Adult Attachment Dimensions Research Articles

Exposure to an Infidelity Threat Manipulation

Abstract. The associations between adult attachment dimensions and responses to romantic relationship threats have been investigated in recent years. The present study extended the results of previous studies by examining whether attachment dimensions moderated the anticipated responses that individuals had to the imagined infidelity of their romantic partners. College student participants (N = 243) were randomly assigned to imagine either a high threat scenario (i.e., finding their partner having sex with someone else) or a low threat scenario (i.e., hearing a couple on television having sex) and report their anticipated responses to these scenarios. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses revealed that the attachment dimensions moderated the anticipated responses of participants to the imagined infidelity of their romantic partners but the exact patterns of these results were different than we expected. For example, individuals with low levels of attachment avoidance provided more positive evaluations of their romantic relationships than individuals with high levels of attachment avoidance in the low threat condition but this difference did not emerge in the high threat condition. These findings suggest that low levels of attachment avoidance may be most beneficial for romantic relationships when there is relatively little threat to the relationship. Further, men with high levels of attachment anxiety reported relatively positive evaluations of their relationships in the high threat condition compared to men with low levels of attachment anxiety or women (regardless of their level of attachment anxiety). Discussion focuses on the implications these results may have for understanding the connections between attachment and relationship evaluations under conditions of threat.

Examining Protective Factors for Dysthymia Among Individuals Attending Substance Abuse Treatment

ABSTRACTDysthymia affects millions of people and has been associated with impaired psychosocial and occupational functioning and poor clinical treatment outcomes. Yet few studies have examined protective factors that can be utilized to help individuals with dysthymia in clinical settings, particularly among individuals with comorbid substance use disorders. The purpose of this study was to examine the potential protective quality of adult attachment dimensions, spirituality, and meaning in life among clients with and without dysthymia in treatment for addiction. Data were obtained from 305 self-report questionnaires administered to clients attending a residential substance abuse treatment center. Approximately 25% of the sample met criteria for dysthymia. Results from logistic regression analyses indicated that purpose and meaning in life and attachment anxiety were the most important protective factors against having dysthymia. These results suggest that mental health professionals may need to integrate these protective factors into the treatment of individuals with dysthymia and substance use disorders, which may enhance treatment outcomes and maximize treatment effectiveness. Future studies should continue to explore protective factors that can assist individuals who experience these comorbid conditions and consider replicating this study using an ethnically diverse sample and other clinical settings to determine the generalizability of the findings.

Dimensions of adult attachment are significantly associated with specific affective temperament constellations in a Hungarian university sample

BackgroundRelated to emotion regulation and mental health, adult attachment and affective temperaments are relevant research topics of contemporary psychiatry and clinical psychology. However, to date, only one study investigated the relationship between these two constructs. Thus, we aimed to further reveal adult attachment's association with affective temperaments. MethodsAffective temperament and adult attachment dimensions of 1469 Hungarian university students were assessed with self-report measures (Temperament Evaluation of Memphis, Pisa and San Diego autoquestionnaire and Experiences in Close Relationships Scale, respectively). Age and measured variables were compared between genders with ANOVAs. Associations between attachment dimensions and affective temperaments were examined with Pearson's correlations and partial correlations; the moderation effect of age and gender on these relationships was tested with PROCESS macro. Using Fisher r-to-z transformation, we also compared our results with the findings of the previous study. Cohen's ds were used to report effect size and Cronbach's alphas were computed as indices of internal reliability. ResultsSignificant correlations were found between attachment dimensions and affective temperaments. Correlations were especially robust between attachment anxiety and depressive, cyclothymic and anxious temperaments. Contrasted with the results of the previous study, hyperthymic temperament was negatively related to attachment avoidance and anxious temperament was significantly more strongly correlated with attachment anxiety in our study. LimitationsWe used a previous version of the adult attachment measure. Our sample differed from the target sample in several ways. Participants were not screened for mental disorders. ConclusionsFindings highlight that adult attachment dimensions are significantly associated with affective temperaments.

