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BackgroundMethodsResultsConclusionIncreased sensitivity to internal and external stimuli, known as sensory-processing sensitivity (SPS), has been linked to attachment insecurity and less optimal parenting styles in parents of children aged 4–13 years. Associations between these parenting factors in parents of children aged 3 years and younger have not yet been investigated. Understanding the relationships between these factors will facilitate the development of strategies to better support highly sensitive parents.A sample of 153 parents of children aged 3 years and younger completed an online survey comprising standardised measures of SPS, attachment, and infant parenting styles. The underlying factor structure of the Infancy Parenting Styles Questionnaire was investigated.Factor analysis identified 33 items loading onto five factors: Discipline, Routine, Anxiety, Nurturance, and Involvement, with moderate to high reliability. SPS was positively correlated with parenting anxiety, attachment anxiety, and attachment avoidance, but did not predict parenting style. Younger parent age was associate with more insecure attachment styles. Multivariate regression analyses revealed that variability in parenting anxiety was predicted only by attachment anxiety and having fewer children.While SPS was not seen to predict parenting anxiety, relationships between SPS, parenting anxiety, and insecure attachment suggest that strategies tailored to SPS would support highly sensitive parents to care for their children and promote improved parent–child relationships. These strategies may therefore be a beneficial addition to attachment-based parenting programs. Further studies using the Toddler Parenting Styles Questionnaire (TPSQ) are needed to identify optimal parenting styles for parents of infants and toddlers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractObjective: Previous meta-analyses have shown that client-rated working alliance is negatively correlated with attachment anxiety and attachment avoidance. The purpose of this study is to provide an updated meta-analysis of the relation between alliance and the two dimensions of attachment insecurity. Method: Random effects models were used to examine the relation between the working alliance and attachment anxiety and the relation between the working alliance and attachment avoidance. Results: The overall relation between alliance and attachment anxiety was r = −.09 (p = .01, k = 33, I2 = 43.7%). The overall relation between alliance and attachment avoidance was r = −.13 (p < .001, k = 33, I2 = 44.7%). There was no evidence that these relations varied across study characteristics such as client race or the number of therapists in the study. Conclusion: The results support the negative relations between client-rated alliance and both dimensions of client-rated attachment insecurity. Further research is needed to identify the factors that moderate this relationship, using a more diverse sample of study characteristics and a wider range of measures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Primary and secondary psychopathic traits have been documented in the general population and previous research has shown their link to adult insecure attachment and shame. However, there has been a gap in the literature examining the specific role of attachment avoidance and anxiety, and experiences of shame in the expression of these psychopathic traits. This study aimed to explore the associations between the attachment dimensions of anxiety and avoidance, in addition to characterological, behavioral and body shame with primary and secondary psychopathic traits. A non-clinical sample of 293 adults (M age= 30.77, SD = 12.64; 34% males) was recruited and completed an online battery of questionnaires. Hierarchical regression analyses indicated that demographic variables (age and gender) explained the largest variance for primary psychopathic traits, while the attachment dimensions (anxiety and avoidance) explaining the largest variance for secondary psychopathic traits. Characterological shame had a direct and indirect effect on both primary and secondary psychopathic traits. The findings highlight the need to examine psychopathic traits in community samples as a multidimensional construct, with a particular focus on also assessing attachment dimensions and shame subtypes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines the moderating role of consumers' attachment anxiety and attachment avoidance, on the relationship between recovery satisfaction and their behavior after service recovery. This study analyzes the moderating effect of consumers' attachment styles to explain the differences in their behavior after service recovery efforts, which has not been explored previously. Primary data was collected from hand-phone users, and the effect of consumers' attachment styles was examined in the context of the telecommunication sector. Findings indicate that consumers high in attachment anxiety were more likely to repurchase but not to engage in positive word-of-mouth after recovery satisfaction. Attachment avoidance did not impact consumers' behavioral intentions. In addition, the interaction of anxiety and avoidance positively influenced word-of-mouth intentions upon satisfaction with recovery efforts. However, the interaction did not affect repurchase intentions. This study provides