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Insecure attachment is thought to impair romantic relationships, presumably also contributing to mental health problems. Previous research has suggested a link to biased automatic processing of social information, potentially reflected in pupil dilation responses. To address this hypothesis, 37 adults were presented with attachment-related, emotional pictures of erotic couples, everyday couples, or interpersonal violence after assessment with the Experiences in Close Relationships Scale. Considerable variation in self-reported attachment behaviors regarding both attachment anxiety and avoidance was observed in our sample. Overall, pupil dilation was most pronounced during viewing of erotica and violence-related pictures. Relative to nature pictures as control, attachment avoidance was associated with attenuated pupillary responses to social content. However, this was not significant with erotica. For pictures of violence, this avoidant bias was also evident in reduced subjective arousal. In contrast, attachment anxiety was unrelated to differential pupil dilation. Our findings, although preliminary, suggest that previous attachment-related experiences may bias the processing of social stimuli, which in turn may be reflected in altered patterns of pupillary responses. • Adult attachment patterns were assessed in young adults. • Pupillary responses to social stimuli inversely related to attachment avoidance. • No attenuation of responsivity to erotica by attachment anxiety or avoidance • Avoidant bias also reflected in reduced subjective arousal for violence pictures. • Further evidence for biased processing of social information at an automatic level [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Individuals with social anxiety disorder (SAD) often suffer from comorbid major depressive disorder (MDD), which goes along with increased clinical and functional impairment. There has been little research on underlying differences regarding childhood adversities and attachment styles between individuals with SAD with and without comorbid MDD. In the present study, the consecutive sample comprised 612 SCID-diagnosed participants. Of these, n = 472 (62.3% women, 40.7 ± 13.8 years) showed SAD and comorbid MDD (SAD-MDD group) and n = 140 (47.9% women, 43.7 ± 14.7 years) showed just SAD (SAD group). The two groups were compared regarding SAD symptom severity (Social Phobia Inventory; SPIN), childhood adversities (Adverse Childhood Experience Questionnaire; ACE) and attachment styles (Attachment Style Questionnaire, ASQ). The SAD-MDD group reported significantly more severe SAD symptoms (p =.002, d = 0.30), more childhood adversities (p <.001, d = 0.35) and a higher level of fearful attachment style (p <.001, d = 0.30). Group significantly moderated the association between fearful attachment style and SAD symptom severity (β =.292, p <.05) but not between preoccupied attachment style and SAD symptom severity (β = −.184, p =.124; R2 adj =.168, p <.05). Fearful attachment style mediated the association between childhood adversities and SAD symptom severity in the SAD-MDD group. Our study could identify a specific significance of fearful attachment style for the association between negative childhood experiences and social anxiety symptoms in SAD-MDD. Findings have specific implications for the therapeutic relationship. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Mother phubbing (Mphubbing) is positively related to adolescent loneliness (AL) • Attachment anxiety (AA) exacerbates the relationship between Mphubbing and AL. • AA and need to belong simultaneously moderate the link between Mphubbing and AL. Research interest in exploring the negative impacts of mother phubbing on adolescent development is growing. However, limited research has explored the association between mother phubbing and adolescent loneliness, and even less is known about the potential moderating effects within this association. Thus, this study tested the association between mother phubbing and adolescent loneliness and examined whether mother–child attachment anxiety and need to belong simultaneously moderated this relationship. Participants were 4213 high school students (52.5 % boys; M age = 16.41, SD=0.77) from five provinces in China. They completed questionnaires on demographic information, mother phubbing, loneliness, mother–child attachment anxiety, and need to belong. After controlling for demographic variables, the results revealed that mother phubbing was positively related to adolescent loneliness. Mother-child attachment anxiety exacerbated the relationship between mother phubbing and adolescent loneliness. Moreover, the three-way interaction effect of mother phubbing, mother–child attachment anxiety, and need to belong on adolescent loneliness was significant. Specifically, the relationship between mother phubbing and loneliness was non-significant only for adolescents low in both mother–child attachment anxiety and need to belong. The limitations and implications of these findings are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Adolescent alcohol use can result in adverse health and social outcomes, including elevated risk of future substance use disorders. Insecure attachment and heavy peer use are both linked to early problematic drinking, but the precise relationship between these variables is poorly understood. Further, mixed findings in prior literature highlight the importance of distinguishing between both dimensions of insecure attachment – anxiety and avoidance. This laboratory-based study investigated whether peer use moderates the association between attachment and laboratory alcohol consumption in a sample of 120 adolescents of legal drinking age (18–21 years). The relationship between attachment and self-reported alcohol use was also investigated. It was hypothesized that both dimensions of insecure attachment would predict greater self-report and laboratory alcohol use, and that the presence of a heavy drinking peer would strengthen this relationship. Results indicated that attachment anxiety, but not avoidance, predicted self-report and laboratory alcohol use. Peer drinking did not moderate this effect. Findings emphasize the importance of investigating both attachment anxiety and avoidance, and suggest that future research should focus on mediating mechanisms between attachment anxiety and alcohol use. • Insecure attachment dimensions have been implicated in alcohol use. • Peer drinking is a robust predictor of alcohol use. • We examined interactions of these predictors in an adolescent sample. • Attachment anxiety predicted self-reported and actual alcohol use. • Peer drinking did not moderate this effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We develop a mediation model to explain the relationship between attachment and Social Networking Site (SNS) addiction. Drawing upon the Needs-Affordances-Features model, we investigate the mediating role of satisfaction of the innate psychological needs that are salient in the SNS context (i.e., need for relatedness, need for self-presentation, and need for autonomy). Based on an empirical study of 314 daily Facebook users, results reveal distinct effects of attachment anxiety and attachment avoidance on SNS addiction through the satisfaction of different psychological needs. Satisfaction of the need for relatedness and the need for self-presentation mediates the positive relationship between attachment anxiety and SNS addiction. Satisfaction of these needs also mediates the negative relationship between attachment avoidance and SNS addiction. Satisfaction of the need for autonomy mediates the positive relationship between attachment avoidance and SNS addiction. We