Higher Levels Of Attachment Avoidance Research Articles

Fostering connection: A dyadic analysis of the relationships between mattering, attachment, and mental health.

In this study, we used data from 100 heterosexual couples in a committed, romantic relationship to better understand the relationship between perceived mattering (PM) and attachment, and to explore how PM relates to various mental health and relationship outcomes. A linear mixed-effects model examining both actor and partner effects revealed that men reported lower PM in the relationship when their female partner was higher in attachment avoidance. In addition, higher levels of attachment avoidance or attachment anxiety were significantly associated with lower PM for both men and women. A dyadic path analysis model revealed that higher actor and partner PM was significantly associated with higher couple satisfaction and stronger constructive communication patterns for men and women. Stronger needs-based communication was significantly associated with stronger constructive communication for men and women, as well as lower anxiety for women.

Adoptees' basic need satisfaction within romantic relationships: The role of attachment orientations and relational attitudes

Little is known about the challenges adoptees face in their romantic relationships. This study examines the association between adoption and three relational attitudes in romantic relationships: authenticity, pathological concern, and sense of entitlement, with a possible role for attachment style. 268 participants aged 18–60 (18.8% males, 59.3% adopted) completed online questionnaires assessing attachment dimensions and the following variables in the context of romantic relationships: sense of entitlement, pathological concern, authenticity, and basic needs satisfaction. Adoptees reported higher levels of attachment avoidance, relational entitlement, pathological concern and lower authenticity and need satisfaction within the context of their romantic relationships than non-adoptees. The association between adoption status and basic need satisfaction in romantic relationships was partially explained by avoidant attachment, relational entitlement and authenticity in relationships. Findings strengthen the claim that relational challenges associated with being adopted at a young age continue into adulthood. The dissatisfaction that adoptees tend to feel in romantic relationships appears to be driven by avoidant attachment orientation and related problematic relational attitudes (inflated and restricted sense of relational entitlement, lack of relational authenticity), rather than by adoption status per se. Longitudinal designs should be designed to further our understanding of the cause-and-effect relationships between the variables in our study.

Parental reflective functioning in mothers and fathers of preschoolers: Associations with adult attachment and parenting behavior.

Parental reflective functioning (PRF) is considered a key parental competence. Since most research on PRF has focused on infancy or the first years of life, there is a gap in our understanding of PRF among parents of older children. Therefore, we investigated PRF in mothers and fathers with preschool-aged children, examining associations between PRF, parent's romantic attachment, and observed parenting behavior. The sample comprised 50 mothers, 40 fathers, and their 5-year-old children. PRF was assessed using the parental reflective functioning questionnaire (PRFQ), parental romantic attachment was assessed using the experiences in close relationships scale-revised (ECR-R), and parenting behavior was assessed during a parent-child free-play interaction with the coding interactive behavior (CIB) coding system. Results showed that mothers scored higher on the interest and curiosity scale than fathers, indicating that mothers show a more active interest and curiosity in their child's mental states. Further, higher levels of attachment anxiety in fathers were associated with higher levels of pre-mentalizing modes. In mothers, higher levels of attachment avoidance were associated with lower levels of interest and curiosity. Finally, and unexpectedly, higher levels of interest and curiosity in mothers were associated with less sensitivity during free play. In summary, the study found meaningful associations between mothers' and fathers' romantic attachment and their PRF indicating a spill-over of their attachment strategies into their relationship with their child. Further, the study results suggest that very high levels of interest and curiosity in mothers reflect hypermentalizing.

Agency in avoidant personality disorder: a narrative review.

Avoidant personality disorder (AvPD) is a highly prevalent personality disorder, especially in clinical settings, yet scarcely researched. People diagnosed with AvPD have severe impairments in functioning and suffer greatly, yet we still lack meta-analytic evidence for therapy and only a few RCTs are conducted. Patient factors are the most important for outcome in therapy, in general. Lack of agency might be a core deficit in people diagnosed with AvPD. Their conditions might be improved if we understand their agency better. We review previous research regarding psychological mechanisms and interpersonal relationships that facilitate or hinder agency in AvPD in daily life and psychotherapy. Summarizing original literature in a narrative review with reflexive thematic analysis. People diagnosed with AvPD seem to have significant impairments in their sense of agency due to a lack of emotional awareness, an overweight of inhibiting vs. activating emotions, and difficulties regulating emotions. Difficulties also seem related to high levels of attachment avoidance and fear, creating strong ambivalence in social needs, in addition to a strong tendency to subordinate to others. A weak sense of self with a poor narrative, self-doubt, and harsh self-critique makes a reflexive and intentional stand increasingly difficult for these people. This review gives a clinically meaningful understanding of core strengths and deficits in the personality functioning of AvPD that can help clinicians map out important therapeutic work, identify barriers to client-agency in therapy, and work through relational difficulties in the therapeutic alliance.

