Social Attachment Research Articles

Relationships of Social Support and Activity Attachment with Purpose in Life among Older Forest Bathers: A Mediated Model

Forest bathing as a recreation activity may connect to experiences of social support, activity attachment, and purpose in life (PIL) among older adults. However, it is unclear whether activity attachment mediates the relationship between social support and PIL experienced by older forest bathers. To address this area of limited research, we examined such a mediated relationship in this population. In total, 292 older forest bathers completed a survey including measures of social support, activity attachment, and PIL. We performed structural equation modeling to analyze data. Results indicated that high levels of social support predicted high levels of activity attachment; high levels of activity attachment predicted high levels of PIL; and high levels of social support predicted high levels of PIL. Therefore, it is advantageous to create contexts and situations conducive for forest bathing to develop social support when practitioners attempt to help older adults foster activity attachment and PIL.

Can a traditional partner preference test quantify monogamous behavior in captive coyotes?

Social monogamy is a unique social system exhibited by only 3–5% of mammalian taxa; however, all wild canid species exhibit this social system. Despite the high prevalence of social monogamy among canids, little is known about how they form selective social attachment relationships among non-kin. Thus, we aimed to quantify monogamous behavior in a highly ubiquitous canid, the coyote (Canis latrans). We adapted the three-chambered partner preference test, which was originally developed for prairie voles (Microtus ochrogaster), to assess social preference in mated pairs of captive coyotes at the USDA Predator Research Facility. We quantified monogamy-related behaviors, such as time spent in spatial proximity to a pair-mate versus a stranger. Our behavioral ethogram also included visual seeking, olfactory investigations, ears down, scent marking, and affiliative behavior. Test subjects showed significantly greater affiliative behavior toward their partner than toward a stranger. However, there was extremely high variability both within and between coyote pairs across behavioral measures. These data suggest the need for larger sample sizes when working with species with high individual variability, as well as the need for species- and facility-specific modifications to this testing paradigm and/or ethogram to better adapt it from its laboratory and rodent-based origins.

Protective and compensatory childhood experiences and their impact on adult mental health.

Protective and compensatory childhood experiences and their impact on adult mental health.

My social comfort zone: Attachment anxiety shapes peripersonal and interpersonal space

Following positive social exchanges, the neural representation of interactive space around the body (peripersonal space; PPS) expands, whereas we also feel consciously more comfortable being closer to others (interpersonal distance; ID). However, it is unclear how relational traits, such as attachment styles, interact with the social malleability of our PPS and ID. A first, exploratory study (N=48) using a visuo-tactile, augmented reality task, found that PPS depended on the combined effects of social context and attachment anxiety. A follow-up preregistered study (N= 68), showed that those with high attachment anxiety demonstrated a sharper differentiation between peripersonal and extrapersonal space, even in a non-social context. A final, preregistered large-scale survey (N= 19,417) found that people scoring high in attachment anxiety prefer closer ID and differentiate their ID less based on feelings of social closeness. We conclude that attachment anxiety reduces the social malleability of both peripersonal and interpersonal space.

Is There Anybody Out There? Coping and Belonging Strategies: Correlations with Depression, Anxiety, and Stress among Latinx Undergraduates

The study examined the correlational and predictive relationship between religious coping and a sense of belonging on 202 Latinx undergraduates’ depression, anxiety, and stress. Religious coping refers to the reliance on religious beliefs or practices to cope with stressful life situations. A sense of belonging involves the psychological features of social integration and attachment to a community. The results of a multiple regression analysis found that positive and negative religious coping and a sense of belonging predicted 36% of the variance in Latinx students’ depression. A second regression found positive and negative religious coping, a sense of belonging, and the interaction between positive religious coping and a sense of belonging predicted 29% of the variance in anxiety. A third hierarchical regression found that 21% of the variance in stress levels was attributed to religious coping alone. The results demonstrate that students who utilized positive religious coping reported lower depression, anxiety, and stress levels. Conversely, negative religious coping contributed to depression, anxiety, and stress. A sense of belonging predicted lower depression and anxiety. Implications for practice and future research are discussed.

