clients are more likely to see their life journey as a series of successful transitions and achievements. At that time, clients with an insecure attachment type tend to evaluate their life path as negative. The proposed construct serves as a methodological basis for the empirical study of the characteristics of perception of the life path of people with different types of attachment. The theoretical principles highlighted in the article can be used by practicing psychologists to organize psychological work with clients demonstrating different types of attachment.

Associations Between Adult Attachment, Maternal Emotion Socialization and Child Behavior.

Attachment theories suggest that the adult attachment styles of mothers may influence behavior problems among their children; however, empirical studies examining the direct role of maternal adult attachment styles and the mechanisms through emotion-related parenting are scarce. This study examined the influence of maternal adult attachment styles and emotion-related parenting on child internalizing and externalizing problems. The participants were 409 mothers with children aged 4-5years. A questionnaire survey was conducted to obtain their adult attachment styles to their mothers, maternal emotion socialization, and their children's behavior problems. The results of structural equation modelling (SEM) analyses revealed that maternal adult attachment influenced child behavior problems directly and indirectly through maternal emotion socialization. (1) Maternal attachment anxiety directly affected child externalizing problems, and indirectly affected them via mothers' higher unsupportive emotion socialization (dismissing and dysfunction). Moreover, attachment anxiety influenced child internalizing problems directly, and indirectly via mothers' higher unsupportive emotion socialization (dysfunction). (2) Furthermore, attachment avoidance indirectly impacted child externalizing problems via mothers' lower supportive emotion socialization (coaching). These results suggested that maternal adult attachment styles and emotion-related parenting have important implications for the development of child behaviors. Future interventions should target parental factors to mitigate the risk of behavior problems among preschoolers.

Primiparous mothers' parenting self-efficacy in managing toddler distress: Childhood nonsupportive emotion socialization, adult attachment style, and toddler temperament as antecedents.

Early maternal sensitivity to child distress is predictive of child subsequent social-emotional adjustment. A mother's global parenting self-efficacy shapes her adaptive responses to child challenging behaviors (e.g., negative emotions). However, little is known about the antecedents of maternal self-efficacy in managing child distress. Using longitudinal data from a diverse sample of 259 primiparous mothers and their toddlers, we tested a model predicting maternal self-efficacy in managing toddler distress. Mothers' remembered childhood experiences of maternal nonsupportive emotional socialization were positively associated with their self-reports of attachment avoidance and anxiety. Furthermore, a negative link between mothers' self-reports of attachment avoidance and their self-efficacy in managing toddler distress was identified when toddlers displayed higher negative affect. Most importantly, a conditional indirect pathway was found. That is, only when toddlers displayed higher negative affect, mothers' remembered early experiences of maternal nonsupportive emotional socialization were negatively associated with their self-efficacy in managing toddler distress through a positive association with their self-reports of attachment avoidance. Although maternal attachment assessed with Adult Attachment Interview was also included in analyses as a parallel mediator to self-reported attachment, no relevant effects emerged. These results suggest that by disrupting attachment development, parents' early emotion socialization experiences hold long-standing implications for their subsequent confidence in managing child distress. Child distress as a threatening, attachment-related stimulus may contextualize such effects via interfering with the operation of caregiving system, especially for avoidant parents. Such findings may inform the designs of more targeted interventions to assist first-time mothers in navigating emotionally evocative challenges during toddlerhood. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

Attachment insecurity, heart rate variability, and perceived social support in a diverse sample of young adults.

Psychological and physical factors are robustly associated with perceived social support. Drawing from the literature on attachment style in adults and psychophysiology, we examined the possibility that the interaction of attachment insecurity and resting heart rate variability (HRV) was associated with perceived social support in a diverse sample of young adults living in the U.S (N = 145, Mage = 20.45) that was majority Latino (n = 77). Analyses revealed three key findings. First, in the overall sample, attachment avoidance and attachment anxiety were negatively associated with perceived social support, but in the Latino sample, only attachment avoidance was negatively associated with perceived social support. Second, HRV was not associated with perceived social support in the overall sample nor in the Latino sample. Third, attachment insecurity and HRV interacted to predict perceived social support only in the Latino sample such that, for those with lower levels of HRV, attachment anxiety was positively associated with perceived social support. This study underscores the importance of examining both psychological and physiological processes with careful consideration of ethnicity/culture in order to better understand perceived social support.

