Anxious Attachment Orientations Research Articles

Biological marker of withdrawal ruptures: Dyadic pattern of incongruence in oxytocin release.

Despite widespread clinical, theoretical, and empirical support for the importance of alliance ruptures, little is known about the underlying biological level at times of rupture. The overarching goal of the present study was to investigate dyadic patterns of in-session oxytocin (OT) change between patients and therapists (e.g., patient's OT increases more than therapist's OT) as markers of withdrawal ruptures. Hypothesis 1 construed that OT incongruence (e.g., larger patient increase in OT in comparison to their therapist OT increase) will mark the occurrence of withdrawal ruptures. Hypothesis 2 construed that this effect of OT incongruence will be more pronounced when anxious attachment orientation is low. Surface analysis was conducted on 628 saliva samples that were gathered before and after therapeutic sessions of 53 patient-therapist dyads enrolled in a randomized control trial treating major depression. Only Hypothesis 2 received empirical support, meaning it was only when anxious attachment orientation was low that there were significantly more withdrawal ruptures when the patient's OT increase was higher than their therapist's OT increase. This is consistent with the literature, suggesting that in times of withdrawal ruptures, the patient and therapist are in an incongruent state. Findings suggest that this incongruence is mirrored at the biological level only when anxious attachment orientation is low. Results shed light on what may be happening between patients and therapists on a biological level during a withdrawal rupture. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

A Secure Base for Entrepreneurship: Attachment Orientations and Entrepreneurial Tendencies.

Entrepreneurship catalyzes economic growth; it generates jobs, advances the economy and solves global challenges. Hence, it is crucial to understand the factors contributing to entrepreneurship and entrepreneurs' development. While many studies have investigated intrapersonal factors for entrepreneurial tendencies, the present study focuses on a critical yet often overlooked interpersonal aspect: attachment orientations. Specifically, this article examines the relationship between adult attachment orientations and entrepreneurial tendencies. Three studies across three countries (Israel, the UK, and Singapore) indicated that an anxious attachment orientation in close relationships is negatively associated with enterprising tendencies. In Israel (Study 1) and Singapore (Study 2), avoidant attachment in close relationships was also negatively correlated to such tendencies. Overall, the more people feel secure in close relationships (lower scores on attachment anxiety or avoidance), the higher their enterprising tendencies. Limitations and future research suggestions are discussed.

How to avoid others and influence people: Attachment orientations predict leader prototypicality in ad hoc teams

The existing literature has explored the role and importance of personality traits in leader prototypicality. However, limited research exists concerning the link between personality traits and leader emergence or prototypicality in ad hoc teams. Based on the relational leadership and attachment literature, we examine whether leader attachment orientations can serve as antecedents of leader prototypicality in ad hoc teams. Utilizing an ad hoc problem-solving task featuring a round-robin design in a sample of 197 participants, we find that individuals with a dominant avoidant attachment orientation were more likely to be perceived as leader-like or leader prototypical. In comparison, individuals with a dominant anxious attachment orientation were much less likely to emerge as leader prototypical. We interpret these findings in alignment with attachment theory and relational leadership and discuss the role of relational personality traits in ad hoc teams with no formally appointed leader.

Psychological Attachment Orientation and Long-Term Posttraumatic Stress Symptoms Among Family Members of ICU Patients.

OBJECTIVES:To determine the degree to which an ICU patient’s family member having an “anxious” psychologic attachment orientation is a risk factor for developing long-term posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms following patient ICU discharge or death.DESIGN:Prospective cohort study.SETTING:Single academic neuroscience ICU from November 2017 to September 2020.PARTICIPANTS:Consecutively enrolled sample of family members, one for each ICU patient with a minimum length of stay of 24 hours.INTERVENTIONS:None.MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS:Near time of ICU discharge or patient death, we determined each participant’s psychologic attachment orientation as anxious versus nonanxious via a brief standard survey tool, the Relationship Questionnaire, and measured other participant and patient characteristics as potential covariates. Six months after discharge or death, each participant completed the Impact of Events Scale-Revised (IES-R) to measure PTSD symptoms, with a score of greater than 24 indicative of clinically significant symptoms. Among 162 total participants, 10 of 27 participants (37.0%) with an anxious attachment orientation reported 6-month PTSD symptoms, compared with 24 of 135 nonanxious participants (17.8%) (relative risk, 2.08; 95% CI, 1.13–3.84; p = 0.02; risk difference 19.2%). In a subsequent univariate analysis of participant and patient covariates, anxious attachment orientation, participant Hispanic ethnicity, prior experience as a care partner of a patient with a disability, and participation in 3 or more formal ICU family meetings were all associated with 6-month PTSD symptoms. In a multiple logistic regression, anxious attachment remained an independent predictor of 6-month PTSD symptoms (odds ratio [OR], 3.64; 95% CI, 1.35–9.77; p = 0.01), as did Hispanic ethnicity (OR, 4.72; 95% CI, 1.34–16.6; p = 0.01) and participation in three or more ICU family meetings (odds ratio, 2.97; 95% CI, 1.14–7.68; p = 0.02).CONCLUSIONS:An anxious psychologic attachment orientation is associated with double the risk of long-term PTSD symptoms among family members of ICU patients. Future interventions designed to decrease risk of adverse psychologic outcomes among ICU families could be initially tested for efficacy amongst those who fall into this high-risk category.

