Attachment Style Differences Research Articles

The Influence of Different Gender Roles on the Formation of Attachment Types--An Analysis from an Evolutionary Psychology Perspective

The formation of attachment style is closely related to the development of children and the formation of intimate relationship, which is an important subject in the field of psychology. Some previous studies have found significant gender differences in insecure attachment and romantic attachment styles in adulthood. Women crave secure attachment more than men do. When it comes to romantic attachment, men are more avoidant, while women show more anxiety. This paper searches and collates relevant theories and studies, integrating the physiological and psychosocial factors that lead to this difference. In the course of biological evolution, survival, reproduction, and sexual division of labor provide reliable explanations for the differences in the physical, psychological, and social experiences of men and women. Despite the limitations of the current study and the controversy surrounding the findings, a study of cognition in gay and straight groups provides an important clue that an individual's overall cognitive pattern shows a higher correlation with cognitive gender than with biological sex. In future studies, the determination of "gender" from the previous biological sex to cognitive sex selection may help to obtain more accurate experimental results.

Dominant Ego States in Relation to Attachment Styles and Infidelity Tendencies

Infidelity tendency poses a risk to marriage quality. In addition, previous studies well-documented the crucial roles of attachment styles in close relationships. Therefore, it would be helpful to understand the dynamics behind infidelity tendencies and attachment styles in married individuals. This study aimed to examine whether married individuals’ infidelity tendencies and attachment styles differ in terms of the dominant ego state and demographic variables. The sample consisted of 301 volunteer individuals who had been married for at least one year. Independent-sample t-test and one-way analysis of variance were used to analyze the data. Results revealed that men had higher levels of infidelity tendency, and participants with children had higher avoidant attachment scores. In addition, the results showed the differences in infidelity tendency and attachment styles according to dominant ego-states. The findings were discussed along with the previous studies, and implications were provided for professionals and future studies.

Sex Differences in the Relationship Between School Bullying Victimization and Complex Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: The Roles of Insecure Attachment.

School bullying victimization is a highly concerning issue that can lead to a range of negative outcomes. Despite the research showing a significant association between bullying victimization and complex posttraumatic stress disorder (CPTSD), the internal mechanisms with its two components (i.e., posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms [PTSD] and disorders of self-organization symptoms [DSO]) remain unclear. Previous studies have indicated that attachment style may influence the development of CPTSD symptoms and that there may be sex differences in attachment styles. Thus, the present study aims to examine the mediating role of insecure attachment between school bullying victimization and CPTSD symptoms in males and females. The study assessed bullying victimization, attachment orientation, and CPTSD (i.e., PTSD symptoms and DSO symptoms) symptoms in 675 college students (65.2% females; Mage = 19.6, SD = 1.34) from China who had reported bullying experiences at two different time points, 6 months apart. For females, school bullying victimization predicted PTSD and DSO symptoms through attachment anxiety and only predicted DSO symptoms through attachment avoidance. For males, we found that school bullying victimization predicted PTSD symptoms through attachment avoidance. These findings suggest that attachment is critical in understanding how school bullying victimization may lead to CPTSD symptoms among individuals of different sexes.

Uzman Hekimlerin Bağlanma Stilleri ve Bağlanma Stillerinin Uzmanlık Dalıyla İlişkisi

Objective: The aim of this study is to evaluate the attachment styles of specialist physicians and to examine the differences in attachment styles according to their specialty and whether they are placed in their first preference in the medical specialty exam (TUS).
 Method: A total of 92 physicians were included in the study. Individual information collection forms and the Relationship Scales Questionnaire (RSQ) were administered to all participants. Participants were asked about their gender, their specialization field, and whether their current specialization field was their first choice in the Medical Specialization Exam (TUS). Specialization fields were divided into 4 groups: surgical specialties, internal medicine specialties, basic medical sciences, and family medicine specialization.
 Results: Among all participants, 14.1% exhibited secure attachment, 57.6% displayed fearful attachment, 32.6% demonstrated preoccupied attachment, and 3.3% had dismissive attachment. There was no significant difference in attachment styles based on the participants' genders. There was no significant difference in attachment styles based on whether they entered their first choice in the Medical Specialization Exam (TUS). There was no significant difference in attachment styles based on the specialization fields in which the participants received their education.
 Conclusion: Among expert physicians, anxious attachment was the most common attachment style. Although there was no statistically significant difference in attachment styles based on physicians' specialization fields, family medicine and internal medicine practitioners exhibited a higher rate of secure attachment compared to those in the basic medical and surgical sciences. Determination of other possible motivational factors as well as attachment styles could provide guidance and insight to the physician in this choice that will affect her/his whole life

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.

