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The present study proposes and tests a cascade model of complex posttraumatic stress disorder (CPTSD) focusing on childhood trauma and maltreatment, attachment, and socio-interpersonal factors. Multigroup path analysis was used to examine data from 126 individuals formerly affected by compulsory social measures and placements (CSMP) in their childhood and/or adolescence (i.e., risk group [RG]; M age = 70.8 years) and an age-matched control group (CG; n = 125; M age = 70.6 years). The final model confirmed the cascade structure, with stronger associations emerging in the RG. Childhood trauma and maltreatment were associated with attachment anxiety, β = |.20|-.30, which was related to all socio-interpersonal factors (i.e., disclosure of trauma, social acknowledgment, and social support), β = .27-|.54|; the latter were associated with substantial aspects of the CPTSD symptoms as well as life satisfaction, β = |.21|-.42. Among participants in the CG, we observed more direct, rather than mediated, paths to CPTSD symptoms. Adulthood trauma exposure did not follow the full cascade pattern but was associated with the socio-interpersonal factors. Nevertheless, more in-depth clinical knowledge of CPTSD and potential targets for psychological treatment may be gained from the confirmation of this newly proposed cascade model of CPTSD.

We conducted latent profile analyses on community (n = 1663) and clinical (n = 575) samples to determine whether continuous scores of attachment anxiety and avoidance would lead to the identification of theoretically consistent and clinically useful profiles. We then compared these profiles according to gender, relationship status, psychological distress, and relationship satisfaction. Analysis on the community sample yielded four profiles: secure, preoccupied, dismissive, and fearful individuals; whereas, the clinical sample yielded three profiles: secure, preoccupied, and fearful individuals. In the community sample, there was a higher proportion of women under the preoccupied profile and a higher proportion of men under the dismissive profile compared with the other profiles. Overall, insecure individuals reported higher levels of relationship dissatisfaction and psychological distress, and a relationship status reflecting lower commitment. Our findings suggest that the Experiences in Close Relationships scale could be useful in assisting therapists in conceptualizing their cases according to their patients' attachment profile.

The present study explores the transmission of attachment and family functioning across three generations. It is based on a sample of 460 female emerging adults (aged 18-26), their mothers (N = 440), fathers (N = 368), maternal grandmothers (N = 224), and maternal grandfathers (N = 113). Participants self-assessed their attachment anxiety and avoidance using the Relationship Style Questionnaire and evaluated the functioning of their families of origin using the Family Adaptation and Cohesion Scale-IV. The results reveal two mechanisms, both of which have a small but significant effect on the development of attachment across generations. The first operates via direct trans-generational transmission of attachment from parent to child, mainly involving the mother-child dyad, while the second operates through primary family functioning, especially balanced family cohesion, but also enmeshment and chaos in the case of attachment avoidance. The findings highlight the importance of including content related to attachment and family functioning in intervention programs.本研究探讨了依恋和家庭功能在三代人之间的传递。该研究以460名刚成年女性(18岁至26岁)、她们的母亲(440人)、父亲(368人)、外祖母(224人)和外祖父(113人)为样本。参与者使用关系风格问卷对他们的依恋焦虑和回避进行自我评估，并使用家庭适应和凝聚力量表-IV对其原生家庭的功能进行评价。研究结果揭示了两种机制，这两种机制都对依恋的发展具有较小但显著的跨代影响。第一个机制是通过父母对子女的直接跨代传递来运作的，主要涉及母子关系，而第二个机制是通过主要的家庭功能来运作的，特别是平衡的家庭凝聚力，但在依恋回避的情况下，也会有啮合和混乱现象。这些发现强调了在干预项目中包括与依恋和家庭功能有关的内容的重要性。.

OBJECTIVE People gather important social information from subtle nonverbal cues. Given that one's attachment style can meaningfully affect the quality of one's relationships, we investigated whether people could perceive men's and women's attachment styles from photos of their neutral faces. METHOD In two studies, we measured targets' attachment styles then asked participants (total N = 893) to judge the male and female targets' attachment anxiety and avoidance from photos of their neutral faces (total N = 331) and to report their own attachment anxiety and avoidance. RESULTS Participants detected men's attachment style from face photos significantly better than chance in an initial exploratory study and in a preregistered replication but did not consistently detect women's attachment style from their face photos. Moreover, participants' own attachment style biased these first impressions: Individuals with greater attachment anxiety viewed others as more anxiously attached. CONCLUSIONS People can detect some hints of unacquainted others' attachment styles from their faces but their own anxious attachment can bias these judgments.

Extradyadic involvement (EDI) is one of the greatest challenges that couples and couples therapists face. Many clinicians and researchers attempt to understand motivations for EDI; however, there is a lack of theory-driven research to support claims of infidelity typologies. The current study explored the relationship between adult attachment dimensions of avoidance and anxiety and the attachment-based typology proposed by Woolley (2010). Results indicate significant differences in attachment anxiety in high anxiety affair types versus low anxiety affair types. Results confirmed significant differences in mean attachment anxiety for participants endorsing multiple affairs.

