Adult Attachment Avoidance Research Articles

Associations between parents’ adult attachment, Co-parenting and parent-child relationships: an actor-partner interdependence model

ABSTRACT This study used the Actor-Partner Interdependence Model to examine how parents’ adult attachment influences their their own and the partners’ co-parenting and parent-child relationships. Participants were from a cross-sectional sample of 1313 Chinese heterosexual married couples (fathers’ Mage = 39.74, SD = 5.61; mothers’ Mage = 37.55, SD = 5.04) whose biological children were pupils (Mage = 10.25, SD = 2.35). Results revealed that: (a) Couple members’ actor effects from adult attachment avoidance to positive and negative co-parenting and parent-child closeness and conflict were found both significant; (b) The actor effects from adult attachment anxiety to negative co-parenting and parent-child conflict were found significant, whereas only partner effect from attachment avoidance to positive co-parenting and from attachment anxiety to parent-child conflict were significant. The results highlight the negative effects of parents’ attachment avoidance and anxiety on their partners’ parenting function.

Maternal antenatal depression, oxytocin, and infant temperament: The roles of ethnicity and adult attachment avoidance

This study examined the associations between maternal depression and oxytocin in pregnancy, caregiving sensitivity and adult attachment style, and infant temperament. One hundred and six women recruited from a public hospital antenatal clinic in Australia, and their infants completed assessments at three time points (Time 1: pregnancy; Time 2: 3-month postpartum; Time 3: 12-month postpartum). Mothers completed self-report questionnaires assessing maternal depression symptom severity at Time 1-3, adult attachment style at Time 2, and infant temperament at Time 3. At Time 1, they also provided a blood sample to assess peripheral oxytocin levels, and at Time 2, participated in a parent-child interaction session, which was later coded for caregiving behavior (sensitivity). Neither maternal depression nor lower levels of oxytocin during pregnancy predicted difficult infant temperament; rather, it was predicted by non-Caucasian ethnicity. When all other variables were free to vary, adult attachment avoidance mediated an association between maternal depression during pregnancy and difficult infant temperament. Results highlight the potential value of interventions focusing on adult attachment insecurity for pregnant women and raise questions about associations between culture/ethnicity and infant temperament.

베이지안 네트워크를 활용한 치매 의심군 예측요인 연구

Objective: This study aims to identify predictive factors for screening suspected dementia among middle-aged and older adults and provide basic data to prevent dementia and prepare early customized intervention plans for middle-aged and older adults.
 Method: A survey of 850 middle-aged and older adults aged 40-65 years living in Japan was conducted to collect data, and a Bayesian network was used to identify predictors and pathways for screening suspected dementia.
 Results: First, to verify the accuracy of the results extracted by the Bayesian network model, the performance was compared with random forest and gradient boosting, and the results showed that the Bayesian network algorithm performed the best, with a predictive power of 90%. Second, among the variables predicting suspected dementia, the most predictive variable was subjective memory decline, followed by early maladaptive behavior, social comfort, adult attachment anxiety, dementia fear, and adult attachment avoidance. Third, the core pathway for suspected dementia was identified as neuroticism to early maladaptive behavior and adult attachment anxiety to suspected dementia, followed by neuroticism to subjective memory decline, social comfort, and adult attachment anxiety to suspected dementia.
 Conclusion: By utilizing Bayesian networks to explore important variables and pathways between variables in suspected dementia, we can provide a framework for early intervention and customized policies for dementia.

Four-week intranasal oxytocin administration reduces attachment avoidance in older women

The neuropeptide oxytocin (OT) serves as a critical modulator of social cognition and social behavior. Adult attachment is an affiliative process crucial for social interaction across adulthood. Insecure adult attachment comprises two broad dimensions, attachment anxiety and attachment avoidance. Both these dimensions of attachment are currently understudied regarding OT modulation, and especially in older adults. The present study determined the effects of chronic intranasal OT administration on adult attachment in generally healthy older women and men (aged 55–95 years). Embedded in a larger project, participants were randomly assigned to self-administer 24 international units of either OT or a placebo (P) intranasally twice daily for four weeks. The Experiences in Close Relationships Scale assessed adult attachment (anxiety and avoidance) pre- and post-treatment. There was no significant pre- to post-treatment change in attachment avoidance overall, but the treatment x timepoint x sex interaction was significant, in that women (but not men) in the OT (vs. P) group reported decreased attachment avoidance. No comparable effects were observed for attachment anxiety. Results suggest that older women may benefit from chronic intranasal OT treatment by experiencing less attachment avoidance in their adult relationships.