United States adolescents’ responses to sexual consent on television and the moderating role of anxious attachment

ABSTRACT Understanding effects of televised depictions of sexual consent communication on adolescents is important, given that many individuals experience their first romantic and sexual relationships during this developmental period. Using the theory of planned behavior as a framework, we examined how portrayals of verbal and non-verbal sexual consent in adolescent-directed programming influenced attitudes, perceived norms, and perceived behavioral control regarding sexual consent communication among a sample of adolescents (ages 12–17, N = 130). We also examined adolescents’ anxious attachment as a moderator. Results demonstrated a significant main effect of experimental condition on sexual consent norms, but anxious attachment orientation did not moderate the relationships between experimental condition and perceived norms. We discuss findings in the context of individual differences, with implications for the design of media to support sexual consent communication among different adolescents.

Moderated-mediation analysis of problematic social networking use: The role of anxious attachment orientation, fear of missing out and satisfaction with life

Anxious attachment orientation has a well document relationship with problematic social networking use. Additionally, the fear of missing out and satisfaction with life have emerged as robust predictors of problematic social networking use. However, it remains unclear how these determinants may converge to promote problematic social networking use. Thus, the current study examined how anxious attachment, fear of missing out, and satisfaction with life concurrently influence problematic social networking use. One hundred and eighty-eight participants were recruited from online dissertation swap sites to complete an online questionnaire. The mean age of the sample was 31.95 (SD = 11.54) and 67% were female. As expected, anxious attachment was positively related to problematic social networking use. Further analysis indicated the relationship between anxious attachment and problematic social networking use was mediated by fear of missing out, and this relationship was moderated by satisfaction with life. These findings indicate that engendering greater levels of life satisfaction in those who engage in problematic social networking could present a viable prevention or treatment strategy.

Stepparents' Attachment Orientation, Parental Gatekeeping, and Stepparents' Affinity-Seeking with Stepchildren.

Remarried stepfamilies are a sizable portion of American families; in a 2011 Pew Center survey, 42% of respondents reported at least one stepfamily member. Family clinicians and researchers suggest that stepparents' ability to develop close bonds with stepchildren maybe critical to the well-being of couple and family relationships. Using actor-partner interdependence models to analyze dyadic data from 291 heterosexual remarried stepfamily couples, we explored factors related to stepparents' efforts to befriend their stepchildren. Specifically, we evaluated how remarried parents' gatekeeping and stepparents' perceptions of their attachment orientations were associated with their own and their spouse's perceptions of stepparents' affinity-seeking behaviors. Securely attached stepparents and stepparents with anxious attachment orientations engaged more frequently in affinity behaviors than did stepparents with avoidant attachment orientations; there was no difference between securely attached and anxious stepparents. Stepparents' reports of parents' restrictive gatekeeping were strongly and negatively associated with both stepparents' and parents' reports of stepparent affinity-seeking (actor and partner effects). Parents' reports of their own restrictive gatekeeping were also negatively (but more weakly) associated with parents' reports of stepparent affinity-seeking. Implications for families, clinicians, and relationship researchers and theorists are discussed.