insight into how consumer's attachment style influences their positive behavioral intentions after recovery satisfaction. We present segment-specific relationship marketing strategies that can aid service providers in managing service recoveries and minimizing the adverse effects of service failures on customer retention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Background and objectives: The stressors of the COVID-19 pandemic spurred alarming levels of stress and anxiety in college students. It is important to identify factors that attenuate the negative effect of stress on anxiety. Framed by the attachment diathesis-stress process perspective, this study examined how the two dimensions of insecurity in romantic attachment–attachment anxiety and attachment avoidance–buffered the effect of stress on anxiety in a population of college students during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. Design and methods: The study employed cross-sectional and correlation designs and used an online survey to gather self-report data from a sample of 453 college students. Data were collected from March 15, 2020, to February 16, 2021. Results: Anxiety, stress, and the two insecurity dimensions were all mutually correlated with one another. Multiple regression analysis revealed that as the level of attachment anxiety increased, the association of stress and anxiety turned stronger. Conclusions: The findings suggest that targeting attachment insecurity may prove to be fruitful when helping college students effectively regulate stress to lessen levels of anxiety. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Attachment theory suggests that interindividual differences in attachment security versus insecurity (anxiety and avoidance) contribute to the ways in which people perceive social emotional signals, particularly from the human face. Among different facial features, eye gaze conveys crucial information for social interaction, with a straight gaze triggering different cognitive and emotional processes as compared to an averted gaze. It remains unknown, however, how interindividual differences in attachment associate with early face encoding in the context of a straight versus averted gaze. Using electroencephalography (EEG) and recording event-related potentials (ERPs), specifically the N170 component, the present study (N = 50 healthy adults) measured how the characteristics of attachment anxiety and avoidance relate to the encoding of faces with respect to gaze direction and head orientation. Our findings reveal a significant relationship between gaze direction (irrespective of head orientation) and attachment anxiety on the interhemispheric (i.e. right) asymmetry of the N170 and thus provide evidence for an association between attachment anxiety and eye gaze processing during early visual face encoding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Circadian preferences have been associated with mental health as well as social and physical health in recent years. However, factors associated with circadian preferences have not been fully elucidated. The main aim of this study is to investigate the associations of childhood trauma and attachment styles with circadian preferences. A total of 673 participants were evaluated using the Morningness–Eveningness Questionnaire (MEQ), the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire 28 (CTQ-28), and the Experiences in Close Relationships-Revised (ECR-R) questionnaire. The results indicated that 14.9% (n = 100) of the participants were morning type, 20.6% (n = 139) were evening type, and 64.5% (n = 434) were intermediate type. Both childhood trauma and attachment-related anxiety/avoidance scores were associated with being evening type (p <.01). Moreover, attachment-related anxiety and avoidance fully mediated the association between childhood trauma and circadian preferences. The present study showed that attachment styles might be associated with circadian preferences. Further studies are needed to replicate these results and to infer explanatory mechanisms for these cross-sectional associations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to develop and validate a marital interpersonal pathologies questionnaire for women with attachment anxiety symptoms (MIPA). The sample consisted of 400 married women with attachment anxiety symptoms who were selected through convenience sampling. Factor analysis results showed that the marital interpersonal pathology questionnaire for women with attachment anxiety involved three factors (emotional pathologies, communication pathologies, and functional pathologies) with ten different dimensions. The findings indicated that this questionnaire had high validity and reliability and was capable of identifying marital interpersonal pathologies in women with attachment anxiety. Implications for future research and couple and family therapy are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, we examine the social and psychological motives for a set of strategic selfie-related behaviour including the manipulation and sharing digital images of oneself, captured by oneself. We argue that attachment anxiety stemming from provider relationships at a young age explains development of self-worth based on approval from others. The proposed mediation model demonstrates that approval-based self-worth then predicts selfie-related behaviour. Given the cross-cultural nature of our