Attachment orientations and emotion regulation

doi:10.1016/j.copsyc.2018.02.006

Current Opinion in Psychology

Volume 25, February 2019, Pages 6-10

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.copsyc.2018.02.006 Get rights and content

Highlights

•
Attachment orientations have important implications for emotion regulation and health.
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Attachment-related individual differences in emotion regulation are evident in the brain.
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Avoidant people's defenses are fragile and tend to collapse under stress.
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Attachment insecurities are associated with deficits in neural structure associated with emotion regulation.

According to attachment theory, individual differences in the availability and responsiveness of close relationship partners, beginning in infancy, and the resulting formation of fairly stable attachment orientations are crucial for understanding the ways people experience and regulate emotions. In this article, we review what has been learned during the last decade about attachment-related individual differences in emotion regulation. We begin with a brief account of the hypothesized links between different forms of attachment insecurity (anxiety, avoidance) and strategies people use in regulating distress and coping with threatening events. We then review findings from correlational and experimental studies showing that individual differences in attachment orientation are reflected in cognitive, behavioral, and neural patterns of emotion regulation.

Section snippets

Attachment insecurities and emotion regulation: theoretical background

According to Bowlby [1, 4], the sense of attachment security (confidence that one is competent and lovable and that others will be responsive and supportive when needed) is a resilience resource in times of need and a building block of mental health and social adjustment. Mikulincer and Shaver [6^••] reviewed extensive evidence showing that people who are more secure with respect to attachment are more optimistic about life and make less catastrophic appraisals of threats and dangers. They are

Empirical evidence linking attachment insecurities to emotion regulation

Attachment-related differences in emotion regulation have been extensively documented in studies of reactions to stressful events. In these studies, avoidant people are more likely to cope with threatening events by relying on cognitive distancing and emotional disengagement (e.g. [15, 16, 17, 18]). In contrast, attachment anxiety has been associated with heightened engagement in distress-exacerbating mental rumination — moody pondering, or thinking anxiously or gloomily about threatening events

Conclusions

Attachment-related individual differences in emotion regulation have been documented in a remarkable variety of behavioral and neuroscientific studies. These studies provide strong empirical support for Bowlby's [3] attachment theory and its extension into the realm of adult dispositions and relationships [6^••]. However, more research is needed if we are to better understand the specific strategies and defenses anxious and avoidant people use in particular situations and the ways in which

Conflict of interest statement

Nothing declared.

References and recommended reading

Papers of particular interest, published within the period of review, have been highlighted as:

• of special interest
•• of outstanding interest

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Anxiety and depressive symptoms in first-time parents: A dyadic longitudinal study based on attachment theory
2024, Journal of Affective Disorders
The aim of this study was to examine the temporal and dyadic associations between anxiety and depressive symptoms during the transition to parenthood (TTP), while exploring the antecedence of attachment insecurities in these associations.
Couples of first-time parents (N = 211) completed the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale, the Experiences in Close Relationships scale, and a sociodemographic questionnaire during the second trimester of pregnancy and at four and twelve months postpartum.
Both prenatal anxiety and depressive symptoms predicted postnatal depressive and anxiety symptoms. Prenatal attachment-related anxiety predicted higher postnatal anxiety and depressive symptoms whereas prenatal attachment-related avoidance predicted higher postnatal depressive symptoms only. Parents whose partners had a higher level of prenatal attachment-related anxiety experienced higher postnatal anxious and depressive symptoms via their own's prenatal depressive symptoms. Parents whose partners had a higher level of prenatal attachment-related avoidance experienced higher postnatal depressive symptoms via their own's prenatal anxious symptoms. No gender differences were found for these associations.
The sample was predominantly composed of educated heterosexual French-Canadian Caucasian couples and all measures were self-reported.
Our original findings suggest that professionals should routinely screen for anxiety and depressive symptoms in both partners from pregnancy up to one year postpartum. Also, our findings suggest addressing attachment insecurities with both partners to prevent the development of future symptoms during pregnancy or after childbirth. Finally, our study supports the relevance of considering these symptoms at subclinical levels during the TTP.
Attachment and sleep quality in adults: A multilevel meta-analysis of actor and partner effect
2024, Sleep Medicine
Within the context of sleep, attachment is hypothesized to play a central role in regulating bedtime affect and arousal. While previous studies have suggested a link between attachment and sleep quality, a meta-analysis specifically examining this association in adults has been lacking. To address this gap, we conducted a series of multilevel meta-analyses of 28 studies on this topic. Our results indicated a correlation between attachment anxiety and an individual's own sleep quality (r = −0.16, p < 0.001), as well as their partner's sleep quality (r = −0.10, p < 0.05). There was also a negative correlation between attachment avoidance and an individual's sleep quality (r = −0.15, p < 0.001) as well as their partner's sleep quality (r = −0.16, p < 0.01). Additionally, the relationships were moderated by several variables, including age, sleep measurement, and gender. Further analysis indicated that attachment anxiety was associated with poorer subjective sleep quality (PSQI) (r = −0.23, p < 0.001), longer sleep latency (r = −0.10, p < 0.05), increased wakefulness after sleep onset (r = −0.09, p < 0.05), and greater daytime sleepiness (r = −0.20, p < 0.01). Attachment avoidance was associated with poorer self-reported sleep quality (PSQI) (r = −0.16, p < 0.001), longer time to fall asleep (r = −0.15, p < 0.05), and increased daytime sleepiness (r = −0.15, p < 0.05). In summary, the findings of the current study supported the association between attachment insecurity and poorer sleep quality in both individuals and their partners. These findings hold important implications for future interventions aimed at improving sleep quality by addressing attachment-related concerns.
Attachment security and somatization: The mediating role of emotion dysregulation in a sample of Latinx young adults
2024, Journal of Affective Disorders
Somatization has been linked to the underdiagnosis of mental health disorders among individuals from racial and ethnic minority groups, notably among Latinxs. While prior research has emphasized sociocultural factors, the exploration of potential inter- and intrapersonal mechanisms behind somatization remains limited.
The current study examined the relation between attachment insecurity, emotion dysregulation, and somatization among Latinx young adults. Data were collected across seven separate Texas universities (N = 822). Most identified as female (76 %), were born in the United States (50.9 %) and were in their first or second year of university (60.6 %).
Hypothesis testing relied on two mediation models: maternal attachment security and paternal attachment security. The maternal attachment security model significantly predicted somatization, explaining 25 % of the variance. Notably, emotion dysregulation and maternal attachment security had main effects on somatization after accounting for country of origin, age, and gender. Results were similar for the paternal attachment security model.
Limitations include skewed gender distribution, a non-clinical college student sample, cross-sectional design preventing causal inferences, and potential bias in self-report measures.
Attachment security and emotion dysregulation play an essential role in the experience of somatic symptoms among Latinx young adults. Our results suggest that health care providers take into account insecure attachment and emotion regulation history of Latinxs presenting with somatic symptoms.
Attachment style and romantic involvement with host nationals influence migrants’ acculturation and adjustment
2024, International Journal of Intercultural Relations
Many migrants experience cultural transitions alongside a romantic partner, yet relatively few studies have examined the relationship context of acculturation and adjustment. The primary goal of the present study was to examine whether partners’ anxious and avoidant attachment – fearing abandonment or closeness in relationships, respectively – predicted their acculturation orientations and sociocultural, psychological, and relational adjustment. A secondary goal was to examine whether being romantically involved with a host national eased the process of acculturation. Toward this end, we collected dyadic daily diary data over a 14-day period from 146 couples (N = 292), of whom at least one partner was a recent migrant to the UK. We found that when migrants were higher in avoidant attachment, they – and their partners – reported the poorest acculturative outcomes: lower mainstream British identification and heritage culture identification, and lower sociocultural, psychological, and relational adjustment. When migrants were higher in attachment anxiety, they reported poorer psychological, sociocultural, and relational adjustment; when their partners were higher in anxiety, migrants reported worse outcomes across the board. Furthermore, migrants with a British partner reported greater mainstream British identification and sociocultural adjustment compared to migrants without a British partner. A follow-up 7.5 years later found that migrants who were higher in attachment anxiety and did not have a British partner at Time 1 were more likely to have left the UK by Time 2. Based on these findings, we encourage researchers, clinicians, and policy-makers to take migrants’ relationship context into account to better understand their acculturation and adjustment.
Balancing identity, construction, and rules: Family relationship negotiations during first-generation succession in family businesses
2024, Journal of Business Research
This article identifies how relationship-regulation processes between family members support or hinder the succession process in family businesses during first-generation succession. We analyzed interviews with incumbents and successors from twelve first- generation family firms. We found that intrafamily succession is driven by relational negotiation processes organized around three main domains: negotiating the shared identity of the incumbent and successor, their shared construction regarding succession, and shaping the family rules that frame the process. In the proposed theoretical model, their common construction is represented by the metaphor of a bridge built ‘brick by brick’ as a result of their relationship regulation processes. Relationship negotiations around shared identity served as a basis for their common construction, while negotiations on family rules shaped its framework. Findings suggest a dynamic and relationship-oriented approach to succession wherein the role of planning is not central and relationship negotiations regulate the achievement of the succession.
A multi-level meta-analytic review of attachment and fears of compassion
2024, Personality and Individual Differences
Aversive responses to compassion (fears of compassion) correlate with poor wellbeing. Theoretical accounts suggest a relationship with attachment. This meta-analysis of 98 effect sizes from 3312 participants investigated associations between attachment styles and each type of fears of compassion (fears of compassion from others, for self, for others). We used a three-level data-structure to account for dependencies among effect sizes. We identified a small-to-moderate correlation between attachment and fears of compassion (r = 0.26). Fears of compassion moderately correlate with anxiety, avoidance, and security (rs = 0.40, 0.42, and − 0.34). Anxiety had moderate correlations with fears of compassion from others and self-compassion, and a smaller correlation with compassion to others (rs = 0.48, 0.40, and r = 0.24). Avoidance strongly correlated with fears of compassion from others, followed by a moderate correlation with self-compassion, and a smaller correlation with compassion to others (rs = 0.55, 0.40, and 0.25). Security's correlations were strongest for fears of compassion from others, differing from self-compassion and compassion to others (rs = −0.47, −0.30, and −0.21). No significant differences between anxiety and avoidance emerged. We identified no evidence of publication bias. Findings suggest insecure attachment relates to difficulty receiving compassion from oneself and others.