Samples in prior studies examining attachment theory in the military have been predominantly composed of male combat veterans. Given the rates of sexual trauma among female veterans and differences in the association between attachment and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) severity for sexual trauma survivors, it was necessary to consider the attachment characteristics of veterans within a mixed-sex sample. Participants were a mixed-sex veteran sample seeking inpatient trauma-related treatment (N = 469). Using independent samples t tests, we examined sex differences in attachment. Consistent with our hypothesis, women reported a higher level of attachment anxiety than did men, t(351) = -2.12, p = .034. Women also reported a higher level of attachment avoidance, t(351) = -2.44, p = .015. Using hierarchical regression, we examined the contribution of attachment anxiety and avoidance to PTSD severity, partialing out variance accounted for by demographic variables and traumatic experiences. Consistent with our hypotheses, attachment avoidance predicted PTSD severity on the Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale for DSM-IV (CAPS), β = .20, p < .001, and the PTSD Checklist-Civilian Version (PCL-C), β = .18, p < .001. Attachment anxiety did not predict CAPS severity but did predict PCL-C severity, β = .11, p = .020. These results suggest the association between attachment avoidance and PTSD is not exclusive to combat trauma and may apply more generally to the larger veteran population. Higher levels of attachment anxiety and avoidance among female veterans potentially implicate the presence of greater attachment fearfulness among this particular subpopulation of veterans.

Benevolent sexism prescribes that men should cherish and protect women in intimate relationships. Despite the romantic tone of these attitudes, prior research indicates that benevolent sexism undermines women's competence, ambition and independence. Ambivalent sexism theory proposes that benevolent sexism is able to incur these costs because the promise of a chivalrous protective partner offers women security in their intimate relationships. We tested this key proposition by examining whether women who intensely need relationship security—women higher in attachment anxiety—are more attracted to men who endorse benevolent sexism. Highly anxious women (N = 632) rated men described as endorsing benevolent sexism as relatively more attractive, and reported greater preferences for partners to hold benevolently sexist attitudes. These results advance understanding regarding the underlying reasons women find benevolent sexism appealing and identify who will be most vulnerable to the potential costs of benevolent sexism.

Romantic relationship dissatisfaction has been cited as a primary reason for seeking mental health services (H. M. Foran, M. A. Whisman, & S. R. H. Beach, 2015). An increasing number of studies have revealed the importance of romantic attachment in understanding relationship satisfaction (M. Mikulincer & P. R. Shaver, 2016). This study aims to assess dyadic trust as a possible mediator of the relation between insecure romantic attachment and relationship satisfaction within a Canadian community sample of 199 heterosexual couples. Results revealed significant actor and partner effects. Specifically, male and female attachment avoidance, as well as male attachment anxiety, predicted lower dyadic trust, which in turn predicted lower relationship satisfaction. These results add to the current literature, suggesting important gender differences in the effects attachment has on overall relationship satisfaction.

Objectives Perfectionism is recognized as a significant risk factor for psychopathology. Emerging research links attachment to perfectionism in adult and college-age samples. The Frost Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale (FMPS) has been used in adults and adolescents with a variety of factor structures found. This study sought to establish the factor structure in a general adolescent sample prior to testing for associations between perfectionism, attachment, and psychopathology in the same sample. Design A cross-sectional survey design was used. Confirmatory factor analysis, and correlational and regression analyses were employed. Methods A total of 290 adolescents, aged 12–18 years, were recruited from a state secondary school. All completed the FMPS along with brief measures of attachment and psychopathology. Result Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses failed to replicate previously published models, and a new six-item, 1-factor model representing perfectionism was found instead. This new variable was then used to establish a role for perfectionism and attachment anxiety in predicting internalizing problems. Perfectionism also correlated with conduct problems and hyperactivity. Conclusion This study established a novel factor structure for the FMPS, allowing proof of principle of the role of perfectionism in a relationship with attachment and psychopathology, which after replication, may inform new interventions for perfectionism. Caution is noted about the use of extant perfectionism measures that are not properly developmentally informed and which do not capture the dynamic nature of adolescence and adolescent perfectionism. Practitioner points Perfectionism is a feature of adolescent psychopathology, including internalizing and externalizing problems. Perfectionism is associated with attachment anxiety and together contributes to internalizing problems. Current conceptualizations of perfectionism may not capture the specific developmental and dynamic aspects of adolescence and should not be regarded as a stable personality trait.