Cooperation within the therapeutic relationship improves metacognitive functioning: preliminary findings

Both clinical observations and empirical data suggest that metacognitive functioning is a factor strongly associated with a good psychotherapeutic outcome. It has been suggested that some interpersonal social motivations (i.e., attachment and cooperation) may be associated with different levels of metacognitive functioning also within the therapeutic relationship. The aim of this study was to explore the relationship between cooperation and metacognitive monitoring within 58 psychotherapy sessions from seven different patients. All patients were initially assessed through a detailed psychiatric interview. Patients’ adult attachment styles were evaluated using the Attachment Style Questionnaire. The association between the activation of patients’ interpersonal social motivations (e.g., cooperation and attachment) and the modifications of metacognitive abilities during sessions was investigated using the Assessing Interpersonal Motivations in Transcripts method and the Metacognition Assessment Scale have been used. Our results showed that the activation of the patient’s cooperative system is positively associated with an increase in metacognitive functioning, while the activation of attachment is not. The results of the present study have important implications for clinicians: they give empirical support for the role of cooperation in fostering metacognition within the therapeutic relationship.

Trust in relationships: a preliminary investigation of the influence of parental divorce, breakup experiences, adult attachment style, and close relationship beliefs on dyadic trust.

Trust is essential for establishing stable and fulfilling romantic relationships between partners. Development of trust, however, can be assumed to depend on many factors related to an individual's earlier experiences and relationship-related beliefs. This study aimed to investigate how adult attachment style (anxious, avoidant), experiences about parents' divorce and breakdown of one's own romantic relationship, and relationship beliefs are related to the level of dyadic trust in romantic relationships. The present study included 131 Turkish undergraduate university students (55.7% women) from different faculties. The research instrument had questions about parents' and respondents' own relationship status, Dyadic Trust Scale (DTS), Experiences in Close Relationships Inventory-Revised (ECR-R), and Inventory of Close Relationship Beliefs (ICRB), in addition to background questions. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, t-tests, Pearson correlations, regression analyses and mediation analyses. Respondents whose parents had divorced or who had experienced a relationship breakdown had lower dyadic trust scores than those without these experiences. The trust scores correlated negatively with anxious and avoidant attachment styles and positively with relationship belief scales, although the correlations to "external factors" were not statistically significant. In regression analysis, anxious and avoidant attachment styles explained 42% and relationship beliefs 25% of the variance in trust. The only significant predictor among beliefs was "individuality." Mediation analysis showed that the effects of anxious attachment style on trust were fully mediated by the relationship belief in "individuality." The avoidant attachment style had a direct relationship to trust. The results show that anxious attachment style influences trust via relationship beliefs, while avoidant attachment style has a strong direct effect on trust as well as weaker effects via beliefs. The results are discussed in the context of Turkish culture and horizontal collectivism.

Intolerance of Uncertainty as a Mediator on the Relationship Between Adult Attachment and PTSD

Established evidence suggests that intolerance of uncertainty (IU) is associated with both adult attachment and traumatic stress, yet the role of IU as an underlying mechanism between attachment and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is to be explained. This study aimed to examine the mediating role of IU in the relationship between adult attachment styles and PTSD. A cross-sectional study with 335 university students was conducted in Turkiye. Life Events Checklist for DSM-5 (LEC-5), The Experiences in Close Relationships Revised (ECR-R) Questionnaire, The Intolerance of Uncertainty Scale (IU) and PTSD Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5) were used to measure potential traumatic events (PTE), adult attachment styles, intolerance of uncertainty and PTSD, respectively. Results revealed that IU mediated the relationship between anxious and avoidant attachment and PTSD. The results offer a valuable understanding of the intricate interplay between attachment styles and PTSD, shedding light on the underlying factors that contribute to the emergence and persistence of PTSD symptoms. For those who have experienced trauma and show anxious or avoidant attachment patterns, combining strategies to address intolerance of uncertainty with attachment-oriented therapies could have beneficial effects on conditions like PTSD, which are often passed down between generations.

Association between adult attachment style, communication patterns and caregiver burden in parents of children with solid tumors: A cross-sectional study

PurposeThe primary purpose of this cross-sectional study was to delve into the connections among adult attachment styles, communication patterns, and caregiver burden within the sample of parents caring for children diagnosed with solid tumors. MethodsA sample of 456 parents responsible for the care of children with solid tumors was conveniently recruited from a pediatric oncology ward at a tertiary hospital from September 2021 to September 2022. The data collection process included a questionnaire on general information, the Caregiver Burden Inventory, the Adult Attachment Questionnaire Short Form, and the Communication Pattern Questionnaire. ResultsThe findings demonstrated a strong and positive connection between caregiver burden and attachment avoidance, whereas no considerable association was observed for attachment anxiety. Attachment avoidance exhibited a positive link with communication patterns and caregiver burden, and a noteworthy inverse correlation with attachment anxiety. Additionally, communication patterns were uncovered as a mediator in the association between attachment avoidance and caregiver burden. ConclusionsThis study underscores the role of communication patterns as mediators between attachment avoidance and caregiver burden among parents of children with solid tumors. These outcomes emphasize the significance of considering attachment styles and communication patterns when comprehending caregiver burden, and can guide the development of targeted interventions to provide support for parents within this challenging context.