Adult attachment and minority stress in lesbian and gay people in Italy

As widely demonstrated, minority stress negatively affects well-being of LGBTQIA+ people. Recently, the literature has inquired into the psychological factors that may explain individual differences in levels of minority stressors experienced. In particular, some studies have focused on the role of adult attachment, although further studies seem necessary to understand its impact on proximal minority stressors. Through three multiple regression models, the present research analyzed the impact of adult attachment avoidance and anxiety on perceived stigma, internalized homonegativity and sexual orientation concealment, controlling for theeffect of proximaland distal minority stressors. One hundred and twenty-one people who self-identified as lesbian or gay and were involved in a romantic relationship when completing the questionnaire participated in the research. After controlling for the effect of distal and proximal minority stressors, data support a positive relationship between attachment anxiety and internalized homonegativity, and between attachment avoidance and sexual orientation concealment. However, the latter regression model was not significant. Finally, no significant relationship emerged between adult attachment and perceived stigma. The results are at least in part in line with the scarce literature on the topic. Further studies are needed to further support and extend the data emerging in the present study, in order to inform interventions aimed at promoting the well-being of LGBTQIA+ people.

Maternal adult attachment and mother-adolescent attachment: the chain mediating role of marital satisfaction and harsh parenting.

This study explored the relationship between maternal adult attachment and mother-adolescent attachment based on the attachment theory and spillover hypothesis of family systems theory. A survey research was conducted on 992 mothers and adolescents using a convenience sampling method. A survey research was conducted on 992 Chinese mothers and adolescents using a convenience sampling method. The results indicated that (1) maternal adult attachment avoidance and anxiety were significantly negatively related to maternal marital satisfaction and mother-adolescent attachment, and significantly positively related to maternal harsh parenting; maternal adult attachment anxiety was a significant direct predictor of mother-adolescent attachment; (2) Maternal marital satisfaction and maternal harsh parenting mediated the significant effect between maternal adult attachment and mother-adolescent attachment, specifically pathways contained three: a separate mediating effect of maternal marital satisfaction, a separate mediating effect of maternal harsh parenting, and a chain mediating effect of maternal marital satisfaction and maternal harsh parenting. The findings suggest that maternal adult attachment, marital satisfaction, and harsh parenting behaviors can have significant effects on adolescents' mother-adolescent attachment.

Race/Ethnicity, Attachment, and the Cortisol Awakening Response among Young Sexual Minority Men

Young sexual minority men (YSMM), particularly YSMM of color, are more likely to have dysregulated physiological stress responses compared to heterosexuals. Moreover, the quality of social relationships impacts physiological stress patterns among young adults. One key indicator of social relationships is that of adult attachment, which refers to the types of socioemotional bonds that individuals form with peers, family, and romantic partners. However, the association between adult attachment and physiological stress functioning among diverse samples of YSMM has been underexplored. Thus, the current study sought to bridge this gap in the literature by exploring how race/ethnicity moderates the association between adult attachment and physiological stress patterns among Black versus White YSMM. N = 63 YSMM participated in a 5-day daily diary study in which they completed a baseline survey and provided saliva samples over the 5-day period in order to measure diurnal cortisol. Three-level hierarchical linear modeling was used in order to examine the association between race/ethnicity, adult attachment, and diurnal cortisol over the 5-day period. Results suggest that adult attachment avoidance was associated with the cortisol awakening response (CAR) among YSMM. In addition, race/ethnicity moderated the association between adult attachment avoidance and the CAR such that YSMM who identified as Black had evidence of a more dysregulated physiological stress response as compared to YSMM who identified as White. Future research should focus on further unpacking the drivers of physiological stress patterns among White and Black YSMM.