Emotion regulation strategies and the two-dimensional model of adult attachment: a pilot study.

Emotion Regulation plays a crucial role in human's daily lives. Extensive research has shown that people with different attachment orientations exhibit divergencies in how they perform emotion regulation strategies. 44 adults performed an experimental emotion regulation task in which they were instructed to attend, reappraise, or suppress their emotions while viewing negative and neutral images taken from the International Affective Picture System (IAPS). Afterward, participants rated valence, arousal, and emotional dominance elicited by the images. Additionally, attachment orientations were measured using the ECR-12 questionnaire. Results showed a relationship between attachment avoidance and the level of arousal during the reappraisal condition; specifically, the higher attachment avoidance levels, the greater the emotional intensity during the implementation of cognitive reappraisal strategy. Such results suggest an association between failing in downregulate intense emotions using cognitive reappraisal when there are higher levels of attachment avoidance. Consistently, we also found that lower dominance during reappraisal was associated with more levels of avoidance. These results indicate that people with higher levels of attachment avoidance experience difficulties when using the cognitive reappraisal strategy to reduce the emotional impact produced by negative emotional stimuli. Our findings reinforce the idea that avoidant people experience high physiological activation when experience emotions.

Foster parents’ history of adverse childhood experiences, adult attachment, and parenting stress

BackgroundConnections between parents’ trauma histories, adult attachment, and parenting stress are well established; those who have experienced trauma are more likely to have higher levels of insecure attachment (Jacobvitz & Reisz, 2019) and are more vulnerable to parenting stress (Steele et al., 2016) These processes in foster parents are understudied, even though they care for vulnerable children. This study examined relations between foster parents adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), adult attachment, and parenting stress. This is important to address because foster parents care for vulnerable children who can present unique stressors to caregivers. ObjectiveExamine links between ACEs, adult attachment, and parenting stress in foster parents. Participants & settingParticipants were 55 foster parents from central Texas, US, recruited from a larger RCT study. MethodsParticipants completed the ACEs questionnaire, Experiences in Close Relationships questionnaire, and Parenting Stress Inventory. ResultsFoster parents who reported higher total ACEs were more likely to report higher levels of attachment avoidance and higher levels of overall parenting stress. Foster parents who reported experiencing childhood emotional abuse reported higher levels of attachment anxiety. Those who reported experiencing childhood sexual abuse reported higher levels of parental distress. Lastly, those who reported higher levels of attachment anxiety reported higher levels of parental distress and defensive responding. ConclusionsACEs are an important factor for foster parents, particularly for parenting stress. It is crucial that appropriate support is provided to help foster parents manage parenting stress and provide optimal care for their foster children.

Individuals' favorite songs' lyrics reflect their attachment style

AbstractRecent studies suggest that one's personality relates to their music preferences. Separately, research from an attachment theory perspective has demonstrated that attachment security and insecurity are important relationship‐related individual differences. We combined these two lines of inquiry here by investigating whether the lyrics of individuals' favorite songs about relationships reflect their attachment styles and related Big Five personality traits (Study 1; NParticipants = 469, NSongs = 4853). Individuals higher in attachment avoidance preferred relationship songs with lyrics expressing an avoidant attachment style, whereas individuals higher in neuroticism preferred relationship songs with lyrics expressing more attachment anxiety. We extended these results in a second study, finding that the lyrics of Western culture's 823 most popular songs from 1946 to 2015 mirrored societal trends of increasing social disengagement (i.e., were increasingly higher in attachment avoidance themes), suggesting that song lyrics impart psychological meaning at the sociocultural level as well. Our data therefore suggests that higher levels of attachment avoidance are reflected in preferred lyrics in relationship songs at both an individual and societal level.