Armed conflict necessitates the ability to quickly distinguish friend from foe. Failure to make accurate shooting decisions may result in harm either to oneself or to innocent others. The factors that predict such rapid decision making, however, remain unclear. Based on social defense theory, we contend that people high on attachment anxiety possess characteristics that are particularly advantageous in this domain such that anxiously attached individuals will show greater vigilance and accuracy in a realistic shooting paradigm in which they must quickly distinguish between militants (people holding a gun) and innocents (people holding an item with the same color and shape as a gun—Coca-Cola bottle, black wallet, and black mobile phone). Using signal detection theory algorithms, we calculated sensitivity in performing the behavioral shooting task [D(prime)]. Results indicate that as expected, anxious people demonstrated significantly better shooting accuracy. Implication for contemporary violent conflict is discussed.

Customized pricing is an increasing phenomenon in the marketplace, but little is known about factors influencing consumer responses to customized pricing. The present paper seeks to gain an understanding of how, why, and when this emerging pricing mechanism may offer benefits. Specifically, this research focuses on how consumers respond to customized pricing tactics and, more specifically, on how interpersonal attachment orientations impact consumers' responses to prices offered in the presence of a customized pricing program. The results of 3 studies suggest that customized pricing programs likely create an expectation for a discounted price among securely attached individuals, such that these consumers are dissatisfied paying the shelf price in the presence of a customized pricing program. Overall, the results provide evidence that, although customized pricing programs are often used to enhance consumer evaluations, they may not always be effective. This paper advances prior research by integrating important considerations for both pricing and customization strategies based on individual and situational differences in attachment orientations.

Emotionally Focused Couple Therapy (EFT; The practice of emotionally focused couple therapy: Creating connection. New York, NY: Brunner-Routledge) is an evidence-based couple therapy that aims to create lasting change for couples (Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice, 6(1), 67-79). Although studies have demonstrated strong results in follow-up (Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, 28(4), 391-398), less is known about relationship functioning across time after therapy has ended. We modelled change in relationship satisfaction and attachment from pre-therapy through 24 months follow-up in 32 couples. HLM results confirmed a significant growth pattern demonstrating increases in relationship satisfaction and secure base behaviour and decreases in relationship specific attachment anxiety over the course of therapy and across follow-up at a decelerated rate. These findings support the theoretical assumption that EFT helps couples engaged in therapy create lasting relationship satisfaction and attachment change.

Adult attachment affects close bonds, including bonds with fictional characters, but does it also influence the level of engagement with fictional worlds? This article aims to build on previous research on how attachment relates to narrative transportation. In Study 1, attachment anxiety, but not attachment avoidance, predicted a greater tendency to become transported into narratives, even after controlling for broader personality traits related to attachment. In Study 2, attachment anxiety again predicted a greater tendency to engage in narratives but only at high levels of attachment avoidance. In Study 3, this interaction between attachment anxiety and attachment avoidance in predicting narrative transportation was again observed when transportation was measured immediately after viewing a specific narrative.

An online sample of more than 150,000 participants was used to examine whether—in addition to predicting how much intimacy people want—attachment styles also predict how people define and perceive intimacy. Results indicated that, as compared with relatively secure individuals, people with high levels of attachment anxiety required more time, affection, and self-disclosure to construe a relationship as “close.” Additionally, anxious individuals perceived less intimacy in relationship vignettes than did their less anxious peers. In contrast, highly avoidant individuals required less time, affection, and self-disclosure to define a relationship as “close,” and they perceived more intimacy in vignettes than did their more secure peers. These findings indicate that people who are relatively anxious not only want more intimacy in their relationships, but they are also less likely to perceive intimacy, as compared with their less anxious peers. Conversely, people high in avoidance not only want less intimacy, but they are also more sensitive to its presence, as compared with their less avoidant peers.

Greater risk of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is seen in individuals exposed to interpersonal traumatic events. Based on an attachment perspective, interpersonal trauma exposure may activate one's attachment insecurity system and disrupt affect, behaviour and interpersonal function, which may in turn create more difficulties to cope with interpersonal traumas and exacerbate PTSD symptomatology. The present study examined whether attachment anxiety relative to attachment avoidance would be a stronger predictor of greater PTSD symptoms following interpersonal traumas versus impersonal traumas in a Taiwanese sample. One hundred and sixty-two trauma-exposed Taiwanese young adults completed the measures of symptoms of depression, anxiety and PTSD, and attachment anxiety and attachment avoidance. In this Taiwanese study, higher attachment anxiety was observed in individuals who were exposed to interpersonal traumas. The interpersonal trauma group reported greater PTSD symptoms than did the impersonal trauma group. Specifically, after controlling for age, occurrence of trauma and distress of trauma, attachment anxiety, but not attachment avoidance, predicted more PTSD total severity and avoidance symptoms in the interpersonal trauma group. The findings may be pertinent to attachment anxiety-related hyperactivating strategies, as well as specific cultural values and a forbearance strategy applied to regulate traumatic distress in a collectivist society. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

The authors present and test the action model of relationship security, which predicts that people's behavior toward a relationship partner shapes their security regarding that partner's care, regard, and commitment. Specifically, actors who enact prosocial or antisocial behavior develop corresponding prosocial or antisocial metaperceptions (i.e., they believe they are viewed as prosocial or antisocial by their partner). In turn, these metaperceptions have a strong influence on actors' security in their partner's care, regard, and commitment due to lay theories positing that prosocial and antisocial behavior impacts others' sentiments. Four studies supported this model. Moreover, findings suggest that prosocial metaperceptions buffer the harmful effects of attachment anxiety on relationship security. This research suggests the relevance of own behavior for relationship security.

