Attachment Style Differences Research Articles

Prepared to care: adult attachment and filial obligation

Objectives: Past work found that close adult attachment dimension scores predict caregiver preparedness. Theory and past research suggests filial obligation (FO) may mediate the relationship between attachment and caregiver preparedness. The goal of this study was to test that hypothesis.Method: The sample, collected using Mechanical Turk, included 165 women between the ages of 45 and 65 years who were not providing care to an aging parent. Participants were reimbursed $0.75 for completing an online survey assessing response validity, dimensions of adult attachment, depressive symptomatology, FO, and caregiver preparedness, among other variables. The mean participant age was 52.2 years (SD = 5.5).Results: The sample was predominantly White/Caucasian (82.6%), and Black/African American (7.3%). With respect to education, 14.5% completed high school or general education development (GED), 32.7% completed some college, 36.4% completed a Bachelor's degree, and 15.7% completed graduate degrees. The three attachment dimensions (close, dependent, and anxious) and FO were all significantly inner-correlated. Stepwise multiple regression analyses found that FO fully mediates the relationship between close attachment and caregiver preparedness, even after controlling for age, education, income, depression, and birth order.Conclusion: The primary finding is that FO mediates the relationship between close attachment style and caregiver preparedness among prospective caregivers. This suggests that individual differences in attachment style among prospective caregivers indirectly predict preparedness for future caregiving through FO, suggesting a mechanism relating attachment style and preparation for future care.

Effects of personality on the opioidergic modulation of the emotion warmth-liking.

Neurobiological research suggests there are discrete emotion systems, which are based on separate neural pathways with specific neurotransmitters (i.e., oxytocin, opioids). So far, autonomic regulation patterns of different positive emotions could not be unambiguously characterized. Warmth-liking, as an emotion system, is activated during interpersonal interactions and close relationships. We postulated that warmth-liking has a specific somatovisceral signature, which is, however, qualified by individual differences in personality and attachment style. Individual differences in personality and attachment style are postulated to contribute to μ-opiate functioning. Forty-eight females in a heterosexual relationship, selected on the basis of attachment reports, took part in a virtual ball-tossing game with their partners and two confederates. Participants received either the competitive μ-opioid antagonist naltrexone (25 mg) or a placebo in a randomized double-blind design. Social exclusion during the game reduced feelings of warmth, increased feelings of anger, and increased blood pressure and left-ventricular contractibility, whereas social inclusion was characterized by physiological quiescence. Further analyses revealed differential effects in self-reported feelings as well as in cardiovascular parameters as a function of attachment style. Secure attachment predicted higher levels of warmth-liking, physiological quiescence, and less negative feelings even during social exclusion. These findings can be interpreted as evidence for psychophysiological resilience. Furthermore, naltrexone reduced feelings of warmth and increased vasoconstriction during social inclusion, especially for securely bonded participants. These findings are remarkable hints for an opioidergic modulation of the interaction between emotion and personality.

Adult attachment style is associated with cerebral μ-opioid receptor availability in humans.

Human attachment behavior mediates establishment and maintenance of social relationships. Adult attachment characteristically varies on anxiety and avoidance dimensions, reflecting the tendencies to worry about the partner breaking the social bond (anxiety) and feeling uncomfortable about depending on others (avoidance). In primates and other mammals, the endogenous μ-opioid system is linked to long-term social bonding, but evidence of its role in human adult attachment remains more limited. We used in vivo positron emission tomography to reveal how variability in μ-opioid receptor (MOR) availability is associated with adult attachment in humans. We scanned 49 healthy subjects using a MOR-specific ligand [(11) C]carfentanil and measured their attachment avoidance and anxiety with the Experiences in Close Relationships-Revised scale. The avoidance dimension of attachment correlated negatively with MOR availability in the thalamus and anterior cingulate cortex, as well as the frontal cortex, amygdala, and insula. No associations were observed between MOR availability and the anxiety dimension of attachment. Our results suggest that the endogenous opioid system may underlie interindividual differences in avoidant attachment style in human adults, and that differences in MOR availability are associated with the individuals' social relationships and psychosocial well-being.