Resilience mediates the association between alexithymia and stress in Chinese medical students during the COVID-19 pandemic

BackgroundEvidence indicates that medical students have had high rates of mental health problems, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, which could be affected by alexithymia—a marked dysfunction in emotional awareness, social...

A STUDY OF SUSTAINING INTIMACY WITH GOD AS A SYMBOL OF UNCONDITIONAL LOVE IN BY THE RIVER PIEDRA I SAT DOWN AND WEPT

Ever since the creation of Man and consequently evolution of Faith on earth, theologians, philosophers, scholars, writers and common man have been interpreting the reality i.e. God according to their own personal experiences and requirement of the time and age in which they lived. In today’s world, one of the most controversial ideas is the doctrine of faith as true aspirant of God’s love. Many consider that God is their personal legacy and many think that He lives beyond their traditional horizons. This idea about God’s intimacy has caused inter sects and inter religion discourses as well. Nevertheless, one thing has been assured in the selected text that human beings beyond the restriction of race, religion and creed, have been striving to maintain closeness with God and whether interpreted and called in any condition, is always Benevolent and Benign to believers. This research paper attempts to analyze this doctrine and consequently explores its implications, propositions and connotations in Paulo Coelho’s novel By the River Piedra I Sat down and Wept (1999) in the backdrop of new criticism. Close reading technique has been used to analyze the text of the novel. The researchers have tried to find out themes, relations, characters, incidents and ideas and symbols in the text that convey the presence of the idea that God is the symbol of unwavering love and always benign to believes. The study sums up that human faith beyond its religion, social and traditional attachment is the true aspirant of God’s love in all sorts of crises and difficulties and God in spites of various names and connotation associated with Him is always benign and kind to the believers. Keywords: Faith, Believer, Holy Spirit, Divine. Benevolence, Human Efforts, Love, Feminine Face, Benign

Stimulus of Loyalty to Beauty Product Influencer on Social Media

This research analyzed the stimulus of Loyalty to the influencers of women's cosmetic products on social media. The research object used is Instagram social media. The data collection method used to distribute questionnaires online with samples taken using purposive sampling and non-probability sampling techniques to 230 respondents who are Instagram users and are interested in beauty product influencers in Indonesia. The data analysis method used is Structural Equation Modeling (SEM). The results of this study indicate that the stimulus for Loyalty to cosmetic product influencers on social media is social presence and attachment. In detail, the results of this study prove that social presence influencers have a positive and significant effect on higher attachments, with followers and extensions having a positive and significant impact on higher Loyalty to the influencers. Future research is recommended to use more types of social media besides those used in this study (Instagram), such as Youtube, Facebook, Twitter, TikTok, Pinterest, and Tumblr, to get more complete results of further research, as well as adding independent variables that can affect attachment and Loyalty to the Influencers

Global urban homogenization and the loss of emotions

Urban expansion is generating unprecedented homogenization of landscapes across the world. This uniformization of urban forms brings along dramatic environmental, social, and health problems. Reverting such processes requires activating people’s sense of place, their feeling of caring for their surroundings, and their community engagement. While emotions are known to have a modulating effect on behavior, their role in urban transformation is unknown. Drawing on large cognitive-psychological experiments in two countries, we demonstrate for the first time that urban homogenization processes lower people’s affective bounds to places and ultimately their intentions to engage with their neighbourhoods. The dulled emotional responses in peri-urban areas compared to urban and rural areas can be explained by lower social cohesion and place attachment. The findings highlight the significance of considering emotions in shaping just, equitable, sustainable, and resilient cities.

Challenges, prevention, and countermeasures for social withdrawal (hikikomori) by age group