Three studies examined the links between attachment insecurity and the use and effectiveness of inducing guilt to produce change in romantic partners (negative-indirect partner regulation strategies). Individuals higher in attachment anxiety engaged in more negative-indirect partner regulation strategies (Studies 1–3), but the effectiveness of negative-indirect strategies depended on targeted partners' attachment avoidance. Targets higher in attachment avoidance reported regulation agents were less successful (Study 1) and reported less motivation to change across time (Study 2) when agents used more negative-indirect regulation strategies. Negative-indirect strategies during couples' conflict discussions were also associated with lower problem resolution when targets were higher in avoidance (Study 3). These results provide the first demonstration that target characteristics moderate the effectiveness of negative-indirect regulation strategies.

This study examined whether moral foundations and adult attachment style predict expectations for counseling. Hierarchical regression models were used to analyze self-report questionnaires of 963 participants. Moral foundations related to harm–care, fairness–reciprocity, and authority–respect were significantly positively related to both process and outcome counseling expectations. Adult attachment anxiety was positively related to outcome expectations, whereas adult attachment avoidance was negatively related to process and outcome expectations. Moral foundations and adult attachment style are important predictors of therapy process and outcome expectations. Implications for practitioners and future research are discussed.

Past research has shown that attachment orientations shape sexual processes within relationships. Yet, little has been done to explore the opposite direction. In the present research, we examined whether sexual desire and emotional intimacy reduce attachment insecurities over time in emerging relationships. In an 8-month longitudinal study, we followed 62 newly dating couples across three measurement waves. At Time 1, romantic partners discussed sexual aspects of their relationship and judges coded their displays of sexual desire and intimacy. Participants also completed measures of relationship-specific attachment anxiety and avoidance in each wave. The results indicated that men's displays of desire predicted a decline in their own and their partner's relationship-specific insecurities. Conversely, women's displays of desire inhibited the decline in their partner's relationship-specific insecurities, whereas women's displays of intimacy predicted a decline in their partner's relationship-specific insecurities. These findings suggest that different sex-related processes underlie attachment formation in men and women.

This study used data from 63 heterosexual couples to investigate the effects of attachment anxiety and how they relate to emotional experience (i.e. psychophysiological distress and feelings towards a partner) in the context of two therapy-like conditions (low and high structure). We examined both the effect of an individual's anxiety on his/her own emotional experience (actor effects) and on the partner's experience (partner effects). During both interactional conditions, female partners of men higher in attachment anxiety experienced greater psychophysiological distress. In addition, men and women higher in attachment anxiety were not significantly different from others in terms of their feelings towards their partner during the low structure condition. However, their feelings were significantly more positive than others during the high structure condition, providing some evidence that attachment-based interventions can be especially useful for clients higher in attachment anxiety. Practitioner points Not only should therapists take into account couple distress and volatility when facilitating couple interaction, but they should also account for self-reported attachment Clients high in attachment anxiety may benefit from the emotional containment provided by having a therapist buffer the couple interaction Clients high in attachment anxiety may especially benefit from therapy process that is anchored in facilitating attachment-based expression

Emotionally focused couple therapy (EFT; Johnson, The practice of emotionally focused couple therapy (1st/2nd edition). Brunner-Routledge, New York, 2004) is an effective treatment of relationship distress (Johnson et al., Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice, 1999; 6, 67). However, less is known about EFT's impact on couples' relationship-specific attachment bond. Using hierarchical linear modeling with a sample of 32 couples, we examined session-by-session changes in couples' relationship-specific attachment anxiety and avoidance and pre- to posttherapy changes in their relationship-specific attachment behaviors. Couples significantly decreased in relationship-specific attachment avoidance, and those who completed a blamer softening significantly decreased in relationship-specific attachment anxiety. Couples' attachment behavior significantly increased toward security. Finally, session-by-session decreases in relationship-specific attachment anxiety and avoidance were significant associated with increases in relationship satisfaction across sessions. These results provide empirical support for the attachment-based assumptions of EFT. Video abstract accessible by clicking here.