Subjective well-being of women at the beginning of fertility treatment: the role of medical variables, attachment orientation and supportive relationship with the mother

ABSTRACTObjective: To examine the unique and combined contribution of medical aspects and personal and external resources to three major indicators of Subjective Well-Being (SWB): life satisfaction, positive affect and negative affect.Background: Infertility is a stressful condition that requires women to cope with both medical and psychological challenges. Lack of personal and interpersonal resources that may facilitate adjustment to infertility places women in a vulnerable position.Methods: 177 Israeli women on their initial visits to a fertility clinic, completed self-report questionnaires. Medical information was provided by the fertility specialist.Results: Better physical health was associated with greater life satisfaction, more positive emotions and less negative emotions; women with a diagnosis of secondary infertility who did not have previous children were characterised by lower life satisfaction; higher anxious attachment orientation was associated with less life satisfaction and more negative emotions; and a more supportive interaction with the mother was associated with a higher level of positive emotions.Conclusions: The study highlights the need to design interventions for women, that are directed towards the enhancement of both life satisfaction and positive emotions, and indicates that one way to achieve this goal is by promoting a supportive relationship with the mother.

Attachment orientation and relational intimacy: The mediating role of emotional competences

Because emotional exchanges are central in couple interactions, individual competences to manage one’s own emotions and those of others are important to develop a good relational intimacy with a romantic partner over time. It is assumed that individual differences in attachment orientation influence the development of emotional competences and intimacy between romantic partners. While emotional competences are important for the proper functioning of romantic relationships, little is known about their mediating role in the relationship between individual’s attachment orientation and relational intimacy. In five hundred and sixty-four heterosexual subjects, the present study aimed to assess the indirect effects of emotional competences (both intrapersonal and interpersonal) on the relationship between insecure attachment orientations (both avoiding and anxious dimensions) and relational intimacy (i.e., engagement, communication and shared friends dimensions). Direct effects between our variables of interest were also explored. The results highlighted a negative association between both insecure avoiding and anxious attachment orientations and intrapersonal emotional competences. However, only the avoiding orientation was negatively related to interpersonal emotional competences. Furthermore, the anxious attachment dimension was negatively related to a feeling of engagement, in contrast to the avoiding attachment dimension that was associated with a low level of engagement, positive communication, and shared friends. Multi-group analysis highlighted gender invariance in the model. The findings suggest that although insecure attachment has a negative effect on the couple relationship, the capacity to manage one’s own emotions appears to be a protective factor for relational intimacy regarding its mediating role in these associations.

Linking attachment theory to abusive supervision

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to explore the impact of leaders’ attachment orientation and social self-efficacy on the enactment of abusive supervision.Design/methodology/approachData were obtained from a sample of leader-subordinate dyads (n=114), and were collected using a Panel Service.FindingsThe results show that a Close/Depend attachment orientation was negatively associated with abusive supervision, while an Anxious attachment orientation was positively associated with abusive supervision. Social self-efficacy mediated these relationships.Research limitations/implicationsThe results generate a deeper understanding of the etiology of destructive leadership. Applying attachment theory to the study of abusive supervision also offers a new theoretical perspective on potential precursors of this behavior.Practical implicationsThe findings suggest organizations might benefit from attempts to alter leaders’ destructive attachment orientations, and by extension, reduce their abusive behavior. It may also be possible to reduce the occurrence of abusive supervision by implementing leadership development initiatives aimed at enhancing leaders’ confidence in their social skills.Social implicationsBy identifying several potential precursors to abusive supervision, this study highlights possible points of intervention to combat a form of leadership that is linked with employee suffering. Thus, the findings can be used to help improve the working lives of those who are affected by this destructive workplace behavior.Originality/valueUntil now, research has not considered leaders’ attachment orientation as an antecedent to abusive supervision, nor has it explored the meditational role of social self-efficacy. The use of leader-follower dyads in this study also helps reduce issues related to social desirability biases and common method variance.

Attached to dating apps: Attachment orientations and preferences for dating apps

Our study examines attachment-related differences in the use of dating applications (dating apps). We collected online survey data regarding people’s attachment orientation and dating app preferences. People with a more anxious attachment orientation were more likely to report using dating apps than people lower in anxious attachment; people with a more avoidant attachment orientation were less likely to report using dating apps than people lower in avoidant attachment. Participants who used dating apps cited Tinder, OkCupid, and Plenty of Fish as those most commonly used. The most common reason people reported for using apps was to meet others, and the most common reason people reported for not using apps was difficulty trusting people online. Our findings suggest that individual differences in attachment may be relevant for understanding online behavior, and that dating apps might be a fruitful avenue for future research on attachment-related differences.