Attachment to God, adult attachment, and spiritual pathology: mediator and moderator effects

In this exploratory study, we examined moderated mediation models grounded in psychoanalytic and attachment theory regarding the correspondence between adult attachment and Divine–human relating in a sample of graduate students in the USA. Results supported the correspondence hypothesis as positive correlations between adult attachment dimensions and attachment to God dimensions were observed. An interaction effect was observed as spiritual grandiosity moderated the indirect effect between insecure adult attachment and insecure God attachment dimensions through spiritual instability. Results therefore provided support for the theoretical notion that spiritual dysregulation can function as a mechanism of the attachment correspondence that varies as a function of spiritual grandiosity. Findings are discussed in the context of advancing existing theory on implicit models of attachment correspondence and the nature of the association between spiritual insecurity and spiritual grandiosity.

The Influence of Adult Attachment on Patient Self-Management in Primary Care--The Need for a Personalized Approach and Patient-Centred Care.

ObjectiveSelf-management strategies are essential elements of evidence-based treatment in patients with chronic conditions in primary care. Our objective was to analyse different self-management skills and behaviours and their association to adult attachment in primary care patients with multiple chronic conditions.MethodsIn the apricare study (Adult Attachment in Primary Care) we used a prospective longitudinal design to examine the association between adult attachment and self-management in primary care patients with multimorbidity. The attachment dimensions avoidance and anxiety were measured using the ECR-RD. Self-management skills were measured by the FERUS (motivation to change, coping, self-efficacy, hope, social support) and self-management-behaviour by the DSMQ (glucose management, dietary control, physical activity, health-care use). Clinical diagnosis and severity of disease were assessed by the patients’ GPs. Multivariate analyses (GLM) were used to assess the relationship between the dimensions of adult attachment and patient self-management.Results219 patients in primary care with multiple chronic conditions (type II diabetes, hypertension and at least one other chronic condition) between the ages of 50 and 85 were included in the study. The attachment dimension anxiety was positively associated with motivation to change and negatively associated with coping, self-efficacy and hope, dietary control and physical activity. Avoidance was negatively associated with coping, self-efficacy, social support and health care use.ConclusionThe two attachment dimensions anxiety and avoidance are associated with different components of self-management. A personalized, attachment-based view on patients with chronic diseases could be the key to effective, individual self-management approaches in primary care.

Adult Attachment and Well-Being: Dimensions of Differentiation of Self as Mediators

This study investigated adult attachment dimensions as predictors of interpersonal forgiveness, positive emotionality, and social justice commitment through dimensions of differentiation of self. The sample consisted of 209 master’s level graduate students at a Protestant-affiliated university in the United States. Results revealed that higher attachment anxiety was associated with decreased differentiation of self and that decreased differentiation of self was then associated with lower levels of interpersonal forgiveness, positive emotionality and social justice commitment. Increased attachment avoidance was similarly associated with decreased differentiation of self, which then corresponded to lower levels of interpersonal forgiveness, positive emotionality and social justice commitment. Findings are discussed in the context of existing theory and research, and attention is given to the implications for clinical training and practice and future research.

Identifying the Best-Fitting Factor Structure of the Experience of Close Relations - Revised in a Scandinavian Example.

The aim of this study was to enhance the understanding of cultural and sample differences in the assessment of attachment by examining the factor structure of the Experiences in Close Relationships-Revised (ECR-R). The ECR-R is a self-report measure of adult romantic attachment dimensions. The present study used a Danish sample with the purpose of addressing limitations in previous studies, such as the lack of diversity in cultural background, restricted sample characteristics, and poorly fitting structure models. Participants consisted of 253 parents of children between the ages of 7 and 12 years, 53% being mothers. The parents completed the paper version of the questionnaire. Confirmatory Factor Analyses were carried out to determine whether theoretically and empirically established models including one and two factors would also provide adequate fits in a Danish sample. A previous study using the original ECR suggested that Scandinavian samples may best be described using a five-factor solution. Our results indicated that the one- and two-factor models of the ECR-R did not fit the data well. Exploratory Factor Analysis revealed a five-factor model. Our study provides evidence that further investigation is needed to establish which model may provide the best model fit in the Scandinavian countries.