Will I love my second baby as much as my first? Prevalence and psychosocial correlates of maternal-fetal relationship anxiety for second-time mothers.

Most mothers have more than one child. Second-time mothers may worry about whether they will love the second baby as much as their first child. The current study examined mothers' maternal-fetal relationship anxiety (MFRA) to their second baby, the prediction of mother-infant bonding (MIB) and infant-mother attachment security post-partum, and the psychosocial correlates of mothers' MFRA during pregnancy. Mothers (N = 241, 85.9% White, 5.4% Black, 2.9% Asian/American, 3.7% Latina) and their second-born infants (55% boys) living in the Midwestern United States participated in a longitudinal investigation starting in the last trimester of pregnancy, and 1, 4, 8, and 12 months postpartum. Most women reported little to no anxiety about forming an attachment to their second baby (89.1%). MFRA predicted less maternal warmth toward the baby at 1, 4, and 8 months postpartum, but did not predict security of the infant-mother attachment at 12 months. Prenatal MFRA was also related to maternal depressive symptoms, an insecure attachment with the first child, more marital distress, and more adult attachment avoidance and ambivalence prenatally. Mothers worrying about loving a second baby as much as their first child may be experiencing other psychosocial risks that have repercussions for the developing mother-infant relationship.

Adult Attachment Anxiety Is Protective Against the Effects of Internalized Homophobia on Condomless Sex Among Young Sexual Minority Men: The P18 Cohort Study

ABSTRACT Internalized homophobia, or the internalization of negative attitudes toward one’s sexual minority identity, is associated with sexual risk behaviors among young sexual minority men (YSMM). However, the formation and maintenance of secure or insecure socio-emotional bonds with friends, family members, and intimate partners (i.e., adult attachment) may mitigate or exacerbate the negative effects of exposure to internalized homophobia. Nevertheless, little is known about how adult attachment influences the association between internalized homophobia and sexual risk behaviors (e.g., condomless anal sex) among YSMM. Thus, this study examined the potential moderating effect of adult attachment on the association between internalized homophobia and condomless anal sex (CAS) behaviors (i.e., insertive CAS and receptive CAS) among a sample of N = 268 YSMM who participated in the study between June 2015-March 2017 using zero-inflated Poisson regression models. We found that adult attachment anxiety, but not adult attachment avoidance, significantly moderated the association between internalized homophobia and receptive CAS behaviors such that those higher on adult attachment anxiety and internalized homophobia had fewer receptive CAS events over the preceding 30 days as compared to those lower on adult attachment anxiety and internalized homophobia. Research efforts should focus on unpacking the complex associations between adult attachment, internalized homophobia, and sexual risk behaviors among YSMM.

Differential Pathways from Child Maltreatment Types to Insecure Adult Attachment Styles via Psychological and Social Resources: A Bayesian Network Analysis.

Child maltreatment has been linked to insecure adult attachment. However, it is not yet clear how different child maltreatment types are associated with attachment-related anxiety and avoidance in adulthood; and whether resilience against these insecure attachment styles is dependent on risk-specific resources. Therefore, this study explored differential pathways from child maltreatment types to attachment-related anxiety and avoidance in adulthood and examined whether psychological resources (self-esteem) and social resources (perceived social support) show risk-specific effects. An online survey retrospectively assessed experiences of child maltreatment, the level of attachment-related anxiety and avoidance in adulthood, self-esteem, and perceived social support in N = 604 former members of fundamentalist Christian faith communities (mean age = 41.27 years, SD = 12.50; 65.90% female). Cross-sectional data was analyzed using Bayesian network analysis. Only emotional child maltreatment showed direct relationships to insecure adult attachment. Specifically, emotional abuse and emotional neglect were associated with anxious and avoidant adult attachment, respectively. The effects of other child abuse types on adult attachment were mediated through emotional abuse, which indicated patterns of complex traumatization. Self-esteem mediated the effect of emotional abuse on anxious attachment, while perceived social support mediated the effect of emotional neglect on avoidant attachment. Social support was also linked to self-esteem and was therefore also important for individuals with experiences of emotional abuse. This study showed that child maltreatment types and their interactions are meaningfully linked to attachment-related anxiety and avoidance in adulthood. Interventions for survivors of child maltreatment should focus on risk-specific resources to support their resilience.