Adult Attachment Styles of Adults Who Were Raised in Children’s Homes in Kenya

The type of care given during childhood has an impact on beliefs, attitudes, and expectations of future relationships. Being raised in a children’s home or other institutionalised care has been seen to increase the risk for emotional, cognitive, developmental and attachment disorders. Attachment styles are ways in which individuals emotionally connect or relate to others. The attachment style can either be secure, which is considered healthy or insecure which is considered unhealthy. The objective of this study was to find out the adult attachment styles among adults who were raised in children’s homes in Kenya. The study adopted the descriptive survey design, and 294 respondents were sampled via census approach. The questionnaire was used for data collection. The standardised revised Adult Attachment Scale was used to measure adult attachment styles. The results of the study showed that the anxious attachment style was the highest adult attachment style among the care leavers (M = 16.09, SD = 6.24), the secure attachment style (M = 15.90, SD = 4.91) and lastly, avoidant attachment (M = 12.63, SD = 4.14). On each of the attachment style domains, 42.9% had moderate secure attachment 78. % low avoidant attachment and 15.6% had a high anxious attachment style. Based on the findings, it is recommended that organisations supporting care leavers should facilitate periodic workshops on the impact of adult attachment style on care leavers in order to create awareness and provide support

The smartphone as a “significant other”: interpersonal dependency and attachment in maladaptive smartphone and social networks use

Smartphones are increasingly widespread throughout the world and, although smartphones provide various benefits, excessive and maladaptive use is often reported. Given the penetration of smartphones in the individual’s daily life, it is relevant to identify the mechanisms sustaining their use, including the affective bond that the owner may develop with the device. The aim of the current study is to test a novel model to explain smartphone and Social Network Sites (SNS) use from an interpersonal perspective. We hypothesized that adult attachment style and interpersonal patterns (i.e., features of interpersonal dependency) generalize to the emotional bond with the mobile device, interacting with psychological correlates and background factors to predict smartphone and SNS consumption. 341 nonclinical adults (57.2% females; age M = 35.5, SD = 14.6) completed a battery consisting of the Attachment Style Questionnaire, the Relationship Profile Test, the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, the Toronto Alexithymia Scale, the Young Adult Attachment to Phone Scale, and the Social Network Intensity and Social Network Access via Mobile phone Applications. A multi-mediation model supported the hypothesis regarding the influence of interpersonal style in the relationship of the individual with their smartphone and use of SNS. A parallel between attachment style and the emotional bond with the smartphone emerged, with anxious attachment style and destructive overdependence being potential risk factors for maladaptive smartphone use especially in individuals involved in a romantic relationship. Findings are discussed in terms of theoretical implications and intervention strategies towards smartphone dependency.

High care and low overprotection from both paternal and maternal parents predict a secure attachment style with a partner among perinatal Japanese women

This study aimed to determine how paternal and maternal parenting before adolescence affects adult attachment to a partner during the perinatal period, using three different models of attachment. We used the Parental Bonding Instrument (PBI) and the Relationship Questionnaire (RQ) to examine perceived parenting practices and adult attachment styles, respectively. The participants included 4586 Japanese women who were pregnant or who had given birth, up until one month after childbirth. We performed structural equation modeling analysis between PBI and RQ scores with three different category models, including the four-category model (secure, fearful, preoccupied, and dismissive attachment) as Model 1, the two-category model (model of the self and others) as Model 2, and the single-category model (total attachment style) as Model 3. Models 1 and 2 showed a good fit. Both path models showed a significant association between adult attachment style and perceived paternal and maternal parenting before adolescence, where high care and low overprotection from both paternal and maternal parents predicted adult attachment. Our findings indicate that attachment styles are best described using the four-category and two-category models, and suggest that both paternal and maternal overprotection and care influence adult attachment with a partner during the perinatal period.