Dyadic adjustment and parenting stress in internationally adoptive mothers and fathers: the mediating role of adult attachment dimensions.

Previous research has shown that a positive marital functioning represents a resource in adoptive families, leading to a decrease in parenting stress, but little is known about the factors mediating such a relationship. This study aimed to explore whether adult attachment avoidance and anxiety mediate the effect of dyadic functioning on parenting stress in 90 internationally adoptive couples (mothers and fathers) who had adopted a child (aged 3–10 years) in the last 36 months. Participants completed self-report measures of dyadic adjustment, adult attachment, and parenting stress. A series of path analyses supported the mediation hypothesis, but differentially for mothers and fathers. Among mothers, there was a direct and negative relationship between dyadic adjustment and parenting stress. In addition, a better dyadic adjustment was related to lower levels of attachment anxiety, which in turn were associated with less parenting stress. Among fathers, increased dyadic adjustment was related to lower levels of attachment avoidance, which in turn were associated with reduced parenting stress. These findings suggest the importance of including both mothers and fathers in adoption research. Adoptive parents could benefit from specific interventions aimed at reducing attachment avoidance and anxiety by supporting parental sense of competence and involvement for mothers and fathers, respectively.

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.

Adult Attachment Dimensions and College Student Distress

The present investigation examined dispositional hope as a psychological strength that mediates the associations between adult attachment dimensions and seven commonly assessed college student psychological symptoms, as measured by the Counseling Center Assessment of Psychological Symptoms–62 (CCAPS-62): depression, eating concerns, substance use, generalized anxiety, hostility, social anxiety, and academic distress. Structural equation modeling of data obtained from students at a large Midwestern university ( N = 2,644) revealed that (a) adult attachment dimensions were positively associated with CCAPS-62 domains and negatively associated with hope, (b) hope was negatively associated with all seven CCAPS-62 domains with the exception of substance use, and (c) hope mediated the associations between attachment dimensions and all seven CCAPS-62 psychological symptoms, with the exception of substance use. Findings suggest that addressing adult attachment-driven automatic views of self and others may have important implications for hopeful thinking as well as for counseling intervention and prevention of college student psychological distress.

Apego y Perdón en el Contexto de las Relaciones de Pareja

Attachment theory allows the understanding of several aspects of interpersonal functioning, including the ability to forgive. The aim of this study was to evaluate the association between adult attachment dimensions (anxiety over abandonment and avoidance of intimacy) and forgiveness of transgressions occurred in romantic relationships. Additionally, it was sought to compare the predictive weight of each dimension on forgiveness. With this purpose, 647 university students completed self-report measures of romantic attachment and forgiveness. Analysis through structural equation modeling allow to conclude that both higher anxiety and/or higher avoidance were associated to lower forgiveness. Additionally, individuals with high levels of avoidance show more difficulties to forgive than those with high levels of anxiety.

Adult Attachment Dimensions, World View Schemas, and the Psychological Health of Parents of Infants in a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit

This study reports the results of an exploration of the relationship of adult attachment dimensions (closeness, dependence, and anxiety) and world view assumptions (benevolence, meaningfulness, and worthiness) to psychological distress and psychological well-being in 142 parents (71 couples) of newborns recently hospitalized in a neonatal intensive care unit. The results of the Actor-Partner Interdependence Model, hierarchical multiple regression, and mediation analyses showed that parents who were more comfortable with attachment-dependence and parents who held more positive beliefs about benevolence and worthiness had less psychological distress and more well-being. In addition, parents with partners who were more comfortable with attachment-dependence had less psychological distress and more well-being. Attachment-dependence partially mediated the relationships of benevolence and worthiness with psychological distress and the relationship of benevolence with psychological well-being, whereas worthiness had a direct relationship with psychological well-being.

Social resources mediate the relations between attachment dimensions and distress following potentially traumatic events.