Race moderates the association between adult attachment avoidance and the cortisol awakening response among young sexual minority men

Adult attachment, or the ways in which individuals develop and maintain trusting and loving relationships with peers and romantic partners, has been demonstrated to influence hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis functioning among young sexual minority men (YSMM). Theory and preliminary evidence suggest that differences in the lived experiences of White and Black sexual minority young adults may influence the way in which adult attachment influences the HPA-axis functioning. We sought to further this field of inquiry by examining if race moderates the association between adult attachment insecurity (i.e., avoidance and anxiety) and HPA-axis functioning among YSMM. Sixty-three YSMM participated in a 5-day daily diary study in which they completed a baseline survey to assess adult attachment orientation and provided saliva samples 4 times per day over a 5-day period in order to measure cortisol across the day. Three-level hierarchical linear modeling was used to examine the association between adult attachment, the cortisol awakening response (CAR), diurnal cortisol, and the moderating effect of race. We found no main effect of attachment anxiety or avoidance on HPA-axis functioning. However, we found that race moderated the association between adult attachment avoidance and the CAR such that Black YSMM with higher attachment avoidance had a lower CAR as compared to White YSMM. Results suggest that there may be key differences between White and Black YSMM men’s lived experiences that should be explored in future research.

Spare the rod, spoil the child?——Predictive effects of parental adult attachment on adolescent anxiety: The mediating role of harsh parenting

Based on family system theory, this study explores the relationship between parental adult attachment and adolescent anxiety, and the mediating effect of harsh parenting. A total of 997 families participated in the survey. The Experiences in Close Relationships Scale, Harsh Parenting Scale, and Trait Anxiety Scale were used to investigate students and their parents. The results showed that: (1) both paternal and maternal adult attachment avoidance positively predicted adolescent anxiety. (2) Parental harsh parenting mediates the relationship between parental attachment and adolescent anxiety. The results show that adult attachment and harsh parenting have important effects on adolescents' anxiety and family harmony.

Attachment as a Mediator Linking Childhood Maltreatment to Attributions in Adult Intimate Relationships

Introduction: Childhood abuse has been linked to greater attachment insecurity in adulthood which has implications for adult romantic relationships. Abuse and attachment may particularly influence attributions of their partner's behavior. The current study examine adult attachment anxiety and avoidance as mediators linking childhood emotional, physical, and sexual abuse to attributions in adults currently in a romantic relationship. Method: A sample of 191 adults were recruited (mean age = 29.16, 71% White) and completed an online survey. Structural equation modeling was used to examine the indirect effects linking childhood abuse to attributions using bias corrected bootstrapping. Results: Findings from bootstrapped structural equation modeling indicated that attachment anxiety, but not avoidance, linked child emotional and physical abuse to attributions. Sexual abuse was directly, positively associated with attributions, independent of attachment and physical and emotional abuse. Conclusions: Clinicians may want to target anxious attachment in reducing negative attributions with a focus on how distal experiences of childhood emotional abuse may be impacting attachment security. Emotion focused couple therapy is a recommended intervention.

Relationship between paternal adult attachment and adolescent anxiety: The chain-mediating effect of paternal psychological flexibility and father-adolescent attachment.

Grounded in family systems theory and the internal working model of attachment, the present study tested the effects of paternal adult attachment, paternal psychological flexibility and father-adolescent attachment on adolescent anxiety. In total, 906 pairs of fathers and their adolescents completed a set of questionnaires, including the Experiences in Close Relationships Scale, Parental Psychological Flexibility Questionnaire, Inventory of Parent and Peer Attachment, and Trait Anxiety Inventory. The results revealed that paternal adult attachment avoidance had a positive impact on adolescent anxiety. The relationship between paternal adult attachment and adolescent anxiety was chain mediated by paternal psychological flexibility and father-adolescent attachment. The mediation effects contained two paths: the separate mediation effect of paternal psychological flexibility, and the chain mediation effect of paternal psychological flexibility and father-adolescent attachment. The results of the study show that the father's adult attachment can not only directly affect adolescent anxiety, but also indirectly affect adolescent anxiety through the paternal psychological flexibility and the quality of father-adolescent attachment. Fathers have an important effect on adolescent anxiety.