I Know a Leader When I See One: Implicit Leadership Theories and Attachment Styles

In this study we propose and argue that attachment styles are an important predictor of leader attribute preferences. Leader-follower relationships are based on affective bonds, i.e. feelings of attachment, which guide individuals toward previously learnt and experienced behavioral scripts and interaction patters, stored as one’s implicit leadership traits (ILTs). In two studies we show that attachment orientations influence individuals’ preferences for specific ideal leader attributes. We focus in particular on the degree of leader autonomy, i.e. to which degree individuals with different attachment orientations differ in preferring a highly autonomous and self-reliant leader. In Study 1 we find anxious attachment to be negatively related to an autonomous leader dimension. Limited by the correlational design of Study 1, we conduct an additional experimental study (Study 2) using a description of a highly autonomous versus a non-autonomous leader. We find that individuals with an anxious attachment orientation evaluate the non- autonomous leader higher on perceived leader competence. On the other hand, highly avoidant attached individuals rate autonomous leaders higher on perceived leader competence than low avoidant attached individuals. Results remained unchanged after introducing known control variables such as personality dimensions and demographics. Attachment orientations therefore serve as important predictors of individuals’ preference for certain leader attributes, above and beyond personality dimensions or demographics. We argue for an increased research focus on attachment styles as individual differences in the study and interpretation of leadership attributes and behavior.

The relationship between adult attachment orientation and child self-regulation in eating: The mediating role of persuasive-controlling feeding practices

The present study examines the hypothesis that adult attachment orientation, specifically anxious attachment, is related to children's diminished ability to self-regulate their food intake, and that this relationship is mediated by parents' persuasive-controlling feeding practices. Two hundred and sixty five mothers and fathers of preschool children completed online questionnaires that included measures of Adult Attachment Orientation, Parental Persuasive-Controlling Feeding Practices, and Child Self-Regulation of Eating. Structural equation modeling revealed a significant relationship between parental anxious attachment and child self-regulatory abilities, which was fully mediated by parental persuasive-controlling feeding. Also as predicted, parents' avoidant attachment was found to be unrelated to persuasive-controlling feeding and child self-regulated eating. Findings suggest that parents with an anxious attachment orientation may be more likely than other parents to try to use persuasive techniques to control their children's food intake, which may impair children's ability to regulate their food intake, increasing their obesity risk. Implications for intervention are discussed.

How leader and follower attachment styles are mediated by trust

The current study utilizes attachment theory to understand how leader–follower relationships impact emotional and behavioral outcomes in the workplace. Specifically, we examine the roles of two dysfunctional attachment styles – anxious and avoidant attachment – as determinants of trust in leaders, stress and citizenship behaviors. Results showed that followers with anxious attachment orientations reported experiencing more stress, whereas followers with avoidant attachment orientations were less likely to engage in organizational citizenship behaviors. Moreover, we found that the relationship between attachment orientations and workplace outcomes are mediated by affective and cognitive trust. However, these negative outcomes only occur when the follower has a leader with an avoidant attachment orientation. Implications for training, selection, job design and understanding leader–follower dynamics are discussed.

Doctors’ Attachment Orientations, Emotion Regulation Strategies, and Patient Satisfaction: A Multilevel Analysis

Extending recent research on emotion regulation in doctor–patient interaction, the present study examined relationships between doctors’ attachment orientations, their emotion regulation strategies, and patients’ satisfaction with the encounter. Forty doctors completed scales of attachment orientations and emotion regulation strategies, and 160 of their patients reported on a standard measure of satisfaction with their doctor. Results from multilevel analyses showed that doctors’ avoidant and anxious attachment orientations were independently associated with lower satisfaction for patients higher on serious illness perceptions. Doctors’ emotion regulation strategies did not mediate insecure attachment orientation relationships with patients’ satisfaction as anticipated, but these regulatory strategies were an independent factor associated with satisfaction levels of patients with higher illness severity perceptions. The study confirms predictions based on attachment theory that doctors’ insecure attachment can have adverse effects for doctor–patient interaction.

Leaders' and subordinates' attachment orientations, emotion regulation capabilities and affect at work: A multilevel analysis

Two studies examined relationships between leaders' and subordinates' attachment orientations, emotion regulation capabilities, and affective experience and satisfaction at work. As expected, supervisors' and subordinates' insecure attachment orientations (higher anxiety and avoidance) were associated with own positive affect and satisfaction at work. Supervisors' anxious attachment orientation was associated with subordinates' lower positive affect and satisfaction at work. Contrary to hypotheses, supervisors' higher avoidance was associated with subordinates' lower negative affect and higher job satisfaction. Supervisors' emotion regulation capabilities did not mediate relationships between supervisors' insecure attachment orientations and supervisors' own or subordinates' affect and job satisfaction as expected. However, subordinates' emotion regulation capabilities interacted with supervisors' attachment orientations to predict subordinates' emotion experience at work. The results contribute to an understanding of attachment orientations' emotion dynamics in leader–follower interaction, pointing in particular to perceptual and affect-related processes at different levels of analysis.