Insecure adult attachment dimensions are consistently related to poorer posttrauma adjustment, but these relations have rarely been examined prospectively or across a wide range of potentially traumatic events. In addition, the factors mediating these relations are not yet fully understood. Therefore, the first aim of this study was to assess whether anxious and avoidant attachment dimensions assessed preevent would predict changes in adjustment (e.g., distress) following a broad range of potentially traumatic events. The second aim was to determine whether postevent social resources mediated the relations between attachment dimensions and postevent adjustment. Undergraduate students (N = 1,084) completed preevent measures of attachment dimensions and psychological distress at Time 1 (T1); 73% (n = 789) completed a follow-up survey 2 months later assessing exposure to potentially traumatic events and social resources (Time 2; T2). Those who reported experiencing a potentially traumatic event between T1 and T2 and who completed a final follow-up survey assessing distress 2 months after T2 (Time 3) constituted the sample for the present analyses (n = 174). Individuals with more attachment avoidance and anxiety had greater increases in posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms and general psychological distress. These relations were mediated by social resources (i.e., positive and negative support, social withdrawal) at T2 such that anxious and avoidant attachment dimensions were associated with having fewer social resources following a potentially traumatic event, which in turn was associated with reporting more distress. Implications for research and practice with individuals exposed to potentially traumatic events are discussed.

Shoulda’ Put a Ring on It: Investigating Adult Attachment, Relationship Status, Anxiety, Mindfulness, and Resilience in Romantic Relationships

This study aimed to investigate the predictive ability of relationship status, anxiety, mindfulness, and resilience in relation to the two orthogonal dimensions of adult attachment: attachment anxiety and attachment avoidance. 156 participants completed measures assessing relationship status, adult attachment, anxiety, mindfulness and resilience. The results showed that resilience and the relationship status of single significantly predicted attachment anxiety, whereas anxiety and being either single or divorced significantly predicted attachment avoidance. A significant mediating role of resilience in the prediction of attachment anxiety from being single was also observed. The main implications of this study provided preliminary support for the significant predictive value of resilience in attachment anxiety.

Preliminary development and validation of the Supervisee Attachment Strategies Scale (SASS).

The influence of counselor trainees' adult attachment orientations in the context of supervision has the potential to inform both training and supervision practice. However, the pursuit of such research requires the availability of appropriate assessment tools. The present study describes the development and validation of the Supervisee Attachment Strategies Scale (SASS), a theory-based measure of counseling trainees' attachment orientations toward their clinical supervisors. Participants were recruited online through their training directors at Association of Psychology Postdoctoral and Internship Centers member programs. Data were nationally collected from 352 trainees representing programs in the United States and Canada. Exploratory factor analysis yielded 2 interpretable factors along the adult attachment dimensions of avoidance vs. engagement and rejection concern vs. security. These 2 factors accounted for 55.85% of the interitem variance in the rotated solution of the 22-item SASS scale. SASS subscale scores were negatively correlated with the supervisory working alliance and predicted greater endorsement of role conflict and role ambiguity in the current supervisory relationship. Higher avoidance (but not rejection concern) predicted diminished perceptions of satisfaction with the overall training experience. Findings from this study suggest that trainees who engaged in adaptive attachment strategies may be more likely to address conflict, negotiate additional explorative opportunities in training, and seek out their supervisors in times of uncertainty.

How Adult Attachment and Personality Traits are Related to Marital Quality: The Role of Relationship Attributions and Emotional Reactions

The purpose of this research was to explore the role of General Factor of Personality (GFP) and adult attachment dimensions in marital quality through relationship attributions and emotional reactions. The sample consisted of 261 couples who were married at least more than one year and had no major stressful events in their lives up to the time of the study. In this study, the NEO-Five Factor Inventory (NEO-FFI), the Experiences in Close Relationships Questionnaire-Revised (ECR-R), the Relationship Attribution Measure (RAM), the Geneva Emotion Wheel (GEW), and the Perceived Relationship Quality Components (PRQC) were used for collecting the data. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was employed to analyze the data. The results suggest that attachment anxiety and attachment avoidance and GFP directly and indirectly, through relationship attributions and emotional reactions, were related to marital quality. In addition, relationship attributions are antecedent to emotional reactions. Based on the findings, an intrapersonal-situational model of marital quality is suggested.