Digit Ratio (2D:4D) and Attachment Styles in Middle Childhood: Indirect Evidence for an Organizational Effect of Sex Hormones

Sex differences in attachment are absent during infancy and early childhood, emerge in middle childhood with self-reports and doll-play tasks, and persist into adulthood, when they are most reliably detected in romantic attachment styles. In our previous work, we hypothesized that sex differences in attachment develop under the influence of adrenal androgens during the transition form early to middle childhood, following activation of hormone-sensitive neural pathways organized by prenatal and early postnatal exposure to sex hormones. In this study we tested the association between the right-hand 2D:4D digit ratio (a marker of early exposure to androgens and estrogen) and sexually differentiated dimensions of attachment in middle childhood assessed with the Coping Strategies Questionnaire (CSQ). In a sample of 285 Italian children aged 8–10 years, females scored lower in avoidance and higher in preoccupation, while no significant sex differences were observed in felt security. Consistent with our predictions, higher (feminized) digit ratios were significantly associated with lower avoidance and higher preoccupation scores in both males and females. In contrast, there was no significant association between digit ratio and felt security in either sex. These results corroborate the hypothesis that sex differences in attachment reflect the activation of sexually differentiated pathways organized in early development, and for the first time implicate sex hormones in the development of individual differences in attachment styles.

An insecure base: Attachment style and orienting response to positive stimuli.

In adults as in infants, psychological attachment to close others provides a "secure base" for exploration and pursuit of opportunities. Insecure attachment is likely to interfere with this function. The present study examined the association of individual differences in adult attachment style with peripheral physiological measures of automatic orienting to several kinds of positive, rewarding stimuli. Attachment style was largely unrelated to extent of heart rate deceleration in response to the appearance of positive emotion-eliciting images. However, attachment avoidance was associated with reduced skin conductance responding to the onset of several kinds of positive stimuli. These findings suggest that working models of relationships with close others have complex implications for the early stages of responding to opportunities for reward presented by the environment.

Attachment style moderates partner presence effects on pain: a laser-evoked potentials study

Social support is crucial for psychological and physical well-being. Yet, in experimental and clinical pain research, the presence of others has been found to both attenuate and intensify pain. To investigate the factors underlying these mixed effects, we administered noxious laser stimuli to 39 healthy women while their romantic partner was present or absent, and measured pain ratings and laser-evoked potentials (LEPs) to assess the effects of partner presence on subjective pain experience and underlying neural processes. Further, we examined whether individual differences in adult attachment style (AAS), alone or in interaction with the partner’s level of attentional focus (manipulated to be either on or away from the participant) might modulate these effects. We found that the effects of partner presence vs absence on pain-related measures depended on AAS but not partner attentional focus. The higher participants’ attachment avoidance, the higher pain ratings and N2 and P2 local peak amplitudes were in the presence compared with the absence of the romantic partner. As LEPs are thought to reflect activity relating to the salience of events, our data suggest that partner presence may influence the perceived salience of events threatening the body, particularly in individuals who tend to mistrust others.

The role of attachment style in women’s recognition of sexism

The present research examined how differences in attachment style might impact women’s awareness of sexism. Identity threat models of stigma emphasize the role of individual differences in responding to social identity threats, however little is known about what factors lead to avoidance versus vigilance for such threats. Furthermore, research shows that insecure attachment is related to avoidant responses to blatantly threatening cues, but vigilance when such cues are ambiguous. Thus, insecurely attached women should acknowledge less sexism toward women when faced with instances of blatant sexism, whereas their awareness should be heightened by instances of ambiguous sexism. Conversely, securely attached women should acknowledge sexism when encountering blatant rather than ambiguous instances of sexism. In a test of these hypotheses, 155 women were exposed to either a male verbally rejecting a women’s opinion for blatantly sexist or ambiguously sexist reasons. The data confirm predictions. The findings suggest interventions to improve outcomes for stigmatized groups should consider impacts of attachment style, and further, that attachment style might partially explain women’s divergent responses to sexism.

Attachment relationships among alcohol dependent persons

IntroductionThis article presents the results of a study on alcohol dependent patients attachment style and its various dimensions. MethodThere were 94 alcoholic and 94 non-alcoholic participants (both 53 women and 41 men). Plopa's Questionnaire of Attachment Styles (KSP) and Collins and Read's Adult Attachment Scale (AAS) were used.The variable of having a dependent parent was also taken into consideration. ResultsThe study has shown that people with alcohol dependence significantly differ from non-alcoholics in terms of attachment style and its dimensions. They also receive significantly lower scores on secure attachment style and higher scores on insecure attachment style – anxious-ambivalent and avoidant style, and higher scores on attachment dimensions – anxiety and avoidance. There were no differences in attachment styles and their dimensions for patients with alcohol dependent and non-dependent parents. ConclusionsAlcohol dependent persons rarely present secure connection to others and more often manifest mistrust in interpersonal relationships and avoid closeness and intimacy.