Genetics of adult attachment: An updated review of the literature.

Attachment style, which has been theorized to be rooted in childhood bonding experiences, influences adult cognitive, emotional and interpersonal functioning. Despite its relationship with early experiences, research indicates that the continuity of attachment style across childhood and adulthood is only partial, being a malleable tendency that is shaped throughout development, with an increasing influence of genetics, as it occurs in other cognitive and behavioral phenotypes. Genetic research indicates that up to 45% of the variability in anxious and 39% in avoidant adult attachment style could be explained by genetic causes, but the precise mechanisms remain unclear. A narrative review is conducted analyzing the existing literature regarding the implication of candidate genes related to oxytocin, dopaminergic pathways, serotonergic pathways and brain-derived neurotrophic factor in adult attachment, with both vulnerability and differential susceptibility approaches, yielding mixed results. We highlight the lack of genome-wide studies and the scarcity of epigenetic investigation. Based on the existing data, we conclude that the genetics of adult attachment is an area that requires further research to clarify its etiological role and that it should be preferably approached as an interaction between nature and nurture.

Adult attachment, intimacy, commitment, passion in relation to satisfaction in couple relationship

Objectives. The research aimed to examine the relationship between the different types of adult attachment (secure type, anxious and avoidant type) and relationship satisfaction. Also examined the relationship between satisfaction and intimacy, commitment and passion. Sample and setting. The research sample consisted of 120 respondents, university students aged 18 to 26 years (M = 22.54, SD = 1.71). The sample consisted of 97 women and 23 men. Hypotheses. It was hypothesized that a secure adult attachment would be positively related to relationship satisfaction. On the contrary, in the case of anxious and avoidant adult attachment, a negative attitude towards relationship satisfaction was assumed. It was hypothesized that intimacy, commitment, and passion would be positively related to relationship satisfaction. Statistical analysis. Multiple linear hierarchical regression (stepwise method) was performed to verify the relations between the different types of adult attachment, intimacy, commitment, passion, and relationship satisfaction. Results. The research confirmed the relationship between adult attachment and relationship satisfaction, which was one of the main findings. Respondents who showed a secure type of adult attachment were more satisfied in a relationship than those who showed anxious or avoidant behavior. Another important finding was the relation between the love component – intimacy and couple relationship satisfaction. Study limitation. The fact that data were obtained from only one of the partners can be considered as a possible limitation of the study.

The mediating role of prenatal depression in adult attachment and maternal-fetal attachment in primigravida in the third trimester

BackgroundPrenatal depression and adult attachment are factors that affect the establishment of an intimate relationship between a mother and fetus. The study explored differences in prenatal depression and maternal-fetal attachment (MFA) scores between different types of adult attachment and the effects of maternal depression scores and attachment dimensions on maternal intimacy with the fetus.MethodsThe Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS), Experience of Close Relationship (ECR) scale, Maternal Antenatal Attachment Scale (MAAS) and a general data scale were used to investigate 260 primigravida. An exploratory analysis was performed to analyze the effects of the depression score and adult attachment on MFA.ResultsThe results showed that pregnant women with insecure attachment exhibited an increased prevalence of prenatal depression, lower total MFA scores, and lower MFA quality compared with those women with secure adult attachment. The explorative analysis showed that the depression scores mediated the relationship between adult attachment avoidance and MFA quality.ConclusionsPrimigravida who had insecure adult attachment exhibited an increased prevalence of prenatal depression and lower MFA. Maternal depression and adult attachment may affect the emotional bond between a mother and fetus. This finding should be seriously considered, and timely intervention needs to take personality traits into consideration.