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View full text

Attachment orientations and emotion regulation

Highlights

Section snippets

Attachment insecurities and emotion regulation: theoretical background

Empirical evidence linking attachment insecurities to emotion regulation

Conclusions

Conflict of interest statement

References and recommended reading

Soc Cognit Affect Neurosci

J Pers Soc Psychol

Stress Health

Pers Relationsh

Pers Soc Psychol Bull

Soc Neurosci

Attachment and Loss: Vol. 2. Separation, Anxiety and Anger

Attachment and Loss: Vol. 3. Sadness and Depression

Attachment and Loss: Vol. 1. Attachment

A Secure Base: Clinical Applications of Attachment Theory

Attachment in Adulthood: Structure, Dynamics, and Change

Adult attachment and emotion regulation

Attachment-related psychodynamics

Attach Hum Dev

Cross-cultural studies of attachment organization: recent studies, changing methodologies, and the concept of conditional strategies

Hum Dev

Mothers’ attachment style, their mental health, and their children's emotional vulnerabilities: a seven-year study of children with congenital heart disease

J Pers

Emotion regulation: influences of attachment relationships

Monogr Soc Res Child Dev

Adult romantic attachment: theoretical developments, emerging controversies, and unanswered questions

Rev Gener Psychol

Avoidance and its relationship with other defensive processes

The insecure/ambivalent pattern of attachment: theory and research

Child Dev

Individualism and collectivism as moderators of the association between attachment insecurities, coping, and social support

J Soc Pers Relationsh

Adult attachment styles and stressor severity as moderators of the coping sequence

Pers Relationsh

Longitudinal association between adolescent attachment, adult romantic attachment, and emotion regulation strategies

Attach Hum Dev

Social resources mediate the relations between attachment dimensions and distress following potentially traumatic events

J Counsel Psychol