Attachment style and respiratory sinus arrhythmia predict post‐treatment quality of life in breast cancer survivors

Breast cancer is the most frequent malignant tumor among women in the industrialized world. The vast majority of these tumors can now be successfully treated. A subset of breast cancer survivors report quality of life (QOL) difficulties well after treatment is completed. The current study examined how individual differences in attachment style and self-regulatory capacity (as indexed by respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA)) were associated QOL among post-treatment breast cancer survivors. Women who had completed treatment for stage 0-IIIA breast cancer within the past 2 years participated in the study (N=96). RSA was assessed using electrocardiography data that was continuously measured non-invasively for 10 min. Attachment orientation was measured using a modified version of the Experiences in Close Relationships Scale and overall QOL by the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Breast scale. Breast cancer survivors with more attachment anxiety reported poorer QOL than those with less attachment anxiety. Women who were more avoidantly attached also reported poorer QOL compared with those who were less avoidantly attached. Furthermore, attachment avoidance interacted with RSA to predict QOL such that those with higher attachment avoidance were only vulnerable to poorer QOL if they also had lower self-regulatory capacity, as indexed by lower RSA. A better understanding of how attachment style and RSA contribute to breast cancer survivors QOL will help identify people at risk for QOL problems after treatment completion.

Načini pokazivanja ljubavi, bliskost i zadovoljstvo u homoseksualnim vezama: značaj afektivne vezanosti

Teorija afektivne vezanosti individualne razlike opisuje preko razlika u obrascima afektivne vezanosti koji se kod odraslih prepoznaju u interpersonalnim relacijama. Osobe sa nesigurnim obrascem vezanosti imaju negativnu sliku o drugima, koja potom utiče na negativnu percepciju ponašanja partnera i na očekivanje negativnog ponašanja partnera u odnosu na posvećivanje pažnje, brigu i poverenje, čime se narušava i zadovoljstvo vezom. Cilj ovog rada bila je provera primenjivosti opisanog teorijskog modela afektivne vezanosti na muškarce iz homoseksualne populacije u Srbiji. Uzorak je činilo 100 muškaraca u stabilnim homoseksualnim vezama. Ispitana je povezanost obrazaca afektivne vezanosti sa načinima pokazivanja ljubavi, percipiranom bliskošću sa partnerom i zadovoljstvom partnerskom relacijom. Ispitana je i prediktorska uloga navedenih varijabli u odnosu na zadovoljstvo partnerskom relacijom. Rezultati ukazuju na veću učestalost nesigurnih obrazaca afektivne vezanosti u odnosu na podatke iz heteroseksualne populacije. Razlika je naročito uočljiva kod preokupiranog obrasca (51% uzorka). Ispitanici sa sigurnim obrascem vezanosti percipiraju viši stepen ljubavi u vezama i zadovoljniji su svojom vezom. Struktura razlika u načinima pokazivanja ljubavi između sigurno vezanih i preokupirano vezanih ispitanika nije ukazala na značajne razlike. U odnosu na zadovoljstvo u partnerskoj relaciji nisu pronađeni značajni efekti doživljaja ljubavi u relaciji i načina pokazivanja ljubavi. Samostalni značajni efekat na zadovoljstvo vezom ostvaruje anksioznost i to tako da viši stepen anksioznosti ispoljavaju ispitanici koji su manje zadovoljni vezom.

간호대학생의 대인관계 애착유형과 사랑유형

Purpose: This study was conducted to investigate the level of interpersonal attachment styles and love styles and to identify the differences of love styles according to interpersonal attachment styles among nursing students. Methods: Data were collected from 510 nursing students using a self-report questionnaire and analyzed by frequencies, Fisher`s exact test, t-test, and ANOVA using the SPSS program. Results: In terms of interpersonal attachment styles, secure style was the most prevalent, and fearful style was the second highest in nursing students. There were significant differences in interpersonal attachment styles between upper and lower level nursing students, indicating the highest rate of secure style in the lower grade and the highest rate of fearful style in the upper grade. In love styles, the mean scores for eros and pragma style in nursing students were significantly higher in the upper grade than the lower grade. Love styles according to interpersonal attachment styles showed a significant difference for eros style. Conclusion: Our results might help nursing educators increase their understanding of interpersonal attachment styles and love styles in nursing students and counsel nursing students in interpersonal and romantic relationships. In addition, educational programs addressing interpersonal attachment styles should be developed and applied to nursing students.