Attachment and Autonomy in the Workplace

Contemporary researchers suggest that working is a relational act. Accordingly, literature reflects increasing interest in the relevance of attachment theory to vocational and organizational phenomena. In the current study, we focused on associations of avoidant attachment orientation (characterized by obsessive self-reliance), anxious attachment orientation (characterized by overdependence), and a central job characteristic (job autonomy) with work-related attitudes and emotions (work engagement, career commitment, work burnout, and emotional distress). Results from 150 Israeli employees revealed significant associations between avoidant attachment and all work-related outcomes, while anxiety was associated only with work burnout and emotional distress. Job autonomy was associated with all work-related outcomes, and although attachment anxiety and avoidance were not associated with job autonomy, the interactions between avoidance and job autonomy (but not the interactions between anxiety and job autonomy) significantly contributed to explained variance of all work outcomes. Simple slope analyses showed significant associations between avoidance and work-related outcomes in high job autonomy conditions and nonsignificant associations in low job autonomy conditions, surprisingly suggesting that high job autonomy specifically disadvantages highly avoidant employees. Theoretical and practical implications for organizations and for attachment theory at work are discussed.

The effect of attachment orientation priming on pain sensitivity in pain-free individuals

The current study examined the causal relationship between secure and anxious attachment orientations and pain sensitivity in a pain-free sample. In a double blind repeated measures study, a cold pressor task was used to induce acute pain in 95 participants before and after priming them with a secure or anxious attachment orientation or a neutral prime. Measures of pain threshold, tolerance, catastrophizing and intensity were taken. Compared to the neutral prime, secure and anxious primes resulted in higher tolerance and threshold. The experimental conditions did not differ in reported pain intensity or pain catastrophizing. These findings suggest a causal relationship between attachment experiences and pain sensitivity that may be of interest to those devising and researching pain management interventions.

The relationships of attachment style and social maladjustment to death ideation in depressed women with a history of childhood sexual abuse

The current study examined the interaction of attachment orientation and acute social maladjustment as risk factors for death ideation in a sample of women with Major Depression and histories of childhood sexual abuse. Social maladjustment was associated with greater endorsement of death ideation. Avoidant and anxious attachment orientations moderated the social maladjustment and death ideation associations in some domains. Work-related maladjustment was associated with greater odds of death ideation for those with higher attachment avoidance. Parent-role maladjustment was associated with greater odds of death ideation for those with lower attachment anxiety. Findings demonstrate strong associations between death ideation and social maladjustment, and suggest that death ideation may be specific to certain domains of adjustment for anxious and avoidant attachment styles.

Caregiving styles and attachment orientations in couples facing advanced cancer

This study examines associations between caregiving styles and caregivers' and patients' attachment orientations among couples facing advanced cancer. Four caregiving styles were examined: proximate, sensitive, controlling, and compulsive. A total of 110 patients with advanced gastrointestinal or lung cancer and their spouse caregivers were recruited. Measures included: the Experiences in Close Relationships Inventory, the Caregiving Questionnaire, and the Demand Subscale from the Caregiving Burden Scale. Caregivers reported high levels of proximate and sensitive caregiving and moderate levels of controlling and compulsive caregiving. Hierarchical regressions were conducted to examine the contribution of caregivers' and patients' attachment orientations to each caregiving style while controlling for caregiving demands. Both caregiving proximity and sensitive caregiving were negatively associated with caregivers' avoidant attachment. Controlling caregiving was positively related to caregivers' avoidant and anxious attachment orientations. Compulsive caregiving was positively associated with caregiving demand and caregivers' attachment anxiety. In addition, compulsive caregiving was positively associated with patients' attachment avoidance and negatively associated with patients' attachment anxiety. The study demonstrated two clusters of ways to provide care: other-oriented and self-oriented. The study revealed that both patients' and caregivers' attachment orientations contributed to caregivers' patterns of caregiving. Insecure attachment orientations and resulting couple interaction patterns of 'demand-withdrawal' and 'avoidance-pursuit' are potential sources of distress that may benefit from exploration in psychotherapeutic interventions for couples facing advanced cancer. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.