The term "hikikomori" was recognized by society between 1980 and 2000, when the term "NEET" also appeared and it was regarded as a problem of irresponsible youth. However, accumulation of surveys and research both in Japan and abroad, including those conducted by the Cabinet Office, has revealed that the reasons behind social withdrawal are not only limited to mental illness. There are many people who exhibit withdrawal because they are unable to establish relationships with the community and other people owing to various factors such as social systems, attachment formation, family background, and education. In other words, withdrawal is better described as a "symptom" or "condition" than a disease. Therefore, it is necessary to understand and analyze the diverse backgrounds and needs of individuals with withdrawal and confront them about their state. Currently, many hikikomori people with prolonged withdrawal are now in their 40s and 50s. With their parents' aging, there are cases where people with hikikomori and their families become socially isolated and are unable to make ends meet. It is undeniable that, until now, the society we live in as a whole has little interest in or understanding of hikikomori. In contrast, withdrawal among older adults (tojikomori), which has become a problem in the super-aging society. Tojikomori is defined as "going out less than once a week and not requiring nursing care", which is not equivalent with hikikomori. Owing to the decline in the frequency of going out among the elderly in the recent coronary crisis, the number of pre-frailty in older adults has become a nationwide problem. Thus, both hikikomori and tojikomori are reversible conditions, and can be alleviated by providing necessary support. This paper summarizes the findings of the symposium "Challenges, Prevention, and Countermeasures for Social Withdrawal (Hikikomori) by Age Group" organized by the Committee on Mental Health and Suicide Prevention of the Japanese Society of Public Health at the 79th Annual Meeting of the Japanese Society of Public Health. This article is a compilation of findings that can benefit public health practitioners and researchers.

The relationship of social support perceived by mothers and fathers and dyadic adjustment with maternal and paternal attachment in the postpartum period.

This descriptive, correlational, and cross-sectional study included mothers (n=170) and fathers (n=173) with 6- to 12-month-old babies. A personal information form, the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS), the Revised Dyadic Adjustment Scale (RDAS), the Maternal Attachment Inventory (MAI), and the Postnatal Paternal-Infant Attachment Questionnaire (PPAQ) were used to gather information. Mothers' median scores were 64 (27-84) for MSPSS, 57 (21-69) for RDAS, and 102 (92-104) for MAI. Fathers' median scores were 53 (24-84) for MSPSS, 57 (40-69) for RDAS, and 84 (57-94) for PPAQ. In mothers, a significant, moderate, positive correlation was found between the median scores of MSPSS and RDAS (r=.521; p<.001) and MAI (r=.362; p<.001). This relationship was also the same for the RDAS and MAI median scores (r=.299; p<.001). For fathers, a significant, low-level, positive correlation was found between median scores of MSPSS and RDAS (r=.53; p=.044) and PPAQ (r=.164; p=.031). A significant, moderate, positive correlation was also found between RDAS and PPAQ median scores (r=.468; p<.001). This study found that baby attachment increases with increasing social support for mothers and fathers and dyadic adjustment. In postnatal follow-ups, women's health nurses and midwives should assess the social support, dyadic adjustment, and attachment levels of mothers and fathers.

Living with suicidal thoughts: A scoping review.

There is a significantly higher number of people experiencing severe levels of suicidal thoughts compared to that of suicidal deaths and suicide attempts. In suicide prevention research, there is a shift towards greater emphasis on people's experiences of living with suicidal thoughts. This can expand the existing evidence base, which is dominated by a biomedical approach. The aim of this review was to summarise and disseminate existing research on the lived experiences of living with suicidal thoughts. A scoping review by Arksey & O'Malley consisting of six stages: (1) formulating the research question, (2) identifying relevant studies, (3) selecting studies, (4) mapping data, (5) summarising the results and (6) consulting stakeholders. PubMed, PsycINFO and CINAHL were searched for studies in English, Danish, Swedish and Norwegian. Peer-reviewed articles examining people's experiences of living with suicidal thoughts using qualitative methods were included. The search was supplemented with a citation pearl search in the Web of Science database. Twenty-eight studies were included. The findings were organised under two thematic headings: (a) the significance of social connections and (b) a loss of the personal self. There is a need for further qualitative research of people's experiences of living with suicidal thoughts from an everyday life perspective. Awareness about social connections and attachment in mental health prevention and governance is crucial. Trauma-informed care could be a useful approach to prevent suicidal thoughts as the review found that many participants had traumatic experiences in both childhood and adulthood. As part of the treatment of suicidal thoughts, it might be useful to have a focus on narrative and communicative methods and their clinical application.