Do Attachment Styles Affect the Presence and Search for Meaning in Life?

The current work examines the connection between attachment theory and meaning in life (MIL) across adulthood, by inspecting attachment style differences on two dimensions of MIL: presence of meaning (PML) and search for meaning (SML). MIL and attachment measures were collected from 992 participants of three age-groups, young adults (21–30), established adults (31–49), and older adults (50–65). Multivariate analyses demonstrated that older adults scored higher on PML, while younger adults reported more SML. In general, securely attached individuals demonstrated more PML and less SML than participants with insecure attachment styles, and individuals with a fearful attachment style displayed more SML than other attachment styles. Age interacted with attachment, as dismissive young adults displayed less SML, and gender differences were revealed in PML among established adults with regard to the preoccupied and fearful attachment styles. Finally, a three-way interaction of attachment × age × gender was found for PML, as in the established adults, both preoccupied men and fearful women reported a decline in PML, while older women with secure attachment reported higher levels of PML. While in accordance with the developing literature in the field of positive psychology, the current findings shed light on the manner by which the connections between attachment styles, age and gender are associated with the presence and the search for MIL.

Attachment style and conflict resolution skills predicting technology use in relationship dissolution

Differences in attachment styles and conflict resolution skills may exist for those who choose to initiate or who receive relationship dissolution mediated by technology. 304 college students (F=178, M=126) completed an online questionnaire about their demographics, relationship status, attachment styles, and conflict resolution skills. Text messaging was the most common form of technology to initiate or receive a breakup. Greater attachment anxiety predicted being the recipient of a technology-mediated dissolution. Positive attitudes towards conflict resolution predicted having initiated a breakup via technology. There were no significant differences in attachment styles or conflict resolution skills for those using text messaging to receive or initiate conflict resolution.

Adult attachment, emotion dysregulation, and symptoms of depression and generalized anxiety disorder.

Differences in attachment style have been linked to both emotion regulation and psychological functioning, but the emotion regulatory mechanism through which attachment style might impact symptoms of depression and anxiety is unclear. The present study examined the explanatory role of emotion dysregulation in the relation between adult attachment style and symptoms of depression and generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) in a sample of 284 adults. Secure attachment was associated with lower depression and GAD symptoms and lower emotion dysregulation, whereas insecure attachment styles were generally associated with higher depression and GAD scores and higher emotion dysregulation. Perceived inability to generate effective emotion regulation strategies mediated the relation between insecure attachment and both depression and GAD symptoms. Nonacceptance of negative emotions and inability to control impulsive behaviors emerged as additional mediators of the relation between insecure attachment styles and GAD symptoms. The differential contribution of attachment style and emotion regulation to the prediction of depression and GAD symptoms may reflect differences in vulnerability to depression and GAD.

Interpersonal and genetic origins of adult attachment styles: a longitudinal study from infancy to early adulthood.

One of the assumptions of attachment theory is that individual differences in adult attachment styles emerge from individuals' developmental histories. To examine this assumption empirically, the authors report data from an age 18 follow-up (Booth-LaForce & Roisman, 2012) of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development, a longitudinal investigation that tracked a cohort of children and their parents from birth to age 15. Analyses indicate that individual differences in adult attachment can be traced to variations in the quality of individuals' caregiving environments, their emerging social competence, and the quality of their best friendship. Analyses also indicate that assessments of temperament and most of the specific genetic polymorphisms thus far examined in the literature on genetic correlates of attachment styles are essentially uncorrelated with adult attachment, with the exception of a polymorphism in the serotonin receptor gene (HTR2A rs6313), which modestly predicted higher attachment anxiety and which revealed a Gene × Environment interaction such that changes in maternal sensitivity across time predicted attachment-related avoidance. The implications of these data for contemporary perspectives and debates concerning adult attachment theory are discussed.

Attachment Style Differences and Depression in African American and European American College Women: Normative Adaptations?