Objectives Avoidant personality disorder (AvPD) and social phobia (SP) are common, closely related conditions. Little is known about the underlying processes related to the social discomfort of subjects with AvPD and SP. Both disorders are associated with interpersonal problems. An attachment perspective may shed light on similarities and differences in close relationships between the disorders. The aim of the study was to compare self-reported attachment styles in patients with AvPD and SP. We expected that patients with AvPD would have more attachment anxiety and avoidance and more often a Fearful attachment style, compared with SP. Design This is a cross-sectional multisite study of 90 adult patients with AvPD and SP. Patients with AvPD with and without SP (AvPD group) were compared with patients with SP without AvPD (SP group). Methods Patients were assessed using structured diagnostic interviews and self-reporting questionnaires, including Experiences in Close Relationships (ECR). The ECR dimensions, Anxiety and Avoidance, and the new described five factors of the ECR were used. Results The AvPD group had higher levels of attachment anxiety than the SP group, especially for the sub-factors Anxiety for abandonment and Separation frustration. The diagnostic groups did not differ in levels of avoidance. Anxiety for abandonment was still associated with AvPD after controlling for symptom disorders and the criteria of other personality disorders. A Fearful attachment style was more frequent among patients with AvPD. Conclusions The results indicate AvPD is associated with more attachment anxiety than SP. Fear of abandonment may play a significant role in the AvPD pathology. Practitioner points This is the first study to compare attachment styles in patients with avoidant personality disorder (AvPD) and social phobia (SP). The AvPD group had higher attachment-related anxiety than the SP group, and anxiety was most pronounced for the fear of abandonment. Fear of abandonment may play an important role in the AvPD pathology.

Focusing on the motivational processes underlying consumer attachments to brands, this research examines how competence enhancement and anticipated emotion (anxiety and joy) contribute to attachment. Personal attachment style (attachment anxiety) and type of motivation (intrinsic vs. extrinsic) are included as individual differences. Employing two field studies across different contexts indicates that competence enhancement leads to stronger attachments with anticipated anxiety (avoidance) and joy (approach) mediating this relationship. Analyses of moderated mediation further show that the effect mediated through anticipated emotion is stronger under conditions of high extrinsic and low intrinsic motivation, and when individual attachment anxiety is low. Implications for brand attachment research and management are discussed.

Attachment theory has received scant consideration in the negotiation literature. We examined the effects of attachment anxiety and avoidance on negotiation propensity and performance in two studies. In terms of negotiation propensity (Study 1), attachment anxiety had significant, deleterious effects, though contrary to our predictions, attachment avoidance did not have significant effects. However, there was an interaction such that individuals high on attachment avoidance had a greater propensity to negotiate with an insecurely attached counterpart compared to a secure counterpart. In addition, attachment orientation influenced negotiation performance and information sharing (Study 2), but the effects depended upon role in the negotiation, with stronger effects for attachment avoidance as opposed to attachment anxiety. Theoretical and practical implications for research on negotiation and attachment theory are discussed.

The relationships between mentors' (n = 168) attachment dimensions, the quality of mentoring relationship and proteges' (n = 187) level of adjustment after 8 months of mentoring intervention were explored. Unexpectedly, proteges of mentors with moderately negative childhood experiences and an insecure state of mind had higher levels of adjustment at the end of mentoring, whereas mentors' positive emotional childhood experiences contributed negatively to levels of adjustment. Furthermore, a dependent mother–protege relationship moderated the relationship between mentors' attachment anxiety or avoidance and the quality of the relationship, such that it mediated the relationship between mentors' attachment anxiety and avoidance and led to a decrease in proteges' level of adjustment at the end of the intervention. The findings suggest that the disadvantages of a dependent mother–protege relationship as regard proteges' level of adjustment interact with mentors' avoidance or anxiety, and that there may be an advantage in a mentor–protege mismatch in terms of an anxious/dependent relational history.

The present study investigated whether oculomotor behavior is influenced by attachment styles. The Relationship Scales Questionnaire was used to assess attachment styles of forty-eight voluntary university students and to classify them into attachment groups (secure, preoccupied, fearful, and dismissing). Eye-tracking was recorded while participants engaged in a 3-seconds free visual exploration of stimuli presenting either a positive or a negative picture together with a neutral picture, all depicting social interactions. The task consisted in identifying whether the two pictures depicted the same emotion. Results showed that the processing of negative pictures was impermeable to attachment style, while the processing of positive pictures was significantly influenced by individual differences in insecure attachment. The groups highly avoidant regarding to attachment (dismissing and fearful) showed reduced accuracy, suggesting a higher threshold for recognizing positive emotions compared to the secure group. The groups with higher attachment anxiety (preoccupied and fearful) showed differences in automatic capture of attention, in particular an increased delay preceding the first fixation to a picture of positive emotional valence. Despite lenient statistical thresholds induced by the limited sample size of some groups (p < 0.05 uncorrected for multiple comparisons), the current findings suggest that the processing of positive emotions is affected by attachment styles. These results are discussed within a broader evolutionary framework., We are grateful to all the volunteers who participated in this study. This work was partially supported by Portuguese Science Funding Agency - FCT grant (SFRH / BPD / 80910 / 2011) awarded to Catarina Silva. Catarina Silva and Thierry Chaminade contributed equally to this work.