data, we conducted multi-group comparisons using nationality as a grouping variable. Path analysis results from culturally distinct samples of Singaporean (N = 236) and American participants (N = 336) revealed that approval-based self-worth mediated the relationship between attachment anxiety and selfie capturing frequency. The model explained more variance in American participants' selfie-related behaviour. Attachment anxiety predicted composition editing and subject editing, but only for Americans. Implications for future research are discussed in evolving technological and cross-cultural contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The sense of attachment security is believed to be positively associated with altruistic behaviour. Based on this notion, this study investigated whether boosting attachment security increases people's giving behaviour and examined the moderating role of attachment styles. To this end, a 30-day security priming training (using multi-method approaches) was conducted to validate these assumptions. Sixty-six participants were randomly assigned to either the security or the neutral priming training group. The dictator game (DG) was adopted as a measure of altruism, and each participant was required to complete a DG before and after the priming training. The results indicated that participants who experienced security priming training exhibited more giving behaviour in DG. Moreover, the boosting effect of this training was more evident in participants with high attachment anxiety. These findings enhance our understanding about the different susceptibility of attachment insecurities to security priming and further validate the causal link between attachment security and altruism. KEY POINTS What is already known about this topic: Attachment security was associated with higher altruistic behavior. Attachment insecurities (anxiety and avoidance) were thought to impede altruism. Feelings of attachment security could be improved by security priming training. What this topic adds: Security priming training could effectively improve participant's giving behavior. The boosting effect of security priming training was more obvious in participants with high attachment anxiety. Empathy is contagious; therefore, in social life, whatever role you play, being sensitive and supportive will always help! [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Research suggests an association between the fear of death and social anxiety, but the mechanisms through which these constructs are related remain unclear. From a socio-evolutionary perspective, abandonment and rejection are associated with premature death, and appraisals of the importance of social relationships for maintaining survival are influenced by one's upbringing, reflected in individual differences in attachment patterns. We thus explored whether different attachment dimensions mediated the relationship between death anxiety and social anxiety to differing degrees, according to the value afforded by these dimensions to the importance of relationships for survival. Method: Self-report data on death anxiety, social anxiety, and two dimensions of attachment (anxiety and avoidance) was collected from 93 participants with varying levels of social anxiety. Results: Supporting the hypotheses, there was an indirect effect of death anxiety on social anxiety via attachment anxiety, even when fear of own death and fear of other's death were analysed separately. No indirect effect via attachment avoidance was observed. Conclusions: These results clarify the mechanisms underpinning the association between social anxiety and the fear of death, and suggest that a socio-evolutionary framework provides utility in better understanding these clinical constructs. KEY POINTS What is already known about this topic: (1) Research demonstrates a hitherto unclear association between the experience of social anxiety and underlying death fears. (2) A socio-evolutionary approach highlights the intimate relationship between abandonment/rejection and premature death during our evolutionary history. (3) Appraisals of the importance of social relationships for maintaining survival ought to be influenced by developmental experiences. What this topic adds: (1) We propose that variation in these appraisals are reflected in the different attachment dimensions (anxiety and avoidance). (2) In support of this, we found that attachment anxiety mediated the relationship between death anxiety and social anxiety, whereas attachment avoidance did not. (3) These results clarify the mechanisms underpinning the connection between social anxiety and underlying death fears and emphasise the utility of socio-evolutionary approaches to clinical syndromes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current cross-sectional study adopted structural equation modeling (SEM) to examine the association between childhood adversity and criminal thinking, and the role of attachment being a mediator in this relationship, in an offending sample. Data were collected from a sample of 209 inmates (169 of which were male) in a local jail. The results of SEM analyses indicated that childhood adversity was positively associated with attachment anxiety, attachment avoidance, and criminal thinking. Attachment avoidance was positively associated with criminal thinking and mediated the influence of childhood adversity on criminal thinking. Specifically, greater