Avoidant Attachment Mediates Cultural Differences in Likelihood to Surrender Pets

ABSTRACT Across two studies, pet owners residing in Western and Eastern countries completed surveys documenting their experiences with a particular pet and their likelihood of surrendering that pet in the future. In study 1, we targeted dog owners from the USA, Pakistan, and Hong Kong (n = 266). In study 2, we targeted both dog and cat owners from the same countries, as well as the UK, Canada, and the Netherlands (n = 236). Results were largely replicated across samples. Participants from Eastern countries indicated a greater likelihood to surrender their preferred pet compared with participants from Western countries. The Eastern and Western samples differed on several variables, including number of concerns and problem behaviors reported for their pets, belief in animal mind, and attachment styles. However, a single factor – avoidant attachment style – significantly mediated the greater likelihood to surrender a pet across both studies. Those from Eastern cultures were more likely to have anxious and avoidant attachment styles compared with those from Western cultures, and the avoidant attachment style was associated with a greater likelihood to surrender a pet. Future studies should investigate possible reasons for cultural differences in attachment style to pets.

Italian Validation of AAS-R: Assessing Psychometric Properties of Adult Attachment Scale-Revised in the Italian Context.

The Adult Attachment Scale-Revised (Collins and Read in J Person Soc Psychol 58(4):644, 1990. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.58.4.644) measures the dimensions of the attachment style of adults through the degree to which the individual feels comfortable in intimacy and closeness with the partner (Close), with dependence on the partner (Depend) and worrying about being rejected or unloved (Anxiety). Dimensions measured by theAAS can capture the core of the structure that determines adults' differences in attachment styles. This study aimed to evaluate the factorial structure of the AAS-R among a sample of Italian adults. The Italian translation of AAS-R was administered to the sample of 1546 Italian adults (M = 27.4; SD 9.35). Exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis were performed to examine the validity of the Italian version of the AAS-R measure. The present study showed that the Italian version of the AAS-R has a clear factorial structure and good psychometric properties. Clinical and research implications were discussed.

Predictors of Suicide and Differences in Attachment Styles and Resilience Among Treatment-Seeking First-Responder Subtypes.

To identify the predictors of suicide for firefighters (FFs), emergency medical technicians (EMTs), and law enforcement officers (LEOs). We used baseline data from FFs/EMTs (n = 69) and LEOs (n = 81) to investigate the unique predictors for both first-responder subtypes. We conducted confirmatory factor analysis on validated assessments of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression. Measures of attachment, resilience, PTSD, depression, generalized anxiety, trauma history, and substance use were the independent variables in two backward stepwise regressions predicting suicide. Substance use and somatic depression were significant predictors for LEOs, whereas affective depression, anhedonia, externalizing behaviors, trauma history, and generalized anxiety were significant predictors for FFs/EMTs. These data are cross-sectional and should be modeled longitudinally over the course of treatment. Separate constructs influence suicide for LEOs and FFs/EMTs.

Attachment anxiety and depressive symptoms in undergraduate medical students : The mediating role of emotion regulation strategies.

IntroductionSeveral studies report that medical students are at high risk of depression. Despite the variability in students’ vulnerability to depression, the role of individual differences in depression risk among medical students has hardly been investigated. Studies outside of medical student populations have shown that individual differences in attachment style and emotion regulation participate in vulnerability to depression.ObjectivesThis study investigates to what extent medical students’ depressive symptoms are related to differences in students’ insecure attachment styles and their perception of reduced access to emotion regulation strategies.MethodsIn a cross-sectional quantitative study, undergraduate medical students at the beginning of their second academic year completed online questionnaires measuring their attachment style, difficulties in emotion regulation, and depressive symptoms.ResultsOut of the 390 medical students invited, 267 participated in the survey. Higher secure attachment was associated with fewer depressive symptoms. Medical students’ insecure attachment style and emotion dysregulation were significantly related to depressive symptoms. Difficulties in employing strategies to disengage from one’s own negative affect partly mediated the effects of two dimensions of insecure anxious attachment—need for approval and preoccupation with relationships—on depressive symptoms.DiscussionAnxious attachment style and limited access to emotion regulation strategies participate in medical students’ depressive symptoms. These findings highlight the need for acknowledging medical students’ attachment style and students’ perceived access to emotion regulation strategies for the early identification of and intervention programs for the risk of depression.Supplementary InformationThe online version of this article (10.1007/s40037-022-00713-z) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Attachment style and social media fatigue: The role of usage-related stressors, self-esteem, and self-concept clarity