conclude the study with the implications for research and practice. • Need satisfaction for relatedness mediated the positive relationship between attachment anxiety and SNS addiction. • Need satisfaction for self-presentation mediated the positive relationship between attachment anxiety and SNS addiction. • Need satisfaction for relatedness mediated the negative relationship between attachment avoidance and SNS addiction. • Need satisfaction for self-presentation mediated the negative relationship between attachment avoidance and SNS addiction. • Need satisfaction for autonomy mediated the positive relationship between attachment avoidance and SNS addiction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Mentalization, which is the ability to attribute mental states to oneself and others underlying behavior, is an important prerequisite for surviving in social interactions. It has been shown that this particular skill not only differs between individuals with different attachment styles but can also be temporarily influenced by attachment-related stress. Based on recent empirical research, we explored the effects of positive and negative attachment-related mood inductions on mentalizing performance with attachment style as a moderating variable. Using a split-in-half "Movie for the Assessment of Social Cognition" (MASC) as a proxy for mentalization, ninety-two healthy adults were either confronted with a positive, negative or neutral attachment-related mood induction after the first half of the video-based test by letting them memorize different experiences and then proceeded with the second half. Attachment style was obtained one week later. The statistical effect of attachment style on the change in mentalization depending on the experimental condition was investigated via moderation analysis. Results showed that higher attachment anxiety was associated with significantly better mentalization performance after a positive attachment-related mood induction whereas attachment avoidance was not. The data give further evidence that attachment style plays a distinct role in short-term changes in mentalization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This investigation aims to explore relationships between adult attachment, emotional self-disclosure, and quality of life (QoL). The study sample completed the Chinese versions of the Experiences in Close Relationships Inventory, the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Breast Scale, and the Distress Disclosure Index between October 2021 and March 2022. The relationships between adult attachment, emotional self-disclosure, and QoL were investigated using a multiple mediation effects test and structural equation modeling. Attachment anxiety and avoidance were risk factors for young Chinese breast cancer survivors' emotional self-disclosure and QoL. Emotional self-disclosure mediates the association between attachment anxiety or avoidance and QoL. Assessing and easing attachment anxiety and avoidance may improve the emotional self-disclosure and QoL of young breast cancer survivors. This study confirms that adult attachment plays an important role in young breast cancer patients' adaptation to the disease and that high adult anxiety and avoidance levels can significantly reduce emotional self-disclosure and QoL in young breast cancer survivors. Identifying attachment patterns can help caregivers better understand patients' responses, adaptation, and treatment adherence to cancer, thereby helping caregivers develop targeted and personalized cancer care practice programs or psychotherapy interventions to improve patients' physical and mental health outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • Childhood maltreatment is associated with problematic social media use. • Avoidant attachment was associated with less problematic use. • Anxious attachment was associated with more problematic use. • Avoidant attachment and depression in series accounted for part of the relationship. • Anxious attachment and depressive symptoms in series fully mediated the relationship. Abstract Childhood maltreatment is associated with many maladaptive outcomes. This study sought to examine the association between childhood maltreatment and problematic social media use using a cross-sectional sample of young adults aged 17–25 years (n = 1029). Specifically, we studied whether the relationship is mediated through (i) attachment anxiety, (ii) attachment avoidance, or (iii) both attachment dimensions operating in series with depressive symptoms. Results revealed that a history of childhood maltreatment was significantly associated with more problematic social media use. Both anxious and avoidant attachment dimensions independently mediated the relationship between childhood maltreatment and problematic use of social media, but in opposing directions. Avoidant attachment was associated with less problematic social media use, whilst anxious attachment was associated with more problematic social media use. Avoidant attachment and depressive symptoms in series accounted for part of the relationship between childhood maltreatment and problematic social media use. Anxious attachment and depressive symptoms in series fully mediated the relationship between childhood maltreatment and problematic social media use. The results suggest that childhood maltreatment may influence social media use directly, but also indirectly. People experiencing depressive symptoms may overuse social media in an attempt to alleviate their distress. However, causality cannot be established with the current design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Attachment anxiety was positively associated with NSSI. • Rumination mediated the association between attachment anxiety and NSSI. • Meaning in life moderated the direct and indirect relationships between attachment anxiety and NSSI. Nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI), which refers to the direct and deliberate destruction of one's body tissues without the intention of death, is a serious public health problem. Attachment anxiety is an important predictor of NSSI, but the underlying mechanisms between their relationship need to be further explored. This study examined the mediating role of rumination and the moderating role of meaning in life in the relationship between attachment anxiety and NSSI. The study was cross-sectional, and 2,716 Chinese junior high school students (53.3 % male; M age = 12.25 years, SD = 0.86) were measured by the attachment anxiety subscale of Experience of Close Relationships-Relationship Structures Scale, the Rumination Responses Scale, the Self-Injurious Behavior Assessment Questionnaire, and the Meaning in Life Questionnaire. The results showed: (1) attachment anxiety, rumination and NSSI were significantly and positively correlated; (2) rumination partially mediated the relationship between attachment anxiety and NSSI; (3) meaning in life moderated the pathways of attachment anxiety → NSSI and rumination → NSSI respectively. Findings of the study further reveal the mechanism underlying the relationship between attachment anxiety and NSSI from a cognitive perspective, and also help provide ideas for the prevention and intervention of adolescents NSSI (i.e., improving adolescents' meaning in life). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mobile phones are indispensable for many young adults, but such devices may negatively affect their mental health and well-being. Previous studies revealed a significant association between shyness and mobile phone addiction. This study further explored this association, its underlying mechanisms, and the mediating effects of self-control and attachment anxiety of mobile phone addiction. Investigational methods included a cross-sectional design and multiple questionnaires, namely the College Students' Shyness Scale, Experiences in Close Relationships Inventory, College Students' Self-Control Scale, and Mobile Phone Addiction Index. Correlation analysis indicated that shyness, attachment anxiety, and mobile phone addiction have significant, positive correlations with each other, as well as significant, negative correlations with self-control. Hayes's PROCESS macro revealed that self-control and attachment anxiety played multiple mediation roles in the relationship between shyness and mobile phone addiction. In other words, (1) shyness was negatively associated with mobile phone addiction, (2) both attachment anxiety and self-control played partial and parallel mediating roles between shyness and mobile phone addiction, and (3) attachment anxiety and self-control mediated the link between shyness and mobile phone addiction sequentially. The results of this study indicate that mobile phone addiction among shy young adults can be eliminated through the development of self-control and alleviation of attachment anxiety. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Previous studies have already found a positive association between attachment and disordered eating attitudes and behaviors in children and adolescents. However, to our knowledge, no experimental studies have examined whether changes in negative and/or positive affect moderate the association between attachment anxiety and body dissatisfaction in children.Method: A controlled laboratory setting was used to investigate whether changes in state negative and/or positive affect moderate the association between attachment anxiety and body satisfaction in a sample of 81 children (Mage=11.74). The changes in state affect were caused by the exposure to a performance-related stressor using the Trier Social Stress Test for Children.Results: Children with high levels of attachment anxiety reported a decrease in body satisfaction, but only if the TSST-C led to a decrease in their positive affect.Discussion: Early detection and intervention programs may benefit from addressing insecure attachment and maladaptive emotion regulation in children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Attachment anxiety and avoidance have been found to be associated with worry. A substantial body of research suggests that intolerance of uncertainty (IOU) is a phenomenon which predicts level of worry, yet the relationship between attachment, IOU and worry remains to be investigated. Methods The present study recruited 281 participants from the community within Australia to complete an online survey incorporating the Intolerance of Uncertainty Scale, the Experiences in Close Relationships Scale-Revised, and the Penn State Worry Questionnaire. Results The analyses revealed attachment anxiety and attachment avoidance were positively correlated with IOU, and that attachment anxiety, attachment avoidance and IOU were positively correlated with worry. Furthermore, IOU was found to mediate the relationship between attachment anxiety and worry, even when attachment avoidance was entered as a covariate. By contrast, for the relationship between attachment avoidance and worry, intolerance of uncertainty only mediated the association if attachment anxiety was ignored. Conclusions The results of the study suggest that IOU may play a key role in the relationship between adult attachment difficulties and the experience of worry. These findings may have significant implications for the conceptualisation and psychological treatment of attachment related difficulties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Associations have been found among sexting, attachment insecurity, emotional dysregulation, and sexual and risky sexual behavior in young adults. In a sample of 92 young adult women in romantic relationships, this study aimed to examine whether emotional regulation might constitute an indirect pathway linking attachment and sexting, and the potential implications for engaging in condomless sex. Findings revealed that in young adult women in romantic relationships, attachment anxiety was associated with sexting through difficulty controlling impulses during moments of emotional distress. Also, sexting directly predicted condomless sex. Attachment avoidance and anxiety were both associated with sexting in the bivariate correlations. Findings highlight the role of digital technology in understanding how people's negotiation of needs for attachment and emotional regulation might lead to risky sexual behavior. Interventions targeting the interplay of attachment, emotional regulation and technology use may positively impact relational and behavioral health outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present research adopts an attachment theory perspective to advance new insights into the effectiveness of advertising strategies that depict interpersonal relationships. Although pictures, and specifically pictures of relationships (e.g., friends), make up an increasingly large portion of advertisements, scant research has examined how depictions of relationships impact consumer evaluations of advertised products. The present research demonstrates that the effectiveness of ads which depict interpersonal relationships, including romantic partnerships and friendships, is associated with consumers' interpersonal attachment styles. Specifically, individuals with highly anxious attachment styles are unlikely to purchase products shown in relational ads; whereas, individuals with less anxious and more secure attachment styles are more likely to purchase these products. Importantly, perceptions of fit (i.e., the extent to which an advertised product is perceived as a good fit with oneself) mediate the relationship between interpersonal attachment style and consumers' likelihood of purchasing products shown in advertisements that portray relationships. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Humans have a biological predisposition to form attachment to social partners, and they seem to form attachment even toward non-human and inanimate targets. Attachment styles influence not only interpersonal relationships, but interspecies and object attachment as well. We hypothesized that young people form attachment toward their mobile phone, and that people with higher attachment anxiety use the mobile phone more likely as a compensatory attachment target. We constructed a scale to observe people's attachment to their mobile and we assessed their interpersonal attachment style. In this exploratory study we found that young people readily develop attachment toward their phone: they seek the proximity of it and experience distress on separation. People's higher attachment anxiety predicted higher tendency to show attachment-like features regarding their mobile. Specifically, while the proximity of the phone proved to be equally important for people with different attachment styles, the constant contact with others through the phone was more important for anxiously attached people. We conclude that attachment to recently emerged artificial objects, like the mobile may be the result of cultural co-option of the attachment system. People with anxious attachment style may face challenges as the constant contact and validation the computer-mediated communication offers may deepen their dependence on others. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There exists a lack of dyadic research examining how the attachment characteristics of infertile individuals influence their experience of infertility-related distress. The actor partner interdependence model was used to test a theoretical model by examining whether both infertile wives and husbands, who display high levels of attachment avoidance and/or attachment anxiety, will experience infertility-related distress. Seven hundred and seventy individuals (385 couples) completed the experience in close relationships , the fertility problem inventory , and the state-trait anxiety inventory prior to infertility treatment. Wives' distress was predicted by their own and by their husbands' attachment avoidance. Husbands' distress was predicted by wives' attachment anxiety. Moreover, interaction effects between two partners were observed when predicting husbands' distress. The results of the current study support the reciprocal nature of couple's attachment relationships. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • Negative core beliefs were related to attachment anxiety and low self-directedness. • Attachment anxiety was related to low self-directedness. • Negative self-image may be the central construct of depression vulnerabilities. Abstract The present study examined the interrelations among negative core beliefs, attachment anxiety and low self-directedness, to test if the central constructs of depression vulnerabilities in cognitive, attachment and psychobiological personality theories are integrated into negative self-image. The subjects were 410 healthy Japanese medical students and staff. Negative core beliefs, attachment anxiety and self-directedness were evaluated by the Brief Core Schema Scales, Experiences in Close Relationships and Temperament and Character Inventory, respectively. There were strong interrelations among the three factors. The present study suggests that the central constructs of depression vulnerabilities in the three theories are integrated into negative self-image. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study explored whether attachment moderated the relationship between grief and posttraumatic growth. A total of 240 Chinese adults who have lost a family member to cancer reported on their grief (Prolonged Grief Questionnaire-13; PG-13), posttraumatic growth (Posttraumatic Growth Inventory; PTGI) and attachment (Experiences in Close Relationships; ECR). The results suggested that bereaved individuals who scored high on attachment anxiety showed a substantial and positive relationship between grief and posttraumatic growth, while their less anxiously attached counterparts showed no such association. Attachment avoidance was not significantly related to the association between grief and posttraumatic growth. Findings indicated that individuals high in attachment anxiety have the potential to benefit and gain from the process of adapting to the loss. The implications of the results for relevant research and grief counseling were discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Early adverse social experiences leading to attachment insecurity could cause heightened sensitivity to emotional information. Automatic processing of emotional stimuli conveys information about positive–negative differentiation and the so-called possessor vs. other-relevance of valence. The aim of the present study was to examine automatic processing of emotional and relevance type information on a semantic level as a function of adult attachment avoidance and anxiety. A masked affective priming task, varying valence and relevance of prime and target adjectives, was presented to a sample of 153 healthy adults. The Experiences in Close Relationships scale was administered to assess attachment orientation. Significant priming effects for valence and relevance were observed. Attachment avoidance, but not attachment anxiety, was significantly related to affective priming independently of trait anxiety and depression. Specifically, attachment avoidance was found to be related to affective priming effects based on other-relevant words. It can be concluded that automatic processing of emotional adjectives used to characterize safe or risky social environments is heightened in avoidant individuals. The avoidantly attached processing style has similarities with repressive coping, which is characterized by an enhanced early response to emotion stimuli followed by avoidant biases at a controlled processing level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined the relationship between autistic traits and adult attachment styles in a non-clinical sample of 326 university students. Multiple regression analysis was used to predict both attachment avoidance and attachment anxiety from levels of self-reported autistic traits. A significant unique relationship between autistic traits and attachment avoidance was found after controlling for all Big-Five personality traits, BIS/BAS, gender, and current relationship status. Hence, individuals who report more autistic-like behaviours, especially with respect to communication difficulties, are less likely to report sharing high levels of emotional closeness with romantic partners. On the other hand, no unique relationship between autistic traits and attachment anxiety was present. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Sexually transmitted infections are high among young people. • 1244 participants aged 18 to 25 years were surveyed in a cross-sectional design. • A comprehensive sexual risk model was tested using structural equation modelling. • Anxious attachment was linked to poor sexual communication. • Risk norms and dating applications were link to unsafe sex. Sexually transmitted infection rates are higher among young people relative to other age groups. Despite much investigation, there is not enough research about in-the-moment factors associated with risky sexual behaviour, such as relational and situational variables. The present study sought to test a comprehensive psychosocial model of sexual risk-taking that included a range of factors: individual (emotion dysregulation, impulsivity), relational (attachment, communication), societal (norms, gender), and situational (dating application use, alcohol use). 1244 young people aged 18 to 25 years (82.9 % women; 59.2 % single, 36.0 % in a monogamous relationship) participated in an online survey. The cross-sectional model was tested using Structural Equation Modelling. Sexual communication mediated the relationship between attachment anxiety and sexual risk. However, contrary to predictions, greater sexual communication was related to higher risk. Post-hoc analysis showed that this unexpected relationship may be due to the way sexual risk was measured, as an alternative model specifying casual unprotected sex as the outcome showed no positive relationship between sexual communication and risk. Findings indicate that young people with anxious attachment are less confident communicating about sexual health. Measures of sexual risk focusing on specific risk activities in context yield different findings to those assessing general sexual behaviours. Findings support interventions focusing on addressing perceived sexual risk norms and the dating application context to reduce risk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The authors evaluated emotional avoidance as a mediator of the relation between attachment avoidance (i.e., fear of dependency) and emotional disclosure and rumination as a mediator of the relation between attachment anxiety (i.e., fear of rejection) and emotional disclosure. Two operational definitions were used for each of three variables - emotional avoidance, rumination, and emotional disclosure - such that hypotheses were tested on generalized self-appraisals and responses to specific emotional events. College students (N=116) first completed generalized self-report measures of attachment, expressive suppression (i.e., emotional avoidance), rumination, and emotional-disclosure