Exploring relationship development with social chatbots: A mixed-method study of replika

This mixed-method investigation proposes and empirically tests a human-Artificial Intelligence (AI) relationship development model in the context of social chatbots. Utilizing data from representative populations and employing method triangulation, the study uniquely combines existing human-computer interaction theoretical concepts (Computers are Social Actors, Perceived Social Presence, and Parasocial Interaction) with interpersonal relationship theories (Social Penetration and Attachment Theories) to advance an explanatory model of human – AI relationship development mechanism. We identify AI Anthropomorphism and AI Authenticity as antecedents, AI Social Interaction as a mediator, and Attachment to AI as an outcome of this process, moderated by the AI usage motivations. Meaningful theoretical, managerial, and societal implications, as well as suggestions for chatbot designers and future research are provided.

How do social network ties influence purchases in social commerce communities? A lens of attachment theory

PurposeThis study aims to address how to facilitate more community members making purchases in social commerce communities. The research is expected to shed new light on the underlying process by which individuals’ social networks influence their purchases in social commerce communities.Design/methodology/approachAn online survey and secondary archive data are presented to confirm all the hypotheses.FindingsCommunity members’ out-degree ties show a positive effect on their attachment to other members, as well as to the community. Community members’ attachment to the community has a positive influence on their purchases made in the e-commerce modules of social commerce communities and mediates the effect of their attachment to community members. The study establishes a theoretical framework to reveal how community members’ social networks influence their purchases in social commerce communities.Practical implicationsThe findings of this study provide new insights for managers and designers of new social commerce communities to inspire them to achieve their goal of keeping consumers making purchases in the e-commerce modules of social commerce communities.Originality/valueFirstly, this study draws on attachment theory to explain why community members make purchases in a social commerce community. Then, the study enriches the research on social network ties and attachment theory by initially integrating the social network perspective with attachment theory to examine the effects of social network ties on different types of attachment.

Predicting internet addiction through object relations and ego strength: The moderating role of gender

ObjectivesThe present study aimed at predicting internet addiction through ego strength and object relations. It also attempted to investigate the moderating role of gender in the relationship between ego strength and object relations with internet addiction. MethodsThis descriptive study included 248 students (124 men, 124 women) at University of Tehran. Participants completed Bell Object Relations and Reality Testing Inventory (BORRTI), Ego Strength Scale (ESS), and Internet Addiction Test (IAT). ResultsThe results of Regression Analysis (P≤ .05) indicated that social incompetence, egocentricity and insecure attachment had a significant and positive correlation with internet addiction while the ego strength had a significant and negative correlation with it. Similar results obtained with respect to both men and women, but the relationship between object relations components and internet addiction was stronger in men. The gender variable, however, did not play a moderating role in the relationship between object relations and ego strength with internet addiction. ConclusionIt can be concluded that egocentricity and ego strength can significantly predict internet addiction and therefore need to be considered and worked on in treatment plans and preventive measures.

Introducing sense of place narratives in image projection for marine destinations

There is a research gap around destination image projection for natural outdoor destinations, specifically the potential that the use of sense of place – a construct used to characterise the relationship between people and spatial settings – has for these destinations. This is especially the case for some preserved marine destinations. Here, public and private destination management organisations (DMOs) have an opportunity to develop collaborative promotion strategies that highlight local cultural imaginaries to boost and provide more authentic visitor experiences. The study seeks to bridge the research gap by analysing the coast of the Busturialdea comarca (county) in the province of Biscay in the Basque Country (Spain). It performs a qualitative analysis of the online destination image projected by the DMOs and study the presence and social significance of the Cantabrian Sea in this image. Findings show how the construction and projection of this image still follows a limited conventional strategy based on specific markets and ad hoc activities. There is therefore scope for DMOs to collaborate and to work with locals to take advantage of a new destination image based on the area’s marine imaginaries. This would naturally incorporate social attachments and meanings. In other words, a sense of place.

Factors Influencing Students' Career Maturity in Vocational and General High School

Career maturity is a continual process of development that demonstrates notably recognised attributes required for career advancement. However, internal and environmental variables determine career maturity. This study explores the aspects of career maturity in high school students by collecting the literature. The following criteria were used to choose articles for inclusion: 1) articles describing career maturity in general high school or vocational high school; 2) articles published in English or Indonesian; 3) entire passages in published works; 4) published during the previous ten years. Results mentioned students at vocational high schools typically have more components than students in general high schools. Social attachment, adversity intelligence, emotional intelligence, career interest, motivation, and career aspirations are maturity elements that show in vocational students. Meanwhile, self-determination, self-esteem, self-actualisation, self-confidence, and psychological well-being, on the other hand, are characteristics that impact the professional maturity of general high school students. Since most of these elements are internal to students, it is critical for general high school students to recognise self-reinforcement and self-understanding.