Social media fatigue is a subjective sense of physical and mental exhaustion, lassitude, and irritation, caused by social media use. The current research explored the association between individual differences in attachment styles and the experience of fatigue resulting from extensive social media use. Two studies examined the association between adult attachment style and Facebook fatigue, and the mediating role of stressors related to social media use, self-esteem, and self-concept clarity. The results of the first study (N = 264) revealed an association between attachment anxiety and Facebook fatigue that was mediated by Facebook social comparison and Facebook anxiety. In the second study (N = 294), attachment anxiety was also associated with Facebook fatigue and was mediated by fear of missing out and Facebook anxiety, and these mediation effects were moderated by self-concept clarity. The findings indicate that the experience of social-media fatigue varies in accordance with specific user characteristics. Additionally, they Illustrate the impact of social media use on mental health, and emphasize the need to create a user experience that takes into account the stressors associated with social media use.

Relationships between Theory of Mind and Attachment Styles in Emerging Adulthood

Several studies have highlighted a relationship between attachment and theory of mind (ToM) in childhood and in clinical populations. However, little is known about the link between attachment and ToM in the general adult population. The aim of this study was, therefore, to explore how differences in attachment styles influence ToM skills in a nonclinical population of young adults. 69 young adults performed the Reading the Mind in the Eyes test, Movie for the Assessment of Social Cognition test (MASC), and an adult attachment Q-sort questionnaire. Findings revealed that dimensions of avoidant and ambivalent attachment were, respectively, related to undermentalizing and overmentalizing tendencies. Insecure participants performed significantly more poorly than secure ones on the MASC. More specifically, participants with an avoidant attachment style made significantly more responses classified as undermentalizing than those with a secure attachment style. A statistical trend was observed for the MASC no-ToM score (answer with complete lack of ToM or literal understanding), with lower scores for the insecure ambivalent group than for the secure group. These results suggest that the individuals with avoidant insecure attachment are more likely to under-attribute mental states to others, while those with ambivalent insecure attachment tend not to make attributions when the situation requires it. Implications for future research are discussed.

Is There a Difference in Parental Attitudes and Attachment for ADHD-Social Phobia Comorbidity?

Social phobia (SP) is one the commonest of comorbid anxiety disorders seen with ADHD. It is also known that Social phobia and ADHD patients have some differences in parental attitudes and attachment styles. We aimed to investigate the effects attachment status and parental attitudes in ADHD-social phobia comorbidity. 66 children and adolescents with ADHD were included for the study. the Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia for School-Age Children-Present and Lifetime Version, DSM-5 November 2016-Turkish Adaptation (KSADS-PL-DSM5-T) was used for evaluating diagnosis. Socioeconomic status (SES) was scored with Hollingshead Redlich Scale. Sosyodemografic and clinical data were recorded. Adult Attachment Scale (AAS) and Parental Attitudes Research Instrument (PARI) were completed by the parents. The patients filled Kerns Security Scale (KSS). We compared the ADHD patients with and without SAD comorbidity in terms of scales used and sociodemographic-clinical variables. There were no differences between ADHD + SP group and ADHD without SP group in terms of age, gender, SES, family structure and family history of diagnosed psychiatric disease (p>0.05). Rate of inattentive subtype of ADHD (p=0.05) and comorbid psychiatric disease frequency (p=0.00) was higher in ADHD+SP group compared to ADHD without social phobia group. However, the groups did not differ according to their attachment styles, their parent's attachment styles and parental attitudes (p>0.05). Parental attitudes and attachment styles may not play a role in the development of SP comorbidity in children and adolescents with ADHD. Other biological and environmental factors should be kept in mind when evaluating and treating children with ADHD who have SP. Biological treatments and individualized interventions such as CBT may be chosen as a first line treatment rather than psychotherapies targeting attachment and parenting styles in those children.