tendencies. Then, during a 7-day diary study, they provided daily reports of emotional avoidance, rumination, and disclosure concerning the day's most unpleasant event. Attachment avoidance was negatively related to disclosure tendencies and daily-event disclosure; emotional avoidance was supported as a mediator in the generalized self-report analyses. Attachment anxiety was positively related to both measures of rumination, and daily-event rumination was positively related to daily-event disclosure, but mediation was not supported in either analysis. The findings suggest implications for theories of attachment and emotion regulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Close physical contact is a defining feature of intimate relationships across the lifespan and occurs in nearly all kinds of close relationships. However, there are important individual differences in the extent to which people feel comfortable engaging in intimate interactions. In two samples, attachment avoidance was associated with less positive feelings toward cuddling in adult romantic relationships (Sample 1) and parent-child relationships (Sample 2); attachment anxiety was largely unrelated to feelings about cuddling across relationships. Moreover, the magnitude of the associations between attachment avoidance and feelings about cuddling was similar across relationship types. The current study highlights the similarities in people's use of intimate touch across relationships, namely to communicate affection, trust, and responsiveness to their loved ones. Yet we also identified important attachment-related differences in feelings about intimate touch. The current findings suggest several new directions for future research on the benefits of interpersonal touch. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although earlier research had demonstrated significant links between attachment and self-concept clarity; attachment and empathy; and self-concept clarity and empathy respectively, there had been no studies examining these associations in conjunction with one another. Therefore, the present studies explored whether individual differences in self-concept clarity would mediate the relationship between attachment orientation (i.e., attachment anxiety and attachment avoidance) and empathy (i.e., empathic concern and personal distress). In Study 1, the association between attachment orientation and self-concept clarity was examined among 602 Hungarian university students. In Study 2, the relationship between attachment and empathy was investigated through self-concept clarity among 1000 Hungarian adults. The findings from both samples revealed that attachment avoidance and anxiety were negatively related to self-concept clarity. In Study 2, individuals with greater self-concept clarity showed greater empathic concern and lower personal distress. Attachment avoidance was associated with lower empathic concern, whereas there was no significant association with personal distress. Attachment anxiety was positively related to empathic concern and personal distress. Self-concept clarity partially mediated associations with attachment anxiety and aspects of empathy. These findings suggest the importance of attachment orientations in terms of their influence on the self with regard to interpersonal relations. • Attachment anxiety and avoidance result in poor self-concept clarity. • Attachment anxiety fosters both personal distress and empathic concern. • Attachment avoidance has no relation with personal distress. • Self-concept clarity fosters empathic concern and interferes with personal distress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous research has repeatedly shown a positive association between the need for relationship security and the appeal of benevolent sexism. Possibly, no studies to date had investigated the role of the need to belong with respect to a preference for the ideal partner to endorse benevolently sexist attitudes. Attachment security is considered to attenuate the need for relationship security and to divert the focus from the need to belong. Study 1 therefore investigated potential associations among attachment anxiety, the need to belong, and the appeal of benevolent sexism. It also examined whether the association between the need to belong and a preference for the ideal partner to hold benevolently sexist attitudes is moderated by attachment anxiety. In Study 2, we used a causal design to confirm the findings from Study 1 through the activation of attachment security schema. A moderated regression analysis showed significant interactive effects between the need to belong and attachment anxiety—that is, a positive association between the need to belong and the appeal of benevolent sexism was found only among people high in attachment anxiety. Secure-base scripts attenuated the need to belong as well as the appeal of benevolent sexism. The present findings suggest the importance of attachment schemas in influencing preference for specific partner attitudes through the need to belong and relationship security. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Although the relationship between insecure attachment patterns and eating disorder (ED) psychopathology has repeatedly been demonstrated, the underlying mechanisms of this association are not fully understood. Therefore, the current study aimed to examine personality functioning, defined as an impairment in self and interpersonal functioning, as a mediator between attachment insecurity and ED psychopathology.Methods: In a representative population-based sample (N = 2508; age range 14-92 years) ED symptomatology, personality functioning, and attachment insecurity (anxiety and avoidance) were assessed. Besides descriptive uni-/bivariate analysis, path analysis was used to test a mediation model while controlling for the effects of age, gender, mental distress, and BMI.Results: ED symptomatology was associated with lower levels of personality functioning (r = 0.22) and higher levels of attachment anxiety (r = 0.14) but did not correlate with attachment avoidance (r = 0.02). Path analysis revealed that personality functioning fully mediated the effect of attachment anxiety on ED symptomatology: The indirect effect via personality functioning (β = 0.04, p < .001) accounted for 77% of the total effect. Fit indices were excellent. Sensitivity analyses revealed that the main results were mainly applicable to women and the middle age group.Conclusion: The present findings contribute to the growing body of research using dimensional conceptualizations of personality functioning, suggesting that it provides an informative, overarching framework for understanding and treating ED psychopathology. Findings indicate that underlying individual differences, e.g., with respect to insecure attachment configurations, have relevant implications for symptom manifestations. Potential clinical implications and avenues for future research are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Many studies have explored the relationship between insecure attachment and mobile phone addiction from different theoretical perspectives; however, the results have been different. This meta-analysis aimed to explore the relationship between insecure attachment and mobile phone addiction.Methods: Studies published before November 2021 were identified through a systematic online search. A total of 22 studies, including 38 independent effect sizes were included from a systematic search of multiple databases, with a total sample size of 11,810 cases. Stata Version 16.0 was used for meta-analysis.Results: The meta-analysis based on random-effects model showed that mobile phone addiction was highly positively associated with attachment anxiety (r = 0.395, 95%CI [0.345, 0.442]) and weakly positively correlated with attachment avoidance (r = 0.194, 95%CI [0.137, 0.250]). The relationship between attachment anxiety and mobile phone addiction and that between attachment avoidance and mobile phone addiction were both moderated by mobile phone addiction measures but not moderated by gender and attachment measures.Conclusion: There is a positive correlation between mobile phone addiction and insecure attachment. In the future, measures to prevent mobile phone addiction should focus on insecure attachment individuals and help them construct a healthy attachment relationship and secure attachment model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] Attachment avoidance predicts factor 1 scores across gender. [•] Attachment anxiety and avoidance predict factor 2 scores in females. [•] The effect of attachment anxiety on factor 2 scores is negative. [•] Three explanations of the effect of attachment anxiety on factor 2 are possible. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Background: Attachment-related anxiety and avoidance are potentially important aspects of pain experience and management, but have not been investigated in episodic headache sufferers or in relation to experimentally-evoked headache. Objective: To determine whether adult insecure attachment styles were associated with sensitivity to pain or headache before, during or after stressful mental arithmetic in an episodic migraine or tension-type headache (T-TH) sample. Methods: Thirty-eight participants with episodic migraine, 28 with episodic T-TH and 20 headache-free participants intermittently received a mild electric shock to the forehead before, during and after stressful mental arithmetic. Results: A preoccupied attachment style and attachment anxiety, but not attachment avoidance, were associated with forehead pain and the intensity of headache before and after, but not during stressful mental arithmetic. These relationships were independent of Five Factor Model personality traits. Neither attachment anxiety nor avoidance was associated with episodic migraine or T-TH. Conclusions: Anxiously attached individuals may express greater pain or show a stronger attentional bias toward painful sensations than securely attached individuals. However, distraction during psychological stress may override this attentional bias. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: 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. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Patients with eating disorders tend to experience low levels of body esteem. To assess the psychosocial processes that may predict low body esteem in these individuals, we assessed the structural interrelations among attachment anxiety, attachment avoidance, alexithymia, and body esteem in a cross-sectional sample of patients with eating disorders. We tested a model in which alexithymia mediates the relationship between attachment insecurity and body esteem. Participants were 300 women with anorexia nervosa (n =109), bulimia nervosa (n =130), and eating disorders not otherwise specified (n =61) who completed pretreatment self-report questionnaires at intake for a day hospital treatment program. We found a direct and negative relationship between attachment anxiety and body esteem. Additionally, attachment avoidance had an indirect negative relationship to body esteem through alexithymia. These results indicate that therapists may attend to attachment insecurity and affective regulation strategies when addressing body image issues in patients with eating disorders. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Eating is an inherently emotional activity and the attachment system is an emotion regulation system. Individuals with attachment insecurity have less interoceptive awareness and difficulty regulating emotion. Insecurely attached individuals may eat emotionally because they misinterpret internal hunger cues, (i.e. think they are hungry when they are experiencing some other internal, attachment-related state). The current study found a positive association between attachment anxiety and emotional eating. This relationship was mediated by perceived hunger. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

We examined the role of priming participants’ own network expectations on their subsequent identification with their friendship group. We examined this prime alongside attachment anxiety and attachment threat, as predictors of friendship group identification. Previous research has suggested that attachment anxiety is associated with negative network expectations. In this study, we extended this work to show that when a network expectation prime was absent, higher attachment anxiety was associated with lower group identification under attachment threat, compared to a control condition. However, when expectations of support network were primed, attachment threat no longer affected group identification, so that only attachment anxiety predicted group identification. This suggests that priming participants who are high in attachment anxiety with their own network expectancies (which are negative), results in participants dis-identifying with their friendship group, regardless of whether or not they have experienced attachment threat. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This study investigates the role of attachment anxiety and the experience of intense life adversity in the development of compliance. It also seeks to specify which types of negative life events may be especially relevant in encouraging compliant behaviour, and whether gender may moderate this effect. Participants (N =125) completed the Gudjonsson Compliance Scale, the Life Events Questionnaire and the Relationship Scale Questionnaire. Contrary to previous research, attachment anxiety and the reported experience of intense negative life events appear to be associated with significantly lower compliance scores. Gender appears not to moderate this relationship. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses show that inter-personal negative life events and attachment anxiety together predict lower compliance scores. This is the first study to show that adult romantic attachment anxiety and the experience of intense negative life events can also lead to psychological resilience, reducing the probability of false confessions and statements during police interview. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

A systematic review of the literature was conducted to summarize research that examined the associations between problematic social networking sites use (PSNSU) and attachment-related phenomena among adolescents and adults. Records were included in the systematic review if they presented original data, assessed attachment and PSNSU, were published in peer-reviewed journals between 2004 and 2021 and were written in English. After duplicates removal, 373 studies were found eligible for scrutiny. Among the screened full texts, 32 articles met the eligibility criteria. The selected studies included a total of 16,938 participants. Findings from these studies highlighted that PSNSU is negatively associated with indicators of secure attachment and positively associated with indicators of attachment anxiety, whereas results regarding indicators of attachment avoidance were mixed. Furthermore, an analysis of mediators showed that the relationship between PSNU and attachment-related phenomena is affected by individual, interpersonal, and SNS-related variables. Future directions for research as well as implications for clinical practice are discussed. • Problematic social networking sites use (PSNSU) was examined from an attachment framework. • PSNSU is negatively associated with secure attachment. • PSNSU is positively associated with attachment anxiety in multiple relational contexts. • Individual, interpersonal, and SNS-related mediators affect the relationships between PSNSU and attachment. • Attachment insecurity should be considered when tailoring treatment of people with PSNSU. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Remaining in an abusive relationship is a strong risk factor for (re)victimization. Due to the relational nature of intimate partner violence attachment theory offers a useful framework for better understanding its dynamics. Within two studies we worked on individual differences regarding imagined attitudes when confronted with intimate partner violence as being the victim. Our first study showed that high level of attachment anxiety is a risk factor for willingness to remain when imagining a hypothetical abusive relationship incidence. The second study presented the effectiveness of security priming in reducing the willingness to remain when imagining being in an abusive relationship and showed that this effect was the strongest in the case of participants with higher levels of attachment anxiety. These findings extend our understanding of the dynamics behind remaining in an abusive relationship and suggest the use of attachment security schemas as an effective technique for inclusion in interventions against (re)victimization. • Greater attachment anxiety is a risk factor to keep an abusive partner. • Greater attachment anxiety is a risk factor for remaining in an abusive relationship. • Priming attachment security reduces willingness to keep an abusive relationship. • Activating attachment security schemas might lower the risk for (re)victimization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Two correlational studies sought to identify possible predictors of individual differences in naturally occurring mindfulness. In study one, trait anxiety and attachment anxiety, but not attachment avoidance, were negatively predictive of mindfulness. In study two, trait anxiety (−) and attentional control (+), but not openness or parental nurturance, predicted mindfulness. In addition, there was evidence of a partial mediation effect of attentional control on the association between trait anxiety and mindfulness. Key features of trait anxiety such as attentional and interpretative processing biases, as well as those of attachment anxiety such as rumination and hypersensitivity, are at odds with mindfulness characteristics such as attention to what is present coupled with an attitude of openness and acceptance. Thus, whether generalised or specific, anxiety appears to be antagonistic to mindfulness; control over one’s attentional resources may form part of the underlying explanation. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Associations between alexithymia, peer attachment, and mind-mindedness (the tendency to describe people with reference to their emotions and cognitions) were explored in a questionnaire-based study of British undergraduates (N =270). Positive associations were seen between attachment anxiety and (a) overall alexithymia scores, (b) Difficulty Identifying Feelings, and (c) Difficulty Describing Feelings. Attachment avoidance was positively associated with (a) overall alexithymia scores, (b) Difficulty Describing Feelings, and (c) Externally Oriented Thinking, and was negatively associated with mind-mindedness. Individuals’ mind-mindedness met the criteria for mediating the relation between attachment avoidance and Externally Oriented Thinking. Findings are discussed with reference to the importance of distinguishing ability versus propensity to employ mentalizing skills in theoretical understandings of alexithymia. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

In addition to the growing evidence that anxious attachment positively predicts loneliness, theory and research suggest that individuals' own cognitive filters (e.g., self-esteem), as well as support from their social networks, play a role in decreasing feelings of loneliness. In this study, we explored whether attachment anxiety at the beginning of the first-year in college (T1) predicted loneliness at the end of the year (T2), specifically via self-esteem and social support, using a sample of 96 female first-year college students. A series of hierarchical regression models revealed that attachment anxiety was positively associated with loneliness, and that these associations were mediated by both self-esteem and various dimensions of social support. Findings expand our understanding of the link between attachment and loneliness during the transition to college. • Attachment anxiety is positively associated with loneliness. • Self-esteem and social support mediate the association between attachment anxiety and loneliness. • Emotional and instrumental support mediate the association between attachment anxiety and loneliness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous work has suggested that self-compassion mediates the relationship between attachment anxiety and body appreciation but is limited by a reliance on college women from North America. To extend existing knowledge, we examined associations between peer and romantic partner attachment anxiety, self-compassion, and body appreciation in a community sample of women and men from Israel. A total of 597 adults (353 women, 244 men; age M = 29.45 years) completed Hebrew translations of measures of romantic partner and peer attachment anxiety, self-compassion, and body appreciation. Path analysis indicated that a model in which self-compassion mediated relationships between peer and romantic partner attachment anxiety – in parallel – and body appreciation had poor fit. However, mediation analysis indicated that self-compassion mediated relationships between peer and romantic partner attachment anxiety – in isolation – and body appreciation in isolation. These results highlight the importance of considering interpersonal dynamics in models of positive body image and point to possible interventionist routes for promoting greater body appreciation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite their detrimental effects, acts of infidelity are common. Several individual differences, including attachment orientations, have been linked to infidelity behaviors. Yet, the mechanisms underlying the relationship between attachment anxiety and infidelity are not well understood. This deserves attention, as the positive association between chronic worry about being abandoned and engaging in infidelity, which inherently increases the risk of being left by the partner, poses a paradox. Studying an online community sample (N = 233, 52.8% female, M age = 36.73, Range age = 20–70) using self-report measures, we aim to offer an explanation to this conundrum by hypothesizing that the relationship between attachment anxiety and infidelity behaviors is mediated by fear of being single (i.e., the concern about being left without a partner). We found that those who have greater attachment anxiety showed increased fear of being single, which in turn predicted greater infidelity behaviors. The associations held after controlling for sex, age, and relationship length. Results suggest that people high on attachment anxiety are more likely to be involved in extradyadic relationships due to their high fear of being single, possibly as a bet-hedging strategy to minimize future risk of being single. Findings are discussed vis-à-vis implications for couples counseling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We describe results from an empirical study of neural correlates associated with avoidant and anxious attachment. Participants were given a task designed to produce a high rate of errors while their brain waves were measured using electroencephalography (EEG). In the current study, we examined the relationship of anxious and avoidant attachment to the Error Related Negativity (ERN), an event related potential (ERP) waveform that is thought to be linked to response-error monitoring and emotional-regulation monitoring, using multiple regression analysis. Thirty-three participants completed the Experiences in Close Relationships-Revised (ECR-R) measure of attachment security and then performed a simple flanker task while EEG was recorded. We found that individuals high in avoidance showed a reduced ERN during this task, despite the lack of social or emotional cues in the task. Thus individuals who are more avoidantly attached are demonstrating less self-monitoring via a perceptual correlate of error detection during a task that elicits error-commission, even in situations devoid of social content. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: For adults with attention/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), research is scarce on their coping with stress (despite studies demonstrating other self-regulation deficits) and their attachment patterns (despite rare research in younger persons with ADHD showing high vulnerability to insecure attachments). Attachment was linked with coping and self-regulation in general populations but not yet in ADHD. This study explored the possible mediational role of attachment patterns in explaining associations between adults' ADHD symptoms and dysregulated coping.Methods: Participants comprised 62 adults (32 females, 30 males) ages 21-40 years (M = 27.60, SD = 4.80) in two groups: 31 adults with formally diagnosed ADHD and 31 demographically matched adults without ADHD. Instruments included computerized neuropsychological tests (sustained/executive attention) and self-reports (ADHD, coping, attachment).Results: Disorder status was verified via ADHD-symptom self-reports and computerized testing. Preliminary analyses revealed significant intergroup differences on coping strategies and attachment. PROCESS analyses (Hayes, 2013) pinpointed attachment measures' mediating role (especially attachment anxiety) regarding ADHD's association with coping.Conclusions: Significantly more maladaptive attachment and coping outcomes emerged for adults with ADHD than controls. Attachment insecurity's role in mediating ADHD's association with coping was partially supported. Possible unique adaptive value of attachment relationships was discussed for coping with stressors in adulthood with ADHD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although prior research has documented the link between adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and somatic symptoms, it remains unclear why some individuals exposed to ACEs developed somatic symptoms while others did not. Framed by a biopsychosocial perspective, this study investigated the role of attachment anxiety in the association between ACEs and somatic symptoms in adulthood. A total of 662 emerging adults attending college were recruited to respond to an online survey in a computer lab. The computer-based survey included demographic form, the Adverse Childhood Experience Scale, the Experience in Close Relationship Scale–Short Form, and the Somatization Scale of the Symptom Checklist–90—Revised for somatic symptoms. Multivariate regression analyses were used to examine the role of attachment anxiety in the association between ACEs and somatic symptoms. The results indicated that ACEs positively correlated with attachment anxiety and somatic symptoms; and attachment anxiety and somatic symptoms were positively correlated. Moreover, the results indicated a significant effect of interaction between ACEs and attachment anxiety on somatic symptoms, suggesting a moderating role of attachment anxiety. Subsequent simple slope test revealed that attachment anxiety intensified the strength of relation between ACEs and somatic symptoms; but when the level of attachment anxiety was low, ACEs and somatic symptoms were not related. Individual differences in attachment anxiety shape the association of adverse childhood experiences with somatic symptoms. Targeting and reformulating anxious working models of attachment may help ameliorate vulnerability to somatic symptoms in individuals exposed to ACEs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Male college students reported significantly higher levels of internet gaming addiction than female students. • Stressful events mediates the association between attachment anxiety and internet gaming addiction. • Stressful events mediates the association between attachment avoidance and internet gaming addiction. The framework of addiction as an attachment disorder has been used widely in recent years to explain various technological addictions. However, research that explores the association between attachment and Internet gamining disorder is still limited. The purpose of this study was to investigate the potential mediating effects of stressful events on the relationship between attachment styles and Internet gaming addiction. Three hundred and thirty-seven Korean university students in provincial South Korea participated in the study. The hypothesized model was tested using structural equation modeling. Results indicated that the relationships between attachment styles (both attachment anxiety and avoidance) and Internet gaming addiction were fully mediated by stressful events. These results contribute to understanding the etiology of gaming addiction and may guide development and delivery of treatment for problematic gaming behaviors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Integrated assessment of OT and AVP plasma levels in young and older men and women. • Evidence of sex and age differences in OT and AVP plasma concentrations in humans. • Strong negative association between OT and AVP levels across sex and age groups. • Sex- and age-moderated functional link of OT and AVP with attachment and cognition. • Support of sex-/age-specific role of OT and AVP as difference makers in behavior. A growing literature associates the neuropeptides oxytocin (OT) and arginine vasopressin (AVP) with affiliative and cognitive outcomes. The majority of this work in humans, however, considers these neuropeptides separately. Also, despite evidence that OT and AVP interact with gonadal hormones, still warranted is an examination of sex and age variations in endogenous neuropeptide levels, their interrelations, and their functional relationships with attachment and cognition in humans. This study measured endogenous plasma OT and AVP levels in generally healthy young (18–31 years) and older (63–81 years) men and women to (i) determine levels of and interrelations between OT and AVP; (ii) explore functional relationships with self-reported attachment (attachment anxiety and avoidance) and performance-based cognition (processing speed, verbal memory); and (iii) identify variations in these effects by sex and age. We observed sex- and age-differential patterns of results: Women had higher plasma OT levels than men and older adults had higher plasma AVP levels than young adults. The two neuropeptides were highly negatively intercorrelated across all groups. Functionally, higher AVP levels were associated with greater attachment anxiety and higher OT and lower AVP levels were associated with faster sensorimotor processing speed, with sex and age moderating these effects. This integrated approach identifies variations in endogenous peripheral neuropeptide levels in humans, supporting their sex- and age-specific role as "difference makers" in attachment and cognition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]