This study addressed how two normative developmental factors, attachment and identity, are associated with adolescents' sexual attitudes and sexual risk-taking behavior. The sample consisted of 2029 adolescents (mean age = 16.2 years) living in the Southeast United States. Path analysis was used to test the hypotheses. Higher levels of attachment anxiety predicted more dating identity exploration and less healthy sexual attitudes. Higher levels of attachment avoidance predicted less dating identity exploration and indirectly predicted less healthy sexual attitudes through dating identity exploration. Females with dating or sexual experience showed the weakest associations between the attachment dimensions and dating identity exploration. More dating identity exploration predicted healthier sexual attitudes; this association was strongest for non-virgins. Finally, higher levels of attachment avoidance were associated with higher cumulative sexual risk scores, but only among non-virgin males. Results are interpreted in light of theory and research on attachment, identity exploration, and adolescent sexual relationships.

Being ostracized by others threatens the satisfaction of fundamental needs, although less so when individuals first are reminded of a close relationship. What remains unknown is the effect of being ostracized directly by a relationship partner, which may vary depending on attachment security. We examined how a partner's involvement in ostracism affects need satisfaction and relationship evaluations, and explored attachment security. One hundred and twenty-seven couple members played Cyberball in a between-subjects experiment manipulating ostracism and partner involvement. Need satisfaction was more strongly affected by the partner's presence (vs. absence). Individuals evaluated their relationship more negatively as a function of partner ostracism and high attachment avoidance. Attachment anxiety was associated with lower need satisfaction. The results highlight relational expectations and influences on belonging needs.

Emotionally focused couple therapy (EFT) is an empirically validated approach to couple therapy that uses attachment theory to understand the needs and emotions of romantic partners. EFT is recognized as one of the most effective approaches to couple therapy, but to guide therapists in their use of EFT, a theoretically based model to predict change is needed. This study tested such a model by recruiting 32 couples, and 14 therapists who provided approximately 21 sessions of EFT. Couples completed self-report measures of marital satisfaction, attachment security, relationship trust, and emotional control at pre- and posttherapy and after each therapy session. Results of hierarchical linear modeling suggested that individuals higher on self-report attachment anxiety and higher levels of emotional control had greater change in marital satisfaction across EFT sessions. Assessing attachment security at the start of therapy will inform therapists of the emotion regulating strategies used by couples and may help couples achieve positive outcomes from EFT.

People high in attachment-related anxiety experience greater anxieties and ambivalence (e.g., M. Mikulincer, P. R. Shaver, N. Bar-On, & T. Ein-Dor, 2010) when feelings of relationship security are activated. The current research suggests that anxiously attached people also experience a decrease in implicit feelings of self-worth. Across two studies participants high (vs. low) in attachment anxiety reported more negative implicit self-evaluations after thinking about a time they felt loved and cared for by a close other. Study 2 further revealed that more negative implicit self-evaluations are not a function of differences in the type of events recalled by high anxiety participants. These latter results suggest that security-enhancing thoughts automatically activate a negative association with the self that is not consciously reflected in participants' written responses.

This study examined how partner preferences differ across interpersonal contexts (romantic attachment and relationship expectations) based on sexuality and biological sex. Participants completed measures of attachment and behavioral expectations for their romantic partners, cross-sex friends, and same-sex friends. The attachment anxiety results revealed an effect of sexuality: Single heterosexuals scored higher for their cross-sex friends than same-sex friends, single lesbian/gay individuals scored higher for same-sex friends than cross-sex friends, and bisexuals' attachment anxiety was equal regardless of friends' biological sex. The behavioral expectation results revealed an effect of biological sex indicating that, regardless of sexuality, women are preferred over men for emotional/social needs. Finally, an interaction revealed that lesbians have higher expectations for their girlfriends/wives than straight men have for theirs.

Objective Although much is known about childhood anxiety disorders, the differential contributions by mothers and fathers to child anxiety is poorly understood. This study examined the relation between child anxiety and parental level of psychopathology, attachment style, and reflective functioning (RF). Design Thirty-eight clinically anxious children aged 7–12 years (55.3% female) referred for treatment and their parents (37 mothers, 34 fathers) participated in the study. Method Reflective functioning was coded based on Adult Attachment Interviews. Self-report questionnaires on attachment and psychopathology were administered. Results Paternal psychopathology, attachment avoidance, and attachment anxiety as well as maternal attachment anxiety were associated with child anxiety. Mothers had higher RF abilities than fathers. Lower levels of RF in mothers and higher levels of attachment avoidance in fathers explained 42% of the variance in anxiety levels of the child. Conclusion Mothers and fathers may provide unique contributions to the development of child anxiety. The findings highlight the importance of considering fathers as well as mothers in research and treatment for childhood anxiety disorders. Practitioner points Anxiety in children may be related to attachment avoidance in fathers and low levels of reflective functioning in mothers. Fathers as well as mothers should be involved in research and treatment of childhood anxiety disorders. The study is exploratory and findings must be replicated before firm conclusions can be drawn. Data were derived from families whose children suffer from clinical levels of anxiety, and they may not be representative of non-clinical samples.