Attachment insecurities, maladaptive perfectionism, and eating disorder symptoms: A latent mediated and moderated structural equation modeling analysis across diagnostic groups

Although 96–100% of individuals with eating disorders (EDs) report insecure attachment, the specific mechanisms by which adult insecure attachment dimensions affect ED symptomatology remain to date largely unknown. This study examined maladaptive perfectionism as both a mediator and a moderator of the relationship between insecure attachment (anxiety and avoidance) and ED symptomatology in a clinical, treatment seeking, sample. Insecure anxious and avoidant attachment, maladaptive perfectionism, and ED symptomatology were assessed in 403 participants from three medium size specialized care centres for EDs in Italy. Structural equation modeling indicated that maladaptive perfectionism served as mediator between both insecure attachment patterns and ED symptomatology. It also interacted with insecure attachment to predict higher levels of ED symptoms – highlighting the importance of both insecure attachment patterns and maladaptive aspects of perfectionism as treatment targets. Multiple-group comparison analysis did not reveal differences across diagnostic groups (AN, BN, EDNOS) in mediating, main and interaction effects of perfectionism. These findings are consistent with recent discussions on the classification and treatment of EDs that have highlighted similarities between ED diagnostic groups and could be viewed through the lens of the Trans-theoretical Model of EDs. Implications for future research and intervention are discussed.

Secure attachment and autonomy orientation may foster mindfulness

Although mindfulness research has burgeoned, questions regarding the development of mindfulness remain largely unanswered. Mindfulness correlates negatively with the anxiety and avoidance dimensions of adult attachment and positively with autonomy, competence, and relatedness, the three primary psychological needs postulated by self-determination theory. It was hypothesized that secure attachment style and autonomy orientation would predict higher levels of self-reported mindfulness. After accounting for age, state self-esteem, and meditation practice, autonomy orientation predicted higher levels of self-reported mindfulness whereas secure attachment was no longer related to mindfulness. State self-esteem was found to be an important variable in understanding mindfulness. Results suggest mindfulness might be an innate construct that can be developed over time and enhanced by practice. Further, autonomy orientation and high self-esteem may foster the development of mindfulness in those with little to no meditation/mindfulness practice. Additional research is needed to clarify the roles of autonomy, attachment style, and self-esteem in the development of mindfulness.

The relevance of security: A latent domain of attachment relationships

In the present study an adult attachment dimension, latent to the constructs of security, anxiety, and avoidance, was hypothesized, wherein security was expected to occupy the most relevant position. Furthermore, the reciprocal functioning of attachment constructs and their interactions with self-esteem were explored. Four hundreds and thirty-four Italian university students responded to two adult attachment questionnaires (Attachment Style Questionnaire and Adult Attachment Questionnaire) and to the Rosenberg Self-esteem scale. A Many-Facet Rasch Measurement modeling approach was adopted. The main results can be summarized as follows: (a) security, anxiety, and avoidance are nested under one latent attachment dimension; (b) security occupies the most prominent position on the dimension; (c) security is positively associated with a moderate level of attachment anxiety and negatively related to avoidance; and (d) a positive interaction between self-esteem and security, and a negative relation between self-esteem and anxiety, were detected. Theoretical, clinical, and empirical implications of the results are further discussed.

Are anxiously attached women better mindreaders?

This research was aimed at providing first evidence concerning the relationship between adults' self-reported attachment style and their performance on a standard 'theory of mind' task. Based on adult attachment theory, we hypothesized that the two dimensions of self-reported adult attachment, anxiety and avoidance, are differently related to 'theory of mind,' and that this relationship is moderated by variables concerning the 'theory of mind' stimuli. The 'Experiences in Close Relationships' questionnaire and the 'Reading the Mind in the Eyes' test were administered to 132 young women. In line with our expectations, women's attachment-related anxiety was associated with better mind reading concerning stimuli that were emotionally neutral or difficult to recognize.