Attachment Style Differences in the Affective Experience of Chronic Pain in Osteoarthritis

Lifespan psychological and life course sociological perspectives have long acknowledged that individual functioning is shaped by historical and socio-cultural contexts. Secular increases favoring later-born cohorts are widely documented for general well-being (among older adults). However, little is known about secular trends in short-term fluctuations in daily affective well-being and whether historical changes have occurred in young, middle-aged, and older adults alike. To examine these questions, we compared data from two independent national samples of the NSDE survey obtained 18 years apart (1995/96 vs. 2013/14) and identified case-matched cohorts (per cohort, n = 782, aged = 23–75 years) based on age and gender. We additionally examine the role of economic and health resources for cohort differences in affective variability. Results revealed that later-born cohorts report higher variability in daily negative affect than did those 18 years ago. In contrast, no cohort differences emerged in variability in daily positive affect. We conclude from our national US sample that secular trends in affect variability do not generalize unanimously to different timescales across adulthood. We discuss possible underlying mechanisms and practical implications.

Adult attachment style moderates the effect of oxytocin on neural responses to infant emotional faces

Oxytocin (OT) is known for its positive influence on maternal motivation and behavior, however, the effects of intranasal oxytocin (IN-OT) on neural activity during the perception of infant stimuli are often inconsistent. These discrepancies further reveal the need to take into account individual differences in IN-OT research. The present study aims to examine whether the effects of IN-OT on maternal-related neural responses to infant faces were moderated by participants' attachment style. Using a between-groups, double-blind, placebo-controlled design, 65 nulliparous females were randomly assigned to groups receiving a single dose of 24 IU oxytocin or a placebo via intranasal administration. The neural responses of participants were assessed during a facial recognition task with joy, neutral, and crying infant faces. The results indicated that females with high levels of attachment anxiety exhibited decreased right amygdala activity in response to infant joy faces and decreased bilateral insula activity in response to infant crying faces following IN-OT. Meanwhile, IN-OT enhanced bilateral amygdala and left inferior orbital frontal cortex (OFC) activity in response to infant crying faces in females with high levels of attachment avoidance. In addition, some beneficial effects of IN-OT were also observed in females with low levels of attachment avoidance or anxiety. Our findings demonstrated that the beneficial effects of IN-OT on neural responses to infant faces may depend on individual differences in adult attachment style, thereby contributing to our understanding of the role of OT in maternal caregiving.

Hypothalamus volume in men: Investigating associations with paternal status, self-reported caregiving beliefs, and adult attachment style

ABSTRACT Most studies on mammalian caregiving and attachment focused on the mother–child relationship, particularly in humans. Yet, changing societal roles of male caregivers have highlighted the necessity for research with fathers. We examined the volume of the hypothalamus, an important subcortical brain area for caregiving and attachment, in N = 50 fathering (child age 5–6 years) and N = 45 non-fathering men using a novel technique to identify the hypothalamus in 3T MRI. We furthermore employed three self-report measures to assess interindividual differences in adult attachment style across all men and caregiving beliefs in fathers. While we did not observe any significant difference in hypothalamus volume between fathers and non-fathers or associations between hypothalamus volume and self-reported adult attachment style across all men, self-reported caregiving beliefs were positively related to total hypothalamus volume in fathers. A follow-up analysis showed that fathers’ self-reported belief that a father’s role is important to child development was specifically related to tuberal hypothalamus volume, while self-reported enjoyment of spending time with the child was not associated with sub-regional hypothalamus volume. Together, these findings suggest that interindividual variability in self-reported caregiving beliefs in fathers is related to brain structure, warranting further research.