Patients’ attachment avoidance and their perceived quality of the real relationship predict patients’ attitudes towards telepsychotherapy

ABSTRACT During the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic, patients in individual psychotherapy needed to suddenly transition to telepsychotherapy (TPT), and for many patients it was their first experience of remote treatment. Since TPT appears to be here to stay after the pandemic ends, it is crucial to understand which factors determine whether TPT is a good fit for patients. We aimed to examine patients’ relational predictors, both trait- (attachment avoidance and attachment anxiety) and state-like (working alliance, real relationship) of patients’ attitudes towards TPT, and the potential mediating role of state-like relational variables between trait-like variables and attitudes. We used a longitudinal design, where patients (N = 719) who were in individual TPT participated in an online survey at the beginning of the pandemic and at follow-up three months later. Patients completed measures of symptom severity, Covid-related distress, attachment anxiety and avoidance, perceived quality of the therapeutic relationship (working alliance and real relationship), and attitude towards TPT. Results suggested that higher levels of attachment avoidance predicted more negative attitudes towards TPT, and that patient-reported quality of the real relationship in their TPT sessions mediated this negative relationship between attachment avoidance and attitudes towards TPT. Patient’s attachment avoidance and the real relationship are important predictors of patients’ attitudes towards TPT, and could indicate suitability of the TPT format, as well as inform clinicians’ efforts in building a real and genuine connection with their patients online.

The impact of avoidant attachment on marital satisfaction of Chinese married people: Multiple mediating effect of spousal support and coping tendency

In this study, the relationship between attachment avoidance and marital satisfaction of Chinese married people as well as the multiple mediating role of spousal support and coping tendency were explored. A model was developed using data of a sample of 510 Chinese married people. Four scales (the Experience of Close Relationships Scale, the Support Scale in Intimate Relationships, the Simple Coping Style Scale, and the Olson Marital Quality Questionnaire) were used to assess attachment avoidance, spousal support, coping tendency, and marital satisfaction, respectively. The results of correlation analysis showed that attachment avoidance was significantly negatively correlated with spousal support, coping tendency, and marital satisfaction. Spousal support was significantly positively correlated with both coping tendency and marital satisfaction. Coping tendency was significantly positively correlated with marital satisfaction. The mediation model indicated significant mediating effects of spousal support and coping tendency between attachment avoidance and marital satisfaction, respectively, where the mediating path of spousal support exerted the largest effect. The multiple mediating effect of attachment avoidance → spousal support → coping tendency → marital satisfaction was also significant. Chinese married people with high levels of attachment avoidance might perceive lower levels of spousal support and are therefore more inclined to employ negative coping when handling conflicts, which lowers marital satisfaction.

The Relationship Between Adult Attachment and Complicated Grief: A Systematic Review.

Attachment insecurity, including attachment anxiety and attachment avoidance, is proposed as a key factor disrupting adaptive recovery following bereavement, resulting in complicated grief. However, findings are inconsistent across studies. This review aimed to synthesise existing research on attachment patterns in adults experiencing complicated grief to better understand this relationship. 22 cross-sectional and longitudinal studies (5149 participants), published between 2003 and 2020, met inclusion criteria. Higher levels of attachment anxiety were consistently associated with symptoms of complicated grief. Higher levels of attachment avoidance were associated with symptoms of complicated grief, although this relationship was less consistent. The review has implications for clinical practice as bereaved adults with insecure attachment histories may be particularly vulnerable to experiencing complicated grief. The research is limited by the reliance on mainly cross-sectional studies. Future research should focus on longitudinal studies, and studies that explore men's experiences, and of individuals living in non-Western countries.

Romantic attachment and support adequacy in new mothers

ABSTRACT In the present research, we examined whether attachment anxiety and avoidance in support recipients were related to the extent to which social support received from a romantic partner matched the actual needs of the recipient. Two-hundred and forty-five first-time mothers, currently involved in romantic relationships, participated in study 1, in which perceptions of support were appraised over the previous month using self-reports. In study 2, we sought to replicate these findings using an experience sampling method to examine the association between attachment and momentary support perceptions in the daily life of mothers with babies (N = 40). Results indicated that high levels of attachment avoidance or anxiety in mothers were associated with negative appraisals of support matching. Receiving support which matched the needs of the mother (i.e., adequate support) was beneficial to mood, but not constructive to relationship satisfaction or perceptions of maternal efficacy.

Associations of attachment avoidance and anxiety with life satisfaction, satisfaction with singlehood, and desire for a romantic partner

AbstractLiving single is becoming increasingly common worldwide and understanding within‐group predictors of well‐being among singles is becoming a stronger research priority. Although Pepping, MacDonald, and Davis suggested individual differences in attachment security may be useful for predicting singles' well‐being, there are no published data on the issue. In this research, single participants (N = 1930; 49% men; Mage = 31 years; 75% White) completed measures of attachment security as well as measures of life satisfaction, satisfaction with singlehood, and desire for a romantic partner. The data suggested that higher levels of attachment avoidance and attachment anxiety were both associated with lower levels of life satisfaction as well as satisfaction with singlehood. However, when controlling for life satisfaction, attachment avoidance was not associated with satisfaction with singlehood. We also found that higher levels of attachment avoidance were associated with less desire for a romantic partner whereas higher levels of attachment anxiety were associated with stronger desire for a partner. Our findings suggest that individual differences in attachment security may indeed be useful in predicting well‐being‐related outcomes for singles.