childhood adversity predicted higher attachment avoidance, which in turn was associated with higher levels of criminal thinking. Attachment anxiety did not correlate with criminal thinking; nor did it mediate the influence of childhood adversity on criminal thinking. The findings suggested that childhood adversity and insecure attachment are important risk factors in treating criminal thinking. Practitioners may consider incorporating therapies that facilitate self-reflective functions into offender rehabilitation programs or offer a taste of secure base for justice-involved individuals with childhood adversity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Relational Savoring (RS) is a recently-developed, brief, transdiagnostic intervention that can be administered by paraprofessionals. Although RS has demonstrated efficacy, it has not been examined among at-risk youth. This pilot study adapted RS for the at-risk adolescent population and examined its efficacy. Twenty male youth in residential treatment participated in a four-week long experimental study in which they were randomly assigned to participate in weekly sessions of RS or a savoring control. The study measured participants' state affect, relationship schema, and attachment styles before and after the intervention. Compared to control participants, participants assigned to RS showed significantly greater reductions in negative affect and attachment anxiety, as well as significantly greater improvements in relational schema. Findings are discussed both in terms of their contribution to theory and as support for a test of the intervention with greater statistical power within this population of youth residing in residential treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Subjective well-being is a crucial variable for mental health practitioners. This study examines the influence of therapists' attachment dimensions and self-reported reflective functioning on their perceived well-being. Further, it examines if reflective functioning mediates the association between attachment insecurity and well-being. Method: A total of 416 experienced psychotherapists were enrolled in this cross-sectional study, and completed self-report measures of attachment insecurity, reflective functioning, and well-being. We tested the hypothesized mediation model with path analysis that examined indirect effects. Results: Both attachment anxiety and avoidance dimensions had a significant negative association with perceived well-being with small to medium effects. "Certainty" in reflective functioning had a small positive effect on therapist well-being. Reflective functioning mediated the association between insecure attachment dimensions and well-being, suggesting that therapist's lower ability to mentalize may partially account for the effects of higher attachment insecurity on lower well-being. Conclusion: The well-being of psychotherapists with greater insecure attachment may deserve special attention, and therapists' mentalizing capacities may be targeted by researchers and trainers as a core ability to be cultivated in order to preserve therapists' professional and personal resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The adult attachment dimension of attachment anxiety has been demonstrated to be associated with a variety of anxiety symptomology, including worry, intolerance of uncertainty (IU) and reassurance seeking. A variety of research has indicated that IU is associated with level of worry and reassurance seeking. The relationships between attachment anxiety, worry, IU and threat‐related reassurance seeking have not been subject to investigation. The present article reports the results of an investigation of these variables within a community sample. Methods: Three‐hundred and twenty‐eight participants were recruited to complete an online survey in which participants completed the Intolerance of Uncertainty Scale, the Experiences in Close Relationships Scale‐Revised, the Penn State Worry Questionnaire and the Threat‐related Reassurance Seeking Scale. Results: Attachment anxiety, IU and worry were correlated with threat‐related reassurance seeking. Consistent with previous research, IU was found to mediate the relationship between attachment anxiety and worry. IU and worry were found to be serial‐multiple mediators in the relationship between attachment anxiety and threat‐related reassurance seeking. Conclusions: The results of the study suggest IU is likely to play a key role in the relationship between attachment anxiety and worry, as well as the relationship between attachment anxiety and threat‐related reassurance seeking. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Given the increased rate of divorce amongst newlywed couples in Indonesia, the present study was conducted to analyse the effect of partner attachment on relationship quality of the Indonesian newlywed individuals. Using multiple regression methods, data from 153 newlyweds were examined using the adapted version of the Experience in Close Relationship-Revised (ECR-R) and the Perceived Relationship Quality Components (PRQC). The result suggested that adult attachment towards the partner could predict relationship quality, where attachment avoidance showed a greater significance than attachment anxiety. Analyses of the participant's data demographic were also reported. Further implications of these findings were outlined for future research in the fields of marriage, and for the counsellors, the newlyweds, and readers in general. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using a sample of 210 college students affected by parental separation, this study investigated how perceived parental conflict and attachment anxiety jointly predicted somatic symptoms in adult children affected by parental separation. The participants responded to a computer-based survey assessing perceived parental conflict, attachment anxiety, and somatic symptoms. The results indicated that parental conflict was associated with attachment anxiety and somatic symptoms, and attachment anxiety was associated with somatic symptoms. Moreover, multivariate regression analysis showed a pattern of full mediation suggesting a pathway from parental conflict to somatic symptoms through the individual differences in attachment anxiety. Targeting anxious working models of attachment in children of parental separation may protect and minimize the vulnerability of developing somatic symptoms resulting from exposure to parental conflict. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of the investigation was to examine how different self-monitoring orientations would manifest in interpersonal relationship functioning. Protective, but not acquisitive, self-monitoring was expected to be associated with greater attachment anxiety and attachment avoidance. Participants completed the Self-Monitoring Scale and the Adult Attachment Questionnaire with respect to romantic partners (Studies 1a, 1b) and the Experiences in Close Relationships – Relationship Structures Scale with respect to mothers, fathers, romantic partners and best friends (Study 2). Across relationship type, those higher in protective self-monitoring expressed more avoidance and anxiety than did those lower in protective self-monitoring. Acquisitive self-monitoring was generally unrelated to attachment anxiety and avoidance. It appears that a self-presentational orientation based on avoiding disapproval contributes to general uneasiness with intimacy and fear of interpersonal rejection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An association between attachment and academic performance appears to be consistently found in children; however, reports on such an association in adolescents are contradictory. This study aimed to determine whether the attachment dimensions of anxiety or avoidance significantly correlate with a student's academic performance at university. Moreover, since individual differences in attachment index distinct self-regulatory capacities, this study aimed to determine whether any correlation exists between a student's attachment dimensions and measures of self-regulated learning. Attachment dimensions were determined by the Experiences in Close Relationships-Revised questionnaire, while self-regulated learning was determined by the Learning and Study Strategies Inventory, in a sample of university students (n = 185). Neither attachment dimensions correlated significantly with measures of academic performance. However, attachment dimensions did significantly correlate with measures of self-regulated learning in this study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent research in tourism highlights the importance of building strong attachment with tourists. Nevertheless, research has yet to examine the role of tourists' attachment styles in relations with building strong attachment. According to attachment theory, individuals are bounded by two dimensions of attachment styles (ie anxiety and avoidance) that guide their attachment with others. Thus, this article explores the relationships between attachment style, destination attachment and destination satisfaction. Results suggest that tourists' attachment styles matter. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Individuals' social experiences are associated with their mental health, physical health, and even mortality. Over the last 30 years, researchers have examined the ways in which these social experiences might be associated with chronic inflammation - a component underlying many of the chronic diseases of aging. Little research, however, has examined the role of adults' attachment style as a specific social component that might be associated with inflammation. In the present study, we utilized data from a sample of 59 African-American adults from the Maryland Adolescent Development in Context Study (MADICS) to examine the links between attachment avoidance and attachment anxiety and C-reactive protein (CRP) and interleukin (IL)-6. After controlling for demographic characteristics, body mass index, and depressive symptoms, attachment avoidance and anxiety were associated with IL-6 but not CRP. This study adds to the growing body of research identifying the wide range of social experiences associated with inflammation and further suggests that attachment relationship experiences may have implications for biological processes relevant to many chronic diseases of aging. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study investigated the moderating effects of prevention-focus on the paths from the dimensions of insecure attachment (attachment avoidance and attachment anxiety) to depression. Two hundred twenty eight Korean college students completed the Experience in Close Relationship - Revised Scale; the Regulatory Focus Strategies Scale; and the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale. Results revealed a significant moderating effect for prevention-focus on the path from attachment avoidance to depression, but not on the path from attachment anxiety to depression. They further suggest that different interventions are needed for different combinations of persons' insecure attachment dimensions and levels of prevention-focus. Counseling implications and suggestions for future research are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined the interplay between behavioral inhibition/activation systems (BIS/BAS) sensitivity, attachment insecurity (i.e., anxiety and avoidance), and Big Five personality traits in predicting sensory processing sensitivity (SPS). We have specifically tested three alternative theoretical models to explain the process through which BIS/BAS sensitivity link to SPS; unique effects of attachment dimensions and personality traits, as well as moderating and mediating role of these variables. Participants (N = 494) completed the highly sensitive Person scale, BIS/BAS scales, experiences in close relationships-revised scale, and big five inventory. The findings revealed the complex role of attachment dimensions and personality traits on SPS. Attachment avoidance, but not attachment anxiety, moderated the effect of BIS activity on SPS indicating that, compared to those with high BIS sensitivity, those with low levels of both BIS and attachment avoidance reported lower level of SPS. Attachment anxiety, neuroticism, extraversion, and openness partially mediated the effects of BIS on SPS. Conceptual implications of the findings and suggestions for future research are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Attachment theory provides compelling theoretical grounds to expect that attachment orientations, i.e. attachment anxiety and avoidance, influence our emotional reactions to job stressors. In spite of that fact, the role of attachment orientations in attenuating or exacerbating emotional reactions to job stressors has been ignored by organisational researchers so far. The main purpose of our diary study, therefore, was to analyse, whether attachment anxiety and avoidance moderate our daily emotional reactions to daily workload. Additional main effects of attachment orientations on daily emotional experiences were also analysed. Multilevel analyses of diary data from 340 participants revealed moderator effects of attachment avoidance. In detail, global and co-worker-specific avoidance interacted with workload in predicting negative emotions. Regarding positive emotions, co-worker-specific avoidance interacted with workload. In addition, global attachment anxiety and avoidance were positively related to negative emotional experiences at work. The negative relationship between co-worker-specific avoidance and positive emotional experiences at work was significant by trend. Taken together, current findings demonstrate attachment orientations’ contribution to our understanding of interindividual differences in daily emotional reactions to daily job stressors, and in daily work-related emotions. In sum, they suggest highly avoidant employees as a risk group in the working population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study investigated the moderating effects of preventionfocus on the paths from the dimensions of insecure attachment (attachment avoidance and attachment anxiety) to depression. Two hundred twenty eight Korean college students completed the Experience in Close Relationship - Revised Scale; the Regulatory Focus Strategies Scale; and the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale. Results revealed a significant moderating effect for preventionfocus on the path from attachment avoidance to depression, but not on the path from attachment anxiety to depression. They further suggest that different interventions are needed for different combinations of persons' insecure attachment dimensions and levels of prevention-focus. Counseling implications and suggestions for future research are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Are groups superior to individuals in detecting lies, and are there certain personality traits that significantly contribute to a collective lie-detecting capability? In the current research, we compared the ability of small groups to detect deception compared with individuals, and further examined whether small groups comprising more members high in attachment anxiety would show superior performance in detecting deceit. To this end, we asked 233 participants (40 groups and 113 individuals) to watch a series of clips showing a person making either truthful or untruthful statements, and then decide whether the speaker was honest or dishonest. Results confirmed our expectations and showed superior deceit-detection abilities in small groups, and that this ability was proportionate to the number of people high in attachment anxiety in the group. These results are discussed from the perspective of social defense theory, and the utility of diverse social groups in coping with diverse threats. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study intended to assess the relationship between romantic attachment and life satisfaction (LS) in a gay men and lesbian sample in Chile. It also aimed to identify the effect of attachment dimensions on life satisfaction for both gay men and lesbians. Through a cross-sectional study with a non-experimental design, a total of 460 homosexual adults completed the Experiences in Close Relationships and the Life Orientation Test, Revised Version. According to the results obtained, greater attachment insecurity (e.g., attachment anxiety and attachment avoidance) was linked to lower levels of LS in both gay men and lesbians. Furthermore, the model was found to be more predictive for lesbians than for gay men. Implication of these results are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We examined culturally relevant gender differences in the attachment dimensions and their dyadic associations with relationship functioning using a large sample (N= 1228). Considering that attachment avoidance is culturally incongruent with Turkish culture and there exist a sharp gender role difference in marriage, we anticipated that avoidance for women and anxiety for men would be strong dyadic predictors of satisfaction and conflict among married couples. Dyadic analyses revealed that attachment dimensions which are incongruent with cultural characteristics and gender roles predicted marital conflict and satisfaction. Avoidance, but not anxiety, had both actor and partner effects on marital satisfaction. Attachment anxiety of husbands, but not wives, was linked with marital conflict. Attachment avoidance seems to be a primary risk factor for satisfaction and attachment anxiety for conflict in the Turkish cultural context. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Objectives: This study explored the association between emotion regulation difficulties and sexual activity, and whether emotion regulation difficulties moderated the link between attachment and sexual activity. Methods: U.S. college students (N = 373) from two institutions completed self-report measures of sexual activity, emotion regulation difficulties and attachment. Results: Findings indicated that greater emotion regulation difficulties were associated with less frequent exclusive sexual activity. Moreover, emotion regulation difficulties moderated links between attachment avoidance and sexual activity, and associations varied according to relational context and gender. Conclusions: Implications for promoting sexual health and relationship intimacy are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Individuals' self-concepts are inextricably entwined with their relationships [Reis, H. T., Collins, W. A., & Berscheid, E. (2000).Psychological Bulletin, 126, 844–872], and thus it stands to reason that information about close relationships will figure prominently in individuals' self-presentational efforts. Yet, little is known about how individuals present their relationship. We examined whether individuals present information about their relationship differently as a function of both the target audience and the individuals' attachment style. Findings revealed that when individuals expected to interact with a romantic couple (vs. two control conditions) those high in attachment anxiety engaged in greater self-presentational efforts. Implications for understanding how relationship information is self-presented, as well as the goals of individuals with different attachment styles are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Attachment theory is a theory of affect regulation as it occurs in the context of close relationships. Early research focused on regulation of emotions through maintenance of proximity to supportive others (attachment figures) in times of need. Recently, emphasis has shifted to the regulation of emotion, and the benefits of such regulation for exploration and learning, via the activation of mental representations of attachment figures (security priming). We conducted two studies on the effects of implicit and explicit security priming on creative problem solving. In Study 1, implicit security priming (subliminal presentation of attachment figures' names) led to more creative problem solving (compared with control conditions) regardless of dispositional attachment anxiety and avoidance. In Study 2, the effects of explicit security priming (recalling experiences of being well cared for) were moderated by anxiety and avoidance. We discuss the link between attachment and exploration and the different effects of implicit and explicit security priming. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Correlations between anxious attachment and neuroticism (usually about .40 to .50) prompt questions about whether self-reported anxious attachment captures a key construct in attachment theory or if it reflects a more general personality trait instead. A college sample of late adolescents and young adults (N = 287) was used to show that questionnaire measures of neuroticism and anxious attachment do not have a simple linear association; instead, neuroticism and anxious attachment have a more complex dynamic relationship that is moderated by avoidant attachment, an attachment style that reflects an interpersonally derived strategy for affect regulation. The association between neuroticism and anxious attachment is further moderated by conscientiousness, a personality trait that may reflect a more biologically mediated system of affect regulation. These separate moderating effects and the different affect regulation systems they reflect are discussed in the context of longstanding debates about how personality traits and attachment styles influence each other. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]