Adult attachment styles and emotional regulation: The role of interoceptive awareness and alexithymia

Attachment in adulthood is important for understanding how an individual will navigate their relationships, social behaviours, and affect regulation, although processes by which attachment contributes to emotional regulation is less known. The conscious perception and understanding of our internal bodily signals– classified as interoceptive awareness –, along with difficulties recognising and describing emotional experiences, known as alexithymia, are two constructs that may contribute to this process. The current study explored whether this interoceptive capability and alexithymia functioned as sequential mediators in the relationship between insecure adult attachment styles and emotional regulation. A convenience sample of 219 Australian adults completed an online survey comprised of a sociodemographic questionnaire and four standardised measures that assessed these aforementioned constructs. Results from bivariate correlations and serial mediation analyses found that anxious and avoidant adult attachment styles were negatively associated with the perception of bodily sensations and positively associated with difficulties identifying and describing feelings and regulating negative affect. Interoceptive awareness and alexithymia sequentially mediated the relationships between adult attachment dimensions and emotional regulation difficulties. These mind-body constructs may therefore represent processes by which attachment concerns contribute to emotional regulation difficulties, and should be considered when addressing emotional regulation difficulties in those with attachment concerns.

Childhood emotional maltreatment and couple functioning among women across transition to parenthood: A process model.

Research on the implications of childhood emotional maltreatment for later romantic relationship well-being has been accumulating. More efforts are needed to systematically delineate the etiological chains of the more proximal processes explaining why childhood emotional maltreatment, as a more distal risk factor, might ultimately result in later romantic relationship malfunctioning. Using multiple-wave data from a diverse community sample of primiparous women across the transition to parenthood (N = 159), we conducted a process model in which adult attachment, emotion regulation difficulties, and depressive symptoms were examined as potential mediators for the associations between childhood emotional maltreatment and various aspects of later couple functioning. Results demonstrate that adult attachment anxiety played a key role in accounting for the associations between childhood emotional maltreatment and the negative aspects of later couple functioning (i.e., conflict and ambivalence) through its associations with emotion regulation difficulties and depressive symptoms. In contrast, adult attachment avoidance more directly mediated the associations between childhood emotional maltreatment and the positive dimensions of later couple functioning (i.e., love and maintenance), without other intervening mediators. Overall, the currently identified risk chains contribute to a more nuanced understanding of the mechanisms via which childhood emotional maltreatment shapes later romantic relationship functioning and also help clinicians specify potential targets for effective interventions aimed at diminishing the detrimental consequences of childhood emotional maltreatment for later intimate relationship well-being. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).

Development of a risk classification model in early pregnancy to screen for suboptimal postnatal mother-to-infant bonding: A prospective cohort study.

BackgroundPrevious studies identified demographic, reproduction-related and psychosocial correlates of suboptimal mother-to-infant bonding. Their joint informative value was still unknown. This study aimed to develop a multivariable model to screen early in pregnancy for suboptimal postnatal mother-to-infant bonding and to transform it into a risk classification model.MethodsProspective cohort study conducted at 116 midwifery centers between 2010–2014. 634 women reported on the Mother-to-Infant Bonding questionnaire in 2015–2016. A broad range of determinants before 13 weeks of gestation were considered. Missing data were described, analyzed and imputed by multiple imputation. Multivariable logistic regression with backward elimination was used to develop a screening model. The explained variance, the Area Under the Curve of the final model were calculated and a Hosmer and Lemeshow test performed. Finally, we designed a risk classification model.ResultsThe prevalence of suboptimal mother-to-infant bonding was 11%. The estimated probability of suboptimal mother-to-infant can be calculated: P(MIBS≥4) = 1/(1+exp(-(-4.391+(parity× 0.519)+(Adult attachment avoidance score× 0.040))). The explained variance was 14% and the Area Under the Curve was 0.750 (95%CI 0.690–0.809). The Hosmer and Lemeshow test had a p-value of 0.21. This resulted in a risk classification model.ConclusionParity and adult attachment avoidance were the strongest independent determinants. Higher parity and higher levels of adult attachment avoidance are associated with an increased risk of suboptimal mother-to-infant bonding. The model and risk classification model should be externally validated and optimized before use in daily practice. Future research should include an external validation study, a study into the additional value of non-included determinants and finally a study on the impact and feasibility of the screening model.