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.

Evaluation of a short version of the Experiences in Close Relationships-Revised questionnaire (ECR-RD8): results from a representative German sample

BackgroundAttachment insecurity is a prominent risk factor for the development and course of psychiatric and psychosomatic disorders. The Experiences in Close Relationships - Revised (ECR-R) questionnaire is a widely used self-report to assess attachment related anxiety and avoidance. However, its length has the potential to restrict its use in large, multi-instrument studies. The aim of this study was to develop and evaluate a brief version of the ECR-R, and provide norm values for the German population.MethodsA screening version of the original ECR-R was developed through principal components analysis of datasets from several previous studies. In a representative sample of 2428 randomly selected individuals from the German population, we compared fit indices of different models by means of confirmatory factor analyses (CFA). We investigated the convergent validity of the screening version in an independent convenience sample of 557 participants. Correlations between the short and the full scale were investigated in a re-analysis of the original German ECR-R evaluation sample.ResultsCFA indicated a satisfactory model fit for an eight-item version (ECR-RD8). The ECR-RD8 demonstrated adequate reliability. The subscales correlated as expected with another self-report measure of attachment in an independent sample. Individuals with higher levels of attachment anxiety, but especially higher levels of attachment avoidance were significantly more likely to not be in a relationship, across all age groups. Correlations between the short and the full scale were high.ConclusionsThe ECR-RD8 appears to be a reliable, valid, and economic questionnaire for assessing attachment insecurity. In addition, the reported population-based norm values will help to contextualize future research findings.

Emergency medical care utilization, romantic attachment, and psychological distress in pregnant adolescent and young adult couples.

Purpose: The present study investigated the association of one's own and one'spartner's emergency medical care utilization during pregnancy with psychological distress in adolescent and young adult couples. Effect modification by sex and romantic attachment style was also explored. Method: Participants were pregnant adolescent and young adult couples recruited from 4 university-affiliated hospitals in Connecticut. Participants self-reported demographics, emergency medical care utilization (emergency room or overnight hospitalization), romantic attachment style, and psychological distress at baseline during the second or third trimester. Multilevel models were estimated to account for interdependence within couples. Results: One's own and one's partner's emergency medical care was associated with higher levels of psychological distress only at low levels of avoidant attachment (-1 SD), B = 2.20, p < .001, and, B = 1.15, p = .097, respectively (associations were not significant at high levels of attachment avoidance, ps > .12). No significant interactions emerged for medical care utilization with sex or attachment anxiety. Conclusions: Emergency medical care utilization during pregnancy was associated with higher psychological distress only for individuals reporting lower avoidant attachment. These individuals may have more resources to deal with distress (e.g., coping, social support), and may therefore also be more capable of experiencing it. Tailoring interventions to bolster healthy romantic attachment and relational wellbeing could improve mental health outcomes in at-risk pregnant adolescent and young adult couples. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).

Attachment dimensions and cortisol responses during the strange situation among young children adopted internationally

ABSTRACT Children’s attachments to their parents may help regulate their hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axes. Prior research has largely focused on children with relatively consistent and low-risk caregiving histories, resulting in limited knowledge about the associations between attachment quality and HPA axis reactivity among children who have experienced early adversity. This study investigated whether dimensional measures of attachment quality were associated with HPA responses to the Strange Situation Procedure (SSP) among 64 children ages 11–33 months adopted internationally from institutional or foster care. Children who showed high levels of attachment avoidance exhibited a blunted cortisol response during the SSP. Conversely, children who sought proximity and contact with their adoptive parents exhibited an increase in cortisol reactivity during the SSP, followed by a return to baseline levels after the completion of the procedure. This association was independent of the previously reported association between parental insensitivity and blunted cortisol responses in this sample.