Social comparison, parasocial relationships, and attachment style: how and when do celebrities improve self-liking?

ABSTRACT The recent exponential increase in information available online has not only increased access to information about celebrities, but also decreased the degree to which that information is unambiguously positive. In the current work, we examined how positive celebrities (i.e. celebrities who are primarily admired) versus more ambiguous celebrities (i.e. celebrities about whom people have mixed feelings) differentially affect feelings about the self. Across three studies, we found that high attachment anxiety was associated with assimilating positive celebrities to feel better about the self, whereas attachment avoidance was associated with contrasting ambivalent celebrities to feel better to feel better about the self. Implications for parasocial relationships, social comparison, and attachment are discussed.

You Do Not Have to Get through This Alone: Interpersonal Emotion Regulation and Psychosocial Resources during the COVID-19 Pandemic across Four Countries.

While experiencing the unpredictable events of the COVID-19 pandemic, we are likely to turn to people in order to regulate our emotions. In this research, we investigate how this interpersonal emotion regulation is connected to affective symptoms, above and beyond intrapersonal emotion regulation. Furthermore, we explore whether perceived psychosocial resources moderate these associations, i.e., if individuals reporting healthier social connections benefit differently from interpersonal emotion regulation. N = 1401 participants from the USA, UK, Germany, and Switzerland completed an online survey that included text samples. Affective symptoms (depression, adjustment disorder, fear of COVID-19) were examined based on self-reported as well as language-based indicators. As psychosocial resources, we examined social support, loneliness, attachment style, and trust. We defined latent variables for adaptive and maladaptive interpersonal emotion regulation and analyzed how they were associated with affective symptoms controlling for intrapersonal emotion regulation. Further, we analyzed how they interacted with psychosocial resources. Maladaptive interpersonal emotion regulation strategies were associated with affective symptoms. With lower psychosocial resources, the associations between interpersonal emotion regulation and depressive symptoms were more pronounced. The results highlight that maladaptive interpersonal emotion regulation is associated with worse mental health. These effects are not buffered by more psychosocial resources and are stronger for people with low psychosocial resources.

Social impact of green roofs

Green roofs are recognised as contributing towards building-related energy efficiency. Since roofs account for 20–25% of all urban surface areas, it is not surprising that such a green system can offer a sustainable solution to decreased energy consumption. The current literature on green roofs mostly focuses on the eco-benefits of such structures. A handful of research papers1 have theorised that as green roofs become more prevalent, there will be associated social outcomes for an urban community. However, empirical work in this space is minimal. This research addresses this gap and contributes to the literature by providing insights into city dwellers’ social experiences when using a green roof space. This study identified a green roof space in central Sydney, Australia: the Alumni Green at the University of Technology Sydney. The roof, containing a garden, a concrete open space and a raised grass area amounting to 1,200 m2, is above parts of the university’s library and classrooms, and is easily accessible by staff, students, and members of the public. Two members of the research team conducted surveys on site. Some green-roof users were also contacted via email. Over 128 individuals began the survey, although after removing responses that were incomplete or containing errors, 104 responses remained. The findings revealed that users, most commonly, relaxed or socialised on the green roof, with exercise a far less frequent activity. Further, those who frequented the green roof once a week or more reported significantly greater social well-being and attachment to place than those who visited less. Likewise, those who visited the green roof for periods of 30 min or more also reported greater social wellbeing. There were no significant differences between frequency and length of use and users’ perspectives on the green roof’s economic, physical, collective identity or environmental impacts. These present findings have implications for urban and landscape designers, as they reveal that green roofs have similar social and place-attachment benefits to those observed of green spaces in the literature. Given that green roofs can fit in places that parks or other open spaces often cannot, their implementation should be encouraged to promote social well-being and place attachment.