Do personality and attachment predict marital beliefs? Investigating young adults in Iran

Marital Paradigm Theory explicitly attributes differences in marital beliefs to relationship-oriented life experiences and socialization through cultural norms. However, some existing research has shown the potential for individual characteristics, such as personality traits and attachment styles, to associate with certain elements of relationships and marriage. The current study explored potential links among personality traits, attachments styles, and a multi-faceted system of marital beliefs (marital paradigm). A survey of 584 young adults in Iran yielded many associations among personality traits (as measured with the HEXACO model), adult attachment styles, and various marital paradigm dimensions. Results suggested that Openness to experience, Honesty-humility, and Emotionality were especially relevant to marital beliefs. Results are interpreted in light of the Iranian cultural context, adding to a sparse literature on personality and marital beliefs and a growing literature of marital beliefs from non-Western societies.

The representation of child-parent relation: validation of the Italian version of the child-parent relationship scale (CPRS-I).

This study proposes a psychometric validation of the Italian version of the Child-Parent Relationship Scale (CPRS) developed by Pianta in 1992. Based on attachment theory, the scale assesses parents' relationship perceptions with their own child and comprises three scales: Closeness, Conflict, and Dependency. A sample of 501 parents (188 fathers and 313 mothers) completed 30 items of the Italian version of the Child-Parent Relationship Scale (CPRS-I) online, but only 437 answered 85% of the entire protocol; hence, the analyses only focused on 437 participants. The first analysis of the original theoretical model revealed poor fit, item loadings, and internal consistency. Therefore, a follow-up analysis was conducted. Exploratory and confirmatory analyses with a split sample (EFA = 218; CFA = 219) confirmed the original three-factor structure of the Italian sample, although some items were eliminated. The validity and reliability of the Italian version of the CPRS-I were also verified by correlating the above three factors with measures of adult attachment styles and children's internalizing and externalizing behaviors. The CPRS-I showed significant correlations with all tested constructs, in line with those found by Driscoll and Pianta for the short form of the scale. Our results confirm that the CPRS-I has the same structure as the original scale; therefore, it can be a useful tool for assessing parents' perceptions of their relationship with their children. The implications for educational and clinical settings are also discussed.

Temporal characteristics of emotional conflict processing: the modulation role of attachment styles

Theoretical account of attachment proposed that individual differences in adult attachment styles play a key role in adjusting balance between affective evaluation and cognitive control. Yet, little is known about the temporal characteristics of emotional conflict processing modulated by attachment styles. Accordingly, the present study used event-related potentials (ERP) and multivariate pattern analysis (MVPA) combined with an emotional face-word Stroop task to investigate the temporal dynamics of attachment-related cognitive-affective patterns in emotional conflict processing. The ERP results demonstrated multiple-process of emotional conflict modulated by attachment styles. In early sensory processing, positive faces captured avoidant attachment individuals' attention as reflected in greater P1, while the same situation led to greater N170 in secure and anxious individuals. Crucially, impairment in conflict-monitoring function was found in anxious individuals as reflected by the absence of interference effect on N450, leading to impaired ability of inhibitory control as indicated by decreased slow potential. In contrast, avoidant individuals showed greater slow potential for inhibiting emotional interference. Furthermore, MVPA revealed that the corresponding time window for conflict monitoring was found for emotional distractors decoding rather than congruency decoding in the anxious attachment group. Convergent results from ERPs and MVPA indicated that the deficits in emotional conflict monitoring and resolution among anxious individuals might be due to the excessive approach to emotional distractors, as they habitually use emotional evaluation rather than cognitive control. In summary, the present study provides electrophysiological evidence that attachment styles modulated emotional conflict processing, which highlights the contribution of attachment to social information processing.

Client-counselor behavioral and inter-brain synchronization among dismissing and secure clients and its association with alliance quality and outcome

ABSTRACT Objective This study aimed to explore whether behavioral synchrony (BS) and inter-brain synchrony (IBS) could serve as potential biomarkers for alliance quality or outcomes among clients with different adult attachment styles. Method: We assessed the clients’ self-report working alliance and clinical outcomes as well as simultaneously measured BS using motion energy analysis (MEA) and IBS with functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) among 37 secure (N = 21) or dismissing (N = 16) clients with their counselors during the first psychological counseling meeting. Results: Dismissing dyads manifested significantly higher late-stage counselor-led and client-led IBS (p = .018) than secure dyads. Adult attachment style served as the moderators in the correlation of both whole-stage client-led BS with bond dimension of alliance (p = .015) as well as in the correlation of both whole-stage no-lag IBS with CORE-10 score changes (p = .022). Moreover, increases in the whole-stage client-led BS were significantly associated with decreases in early-stage, late-stage and whole-stage no-lag IBS (all ps ≤ 0.01). Conclusion: These findings revealed the potentially impeding role of interpersonal synchrony in alliance quality for dismissing clients, at least during the first psychological counseling meetings. They also might partially validate the relationship between different modalities of interpersonal synchrony.