Romantic attachment and support preferences in new mothers: The moderating role of stress

In the present research, we examined whether attachment anxiety and avoidance in support recipients were related to preferences for specific types of support. In addition, we examined whether stress moderated the relationship between attachment and support needs. Two-hundred and forty-five first-time mothers, currently involved in romantic relationships, participated in study 1, in which support needs and stress were appraised over the previous month using self-reports. High levels of attachment avoidance were related to needing less support, but attachment anxiety was not associated with support needs. There was no hyperactivation or deactivation of the attachment system in response to stress. It is possible that recall bias, associated with cross-sectional methods, may have confounded the results. In study 2, we sought to replicate these hypotheses using an ambulatory method to examine the association between attachment and momentary support needs in the daily life of mothers with babies ( N = 40). Results revealed that attachment anxiety was associated with a preference for high levels of momentary support, but attachment avoidance was not related to any support needs. Stress experienced in the moment was found to moderate the relationships between attachment and support needs, with mothers high in anxiety and avoidance needing more support.

Extroversion and Subjective Well-Being Among Korean University Students: The Moderating Role of Attachment.

The purpose of this study was to test the moderating effects of adult attachment in the association between extroversion and subjective well-being in Korea. A total of 334 students recruited from four universities in Korea completed self-reported questionnaires regarding extroversion, attachment, and subjective well-being. The results showed that the innate extroverted orientation of university students affected positive emotions only when the level of attachment avoidance was low. In contrast, although university students had an extroverted orientation, their extroversion did not have a significant influence on positive emotions when their level of attachment avoidance was high. The findings of this study suggest that high levels of attachment avoidance may prevent for extroverts from experiencing positive emotions.

Sexual Functioning Among Childhood Sexual Abuse Survivors From an Attachment Perspective

BackgroundDespite the fact that childhood sexual abuse can affect a survivor's sexual functioning in adulthood, few studies have examined survivors' adult sexual functioning from the perspective of attachment theory. AimThe present study sought to examine how sexual abuse in childhood might shape the associations between attachment insecurities and sexual functioning among adults. MethodsThe study sample consisted of 265 participants (166 women and 99 men), 45 (16.9%) of whom were classified as survivors of childhood sexual abuse. Participants completed an online questionnaire about their history of childhood sexual abuse, attachment insecurities, and sexual functioning over the past 6 months. OutcomesThe findings of the present study suggest that attachment insecurities may have unique implications for sexual functioning among survivors of childhood sexual abuse. ResultsFindings indicated that a history of childhood sexual abuse significantly moderated the associations between attachment insecurities and sexual functioning. Whereas the effect of attachment avoidance in predicting sexual desire was not significant among nonabused participants, it was significant among survivors; specifically, higher levels of attachment avoidance predicted lower levels of sexual desire. A different pattern was found for attachment anxiety. Although attachment anxiety did not predict vaginal lubrication/penile erection among nonabused participants, it had significant effects among survivors; specifically, higher levels of attachment anxiety predicted higher levels of vaginal lubrication/penile erection. Clinical TranslationFindings from the present study may help facilitate sex therapy interventions for childhood sexual abuse survivors, from an attachment theory perspective. Strengths & LimitationsThe study included a nonclinical, convenience sample and used self-report measures, which are highly subjective and increase the possibility of social-desirability biases. However, on the plus side, it relied on simple, short, self-report questionnaires that are accessible and can be easily used by professionals to examine a survivor's current condition relative to any of the variables, establish intervention goals, and evaluate treatment. ConclusionA history of childhood sexual abuse is related to 2 opposite patterns of association between attachment insecurity (depending on type) and sexual functioning.Gewirtz-Meydan A, Lahav Y. Sexual Functioning Among Childhood Sexual Abuse Survivors From an Attachment Perspective. J Sex Med 2020;17:1370–1382.

The direct and indirect effects of couples’ attachment relationship on children’s depression

The present study examined whether there is any direct or indirect association between couples’ attachment relationship and depressive symptoms experienced by their children. Having in mind the importance of the caregiving role of both mothers and fathers, the initial aim of the study was to collect data about the couple’s attachment relationship, from the two parents. Unfortunately, the overwhelming majority of fathers were unwilling to provide information regarding their attachment relationship. That’s why it was finally decided to collect data about the couple’s attachment from mothers only. For the same reason, only mothers’ parenting style was used as the mediating factor, in order to test any possible indirect effects, between couples’ attachment relationship and children’s depression. More specifically, three kinds of parenting style were examined, the authoritative, the authoritarian, and the permissive style. The results of the study revealed that mothers who experience higher levels of attachment anxiety tend to apply an authoritarian parenting style and this specific parenting style is significantly associated with higher depressive symptoms in children. Additionally, mothers who experience higher levels of attachment avoidance tend to behave in an authoritarian way towards their children, and this parenting style is also associated with higher depression in children.