This research investigates the formation of consumer attachments to brands contingent upon their attachment anxiety and security. An experiment utilizes a consumer sample and real brands across four product categories (apparel, body care, consumer electronics, and soft drinks) to test the relations between consumer–brand identification and brand attachment dependent on attachment anxiety and attachment security. Consistent with previous research, the findings initially confirm that consumer–brand identification relates positively to brand attachment. Prior work is extended, however, by demonstrating that attachment anxiety has a strong influence on this relationship by moderating the effect of consumer–brand identification on brand attachment but only under low attachment security and with women. Implications relate to attachment research and brand management. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

We report a study of parents' attachment orientations and children's autobiographical memory for an experience that according to Bowlby's (1982) attachment theory should be particularly threatening-children's forced separation from their parents. It was hypothesized that individual differences in parents' attachment orientations would be associated with children's distress and memory for this highly traumatic event. Children (n = 28) were observed during forced removal from home or school by Child Protective Services due to allegations of child maltreatment. Children's memory for the removal was tested 1 week later, and biological parents (n = 28) completed an adult attachment measure. Parental attachment anxiety significantly predicted children's distress during less stressful phases of the removal, R(2) = .25, and parents' attachment-related avoidance predicted fewer correct memory reports from the children (i.e., fewer hits to open-ended questions, R(2) = .16, and fewer hits to direct questions, R(2) = .27). The findings indicate that attachment theory provides important guidance for understanding children's autobiographical memory for traumatic events.

U.S. veterans of Iraq and/or Afghanistan (N = 116) completed an Internet survey with questions related to attachment style in intimate relationships, personality factors, and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Participants completed the PTSD Checklist-Military, Experiences in Close Relationships Scale-Short Form, and the International Personality Item Pool Big Five Short Form Questionnaire. Most participants were male and Caucasian. Hierarchical linear regression analysis results indicated that emotional stability (β = -.46, p < .001) and attachment avoidance (β = .20, p < .05) were associated with PTSD symptom severity (adjusted R(2) = .63). An interaction between conscientiousness and attachment anxiety was found (β = -.26, p < .001; ΔR(2) = .06), with secure attachment moderating the relationship between conscientiousness and PTSD symptom severity. Results of this study indicate that emotional stability, conscientiousness, and secure relationship attachment styles (low attachment anxiety and avoidance) are important for postcombat mental health.

Across two studies, we examined the extent to which adults' caregiving responses reflect the quality of care received from their attachment figures. Study 1 showed that romantic caregiving reflected the quality of perceived parental and partner care. Moreover, perceived partner care mediated the link between parental care and romantic caregiving, suggesting that one's parental care affects the type of care one seeks or receives from partners, which in turn affects one's romantic caregiving. This describes a possible process for the intergenerational transmission of caregiving styles. Romantic attachment anxiety was associated with compulsive caregiving to partners. Study 2 examined causal mechanisms by priming a representation of perceived peer care and examining its effect on caregiving responses. As hypothesized, caregiving responses reflected the quality of primed peer care and were associated with attachment orientation. Findings provide evidence that individuals mentally represent the thoughts, feelings and behaviours of the care-seeker and the caregiver during interactions and both influence one's caregiving to partners and friends

This study used Kenny and Cook’s actor-partner interdependence model to examine both actor and partner effects of attachment anxiety and avoidance for male and female partners on symptom distress over four sessions of therapy. Using the couple as the unit of analysis offers a unique method for studying the role of adult attachment in the treatment of mental health symptoms. The findings provided some new perspectives on the role of attachment in treatment outcomes and provided support for previous research. The results showed that women’s anxiety and avoidance has an impact on their male partners’ symptom distress following four sessions of couple therapy. Additionally, men’s avoidance was a significant influence on their female partners’ symptom distress after four sessions of therapy. Practitioner points  Male partners participating in therapy are influenced by their female partners’ attachment on their own symptom distress, therefore men would greatly benefit from couple-related interventions to reduce individual symptom distress.  Female partners’ attachment anxiety and avoidance influenced their symptom distress, therefore individual attachment-informed interventions would support women’s reduction of symptom distress in therapy.

Attachment-related anxiety has repeatedly been associated with poorer adjustment in various social, emotional, and behavioral domains. Building on social defense theory, we examined a possible advantage of having some group members who score high in attachment anxiety – a heightened tendency to deliver a warning message without delay. We led participants to believe that they accidently activated a computer virus that erased an experimenter’s computer. We then asked them to alert the department’s computer technicians to the incident. On their way, they were presented with four decision points where they could choose either to delay their warning or to continue directly to the technicians’ office. We found that anxious individuals were less willing to be delayed on their way to deliver a warning message. This result remained significant when attachment avoidance, extroversion, and neuroticism were statistically controlled. Results are discussed in relation to the possible adaptive functions of certain personality characteristics often viewed as undesirable. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

This research examined how attachment affected the peer influence on adolescent consumer behavior. Results showed that attachment toward family and toward peers emerged together. Adolescent attachment anxiety strengthened the peer influence in consumption while attachment avoidance weakened the peer influence. Anxiety was positively related to adolescents’ perception of friends’ greater knowledge, spending when shopping with friends, and motivation to comply with friends’ suggestions on purchases directly and indirectly through consumer susceptibility to informational and normative influence. In contrast, attachment avoidance decreased the tendency to shop often with friends and the motivation to comply in a purchase. This study revealed that the influence of individual attachment orientations on interpersonal relationships can be extended to the field of consumption.