Attachment anxiety predicts worse mental health outcomes during COVID-19: Evidence from two studies

COVID-19 has resulted in a mental health crisis across the globe. Understanding factors that may have increased individuals' risk of poor mental health outcomes is imperative. Individual differences in attachment styles have been shown to predict poorer mental health outcomes and insecure individuals struggle to cope with stressful situations. Therefore, we extended past research by examining whether higher attachment insecurity (anxiety and avoidance) predicted worse mental health over time during the COVID-19 pandemic. Study 1 examined mood and mood fluctuations daily over a week in the beginning of lockdown and depression and anxiety weekly over a five-week period (n = 200). Study 2 examined depression and anxiety before and during the pandemic (n = 100 couples). As predicted, individuals higher (vs. lower) in attachment anxiety, but not avoidance, reported greater depression and anxiety during the pandemic in both studies. Individuals lower in attachment anxiety experienced an improvement in mental health over time in Study 1 suggesting that more secure individuals may recover more quickly from the initial change in circumstances. Attachment styles did not significantly predict mood or mood fluctuations. Attachment anxiety is likely to be a risk factor for poor mental health outcomes during COVID-19.

Social touch deprivation during COVID-19: effects on psychological wellbeing and craving interpersonal touch.

Social touch has positive effects on social affiliation and stress alleviation. However, its ubiquitous presence in human life does not allow the study of social touch deprivation ‘in the wild’. Nevertheless, COVID-19-related restrictions such as social distancing allowed the systematic study of the degree to which social distancing affects tactile experiences and mental health. In this study, 1746 participants completed an online survey to examine intimate, friendly and professional touch experiences during COVID-19-related restrictions, their impact on mental health and the extent to which touch deprivation results in craving touch. We found that intimate touch deprivation during COVID-19-related restrictions is associated with higher anxiety and greater loneliness even though this type of touch is still the most experienced during the pandemic. Moreover, intimate touch is reported as the type of touch most craved during this period, thus being more prominent as the days practising social distancing increase. However, our results also show that the degree to which individuals crave touch during this period depends on individual differences in attachment style: the more anxiously attached, the more touch is craved; with the reverse pattern for avoidantly attached. These findings point to the important role of interpersonal and particularly intimate touch in times of distress and uncertainty.

One size does not fit all: individual differences in attachment style and fear of COVID‐19 in hospitalized elderly patients

One size does not fit all: individual differences in attachment style and fear of <scp>COVID‐19</scp> in hospitalized elderly patients

To study or not to study abroad? students’ decision in perspective of motivations, barriers and attachment

Abstract The aim of this study is to explore the antecedents of studying abroad. First, we explore motivations for and barriers against studying abroad in two groups of students (who had studied abroad, and who had not studied abroad). Second, differences in attachment dimensions and styles are examined in both groups. A deductive thematic analysis supported the thematic structure identified by Krzaklewska (2008) in regard to motivations. Furthermore, five barriers were identified using inductive thematic analysis. Although the same motivational and barrier themes were found in both groups, there were some notable qualitative differences in meaning attached to them. A one-way MANOVA showed non-significant differences between the two groups of students and attachment dimensions. Finnaly, Fisher’s exact test was conducted, and the post hoc comparison showed that there was a statistically significant difference in the proportion of students who had studied abroad and had a secure attachment style compared to students who had not studied abroad.

Anxious attachment is associated with heightened responsivity of a parietofrontal cortical network that monitors peri-personal space

BackgroundAttachment, or affiliative bonding among conspecifics, is thought to involve neural mechanisms underlying behavioral responses to threat and reward-related social signals. However, attachment-oriented responses may also rely on basic sensorimotor processes. One sensorimotor system that may play a role in attachment is the parietofrontal cortical network that responds to stimuli that are near or approaching the body, the peripersonal space (PPS) monitoring system. We hypothesized that this network may vary in responsivity to such potentially harmful stimuli, particularly those with social salience, based on individual differences in attachment styles. MethodsYoung adults viewed images of human faces or cars that appeared to move towards or away from them, while functional magnetic resonance imaging data were collected. Correlations between each of four adult attachment styles, measured using the Relationship Questionnaire, and responses of the PPS network to approaching (versus withdrawing) stimuli were measured. ResultsA region-of-interest (ROI) analysis, focused on six cortical regions of the PPS network that showed significant responses to approaching versus withdrawing face stimuli in an independent sample (n = 80), revealed that anxious attachment style (but not the other 3 attachment styles) was significantly positively correlated with responses to faces (but not to cars) in all six ROIs (r = 0.33–0.49, p = 0.01–0.0001, n = 50). ConclusionsThese findings suggest that anxious attachment is associated with over-responsivity of a sensorimotor network involved in attending to social stimuli near the body.