This study examined ethnic differences in attachment styles and depression among African American and European American college women. African American women reported less favorable views of others, which suggests that attachment styles emphasizing caution in relationships may be normative and adaptive for these women. There were no differences between groups in views of self or reports of depressive symptoms. Implications for long‐term relationships and counseling are discussed.Este estudio examinó las diferencias étnicas en estilos de apego y depresión entre estudiantes universitarias Afroamericanas y Euroamericanas. Las mujeres Afroamericanas expresaron una visión menos favorable sobre los demás, lo que sugiere que los estilos de apego que enfatizan la precaución en las relaciones pueden ser normativos para estas mujeres, y el resultado de su adaptación. No hubo diferencias entre los grupos en cuanto a la visión de sí mismas o expresión de síntomas depresivos. Se discuten las implicaciones para las relaciones a largo plazo y la consejería.

Warmth, spatial proximity, and social attachment: The embodied perception of a social metaphor

Recent experiments in embodied social cognition suggest a fundamental link between physical warmth and social affiliation. Findings from two experiments support the hypothesis that physical warmth serves as a symbolic cue signaling the close proximity of a source of affiliation. In Experiment 1, participants perceived a warm object as being physically closer than a cold object. In Experiment 2, being primed with warmth led participants to display higher levels of self-reported social affiliative motivation. In both studies, effects were moderated by individual differences in attachment style; priming effects were pronounced among those low in attachment avoidance and those high in attachment anxiety. These findings contribute to a growing literature suggesting deep connections between perception, physical experience, and social cognition.

Attachment, skin deep? Relationships between adult attachment and skin barrier recovery

This study examined the relationship between individual differences in adult attachment and skin barrier recovery. Dating couples (N=34) completed a self-report measure of attachment anxiety and avoidance, and during two separate laboratory visits, normal skin barrier function was disrupted using a tape-stripping procedure, followed by a 20min discussion of personal concerns in one visit and relationship problems in the other, counterbalanced randomly across visits. Skin barrier recovery was assessed by measuring transepidermal water loss up to 2h after skin disruption. Multilevel modeling showed that skin barrier recovery did not differ between the personal concern or relationship problem discussions. Among women, greater attachment anxiety predicted faster skin barrier recovery across the two visits, while greater attachment avoidance predicted slower skin barrier recovery. Among men, greater attachment anxiety predicted slower skin barrier recovery during the personal concern discussion only. The observed effects remained significant after controlling for transepidermal water loss in undisturbed skin, suggesting that the relationship between attachment security and skin barrier recovery was not due to other skin-related factors like sweating. Cortisol changes, self-reported emotions, stress appraisals, and supportiveness ratings were tested as potential mediators, and none explained the relationships between attachment and skin barrier recovery. These findings are the first to demonstrate associations between individual differences in attachment style and restorative biological processes in the skin, even in a sample of young dating couples in satisfied relationships.

How sweet it is to be loved by you: The role of perceived regard in the terror management of close relationships.

Drawing from terror management theory, the present research examined whether people turn to close relationships to manage the awareness of mortality because they serve as a source of perceived regard. Studies 1 and 2 demonstrated that mortality salience (MS) leads people to exaggerate how positively their romantic partners see them and demonstrated that people are more committed to their partners to the extent that their romantic partners serve as a source of perceived regard after MS (Study 3). Study 4 revealed that activating thoughts of perceived regard from a partner in response to MS reduced death-thought accessibility. Studies 5 and 6 demonstrated that MS led high relationship contingent self-esteem individuals to exaggerate perceived regard from a partner, and this heightened regard led to greater commitment to one's partner. Study 7 examined attachment style differences and found that after MS, anxious individuals exaggerated how positively their parents see them, whereas secure individuals exaggerated how positively their romantic partners see them. Together, the present results suggest that perceptions of regard play an important role in why people pursue close relationships in the face of existential concerns.

Gender Differences in Attachment Styles Using Slovak Version of the Experiences in Close Relationships – Revised (ECR-R)

Abstract There is a vast amount of literature on similarities and differences of women and men experiencing (close) relationships and using different strategies for coping with daily stress and significant life events. Western folk psychology expects women to be generally more anxious and men to be more avoidant when solving close-relationship conflicts and experiences in long term relationships. We used the Experiences in Close Relationships - Revised (ECR-R) questionnaire that is based on the Attachment-style theory distinguishing four distinct attachment styles - secure, anxious/ambivalent, disoriented/disorganized and avoidant.