Attachment theory suggests that unmet needs may filter perceptions of reality. Moreover, since the attachment system is always primed in anxious individuals, it tends to bias cognitive processing in a self-sustaining manner. Here, it is proposed that individuals high in attachment anxiety are predisposed to perceive leaders as capable of meeting their needs. An exploratory laboratory study was conducted to examine the relationship between attachment anxiety and perceptions of transformational leadership. Individuals who scored high in attachment anxiety reported transformational leadership, even though such elements were objectively absent. The implications for follower receptiveness to transformational and charismatic leadership are discussed.

This research applies the emotion regulation (ER) model of attachment to the regulation of specific emotions, namely sadness and anger, in early adolescents. The study investigates how attachment and accompanying ER strategies relate to both internalizing (depressive symptoms) and externalizing problems (aggressive behavior). Two separate cross-sectional studies (N=197 and N=310) supported different associations between attachment and ER strategies (i.e., dysregulation and suppression). For attachment avoidance, associations with ER strategies seem to depend on the specific type of emotion involved, whereas attachment anxiety related to dysregulation irrespective of the type of emotions. Further, Study 2 found that attachment anxiety and avoidance are associated with internalizing and externalizing problems via different ER strategies. Discussion focuses on the dynamics involved in associations between attachment, ER, and internalizing versus externalizing problems.

Psychological distance in terms of its purpose as a psychological adjustment is currently not well understood. Some researchers claim that psychological distance serves as an emotion regulator, while others argue that psychological distance has the reverse effect, leading to cognitive avoidance and rumination. To elucidate upon this discrepancy, we propose that a complementary matching of psychological distance to one's habitual psychological distance perspective may lead to better emotion regulation when compared to the original perspective (i.e. fixing on either psychological immersion or distance). This study hypothesizes that a complementary matching of psychological distance to one's habitual perspective generally leads to better emotion regulation; specifically, individuals with high avoidant attachment, who habitually distance themselves from their experiences, may benefit from psychological immersion, while individuals with high anxious attachment, who habitually immerse themselves in their experiences, may benefit from psychological distancing. A total of 83 participants completed measures of adult attachment orientations; read a conflict scenario, triggering their attachment systems; and then rewrote that scenario using designated pronouns, thereby employing psychological immersion or psychological distance. Participants in the self-immersed condition were asked to write from the first-person perspective, whereas those in the self-distancing condition were asked to write from the third-person perspective. The results support our hypothesis of a complementary matching of psychological distance and habitual perspective.

Individuals' motivations for sacrificing are associated with relational outcomes, such that approach-motivated sacrifices lead to increased satisfaction, whereas avoidance-motivated sacrifices lead to decreased satisfaction (Impett et al., 2005). Because attachment styles are associated with relational outcomes (Feeney & Collins, 2003), the current study examined whether approach- and avoidance-motivated sacrifices would mediate the association between attachment and satisfaction. Results indicated that avoidance motives did not mediate the relationship between attachment avoidance and satisfaction. However, avoidance motives mediated the relationship between attachment anxiety and satisfaction, whereas approach motives suppressed that relationship. Taken together, these findings suggest that individuals high in attachment anxiety (but not attachment avoidance) seem to unintentionally weaken the relationship for which they are making sacrifices.

OBJECTIVES: The study investigated associations between adult attachment and voice hearing. We hypothesized associations between insecure attachment, severity of voice hearing, and distress in relation to voices. We also hypothesized associations between attachment and the nature of relationships with voices. METHOD: Seventy-three participants with a diagnosis of schizophrenia spectrum disorders completed measures of anxiety and avoidance in attachment relationships and we coded experiences of voice hearing from interviews. RESULTS: There were modest but significant positive associations between attachment anxiety and both severity and distress in relation to voice hearing, but no associations between attachment avoidance and these dimensions. We found evidence of predicted associations between attachment avoidance and themes of rejection, criticism, and threat in relationships with voices. Contrary to predictions, there were no significant associations between anxious attachment and the theme of control in relationships with voices and no association between anxious attachment and the theme of threat. CONCLUSIONS: The study is promising in demonstrating some associations between attachment and the nature of relationships with voices. This suggests that the assessment of attachment styles may be a useful contribution in developing formulations of voice hearing.