La relation entre l'abus sexuel subi durant l'enfance et la satisfaction conjugale chez l'homme.

The goal of the present study was to evaluate the relationship between child sexual abuse and men's dyadic adjustment, using a theoretical model integrating attachment, that is anxiety about abandonment and avoidance of proximity, and psychological distress. Participants were 316 men forming a probabilistic sample of French-Quebecer living in couple. Structural equation analyses showed that sexual abuse predicted dyadic adjustment through anxiety about abandonment and psychological distress. Moreover, there was no relationship between sexual abuse and avoidance of proximity, while this variable was associated to dyadic adjustment. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Application of adult attachment theory to group member transference and the group therapy process.

Although clinical researchers have applied attachment theory to client conceptualization and treatment in individual therapy, few researchers have applied this theory to group therapy. The purpose of this article is to begin to apply theory and research on adult dyadic and group attachment styles to our understanding of group dynamics and processes in adult therapy groups. In particular, we set forth theoretical propositions on how group members’ attachment styles affect relationships within the group. Specifically, this article offers some predictions on how identifying group member dyadic and group attachment styles could help leaders predict member transference within the therapy group. Implications of group member attachment for the selection and composition of a group and the different group stages are discussed. Recommendations for group clinicians and researchers are offered. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Romantic attachment in individuals with physical disabilities.

Objective: To examine the relationship between adult attachment style and physical disability in intimate romantic relationships. Method: Participants were 50 individuals with adult-onset spinal cord injuries (SCI) and 50 individuals with congenital disabilities (CON) living in the community. The main outcome measures were adult attachment style and dyadic relationship adjustment. Results: Participants with SCI and CON did not differ in rates of secure versus insecure attachment, and the rates of neither group differed significantly from rates reported for persons without disability. Dyadic adjustment was clearly predicted by attachment variables and differed between the participants with SCI and those with CON; individuals with SCI reported greater total dyadic adjustment. Avoidance showed a strong negative association with dyadic satisfaction, but no association was found with dyadic cohesion. Social participation variables were associated with dyadic adjustment. For instance, mobility was positively associated with dyadic satisfaction. Conclusions: Dyadic adjustment in people with disabilities, as in other groups, is affected by attachment style, but disability and social participation variables may also affect dyadic adjustment. Clinicians should consider differences in attachment styles among persons with disabilities and their implications for intimate close relationships. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Adult attachment styles and group psychotherapy attitudes.

The current study examined the relationship between 63 intake clients’ and 28 college student’s attachment styles and their attitudes of group psychotherapy. The authors examined the relationship between attachment anxiety and avoidance and the subscales of the Group Therapy Survey-R (Carter, Mitchell, & Krautheim, 2001). Results revealed a significant relationship between attachment avoidance in adult romantic relationships and increased fears of being vulnerable in group psychotherapy. As hypothesized, avoidance in romantic relationships was related to fears of shame and humiliation in group therapy. Contrary to predictions, clients’ anxiety ratings were negatively related to negative myths of group psychotherapy. The greater the clients rated fears of being rejected and abandoned, the less they rated negative myths about group treatment. Neither attachment anxiety nor avoidance was related to ratings of group therapy efficacy. Implications of the findings for future research and practice are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Adult Attachment and Help-Seeking Intent: The Mediating Roles of Psychological Distress and Perceived Social Support.

This study examined the mediating roles of perceived social support and psychological distress on the relationship between adult attachment and help-seeking intentions. Participants were 355 college students at a large Midwestern university. The structural equation model results indicated that attachment anxiety in individuals was positively related to acknowledging distress and to seeking help. Conversely, individuals with attachment avoidance denied their distress and were reluctant to seek help. However, both individuals with attachment anxiety and individuals with avoidance also perceived less social support, which negatively contributed to their experience of distress, and their distress then positively contributed to their help-seeking intention. Furthermore, attachment anxiety and avoidance, social support, and distress explained 17% of the variance in intent to seek help. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Religious commitment, adult attachment, and marital adjustment in newly married couples.

Existing literature on the role of religiosity in marital functioning is often difficult to interpret due to the frequent use of convenience samples, statistical approaches inadequate for interdependent dyadic data, and the lack of a theoretical framework. The current study examined the effects of religious commitment and insecure attachment on marital adjustment. Newly married couples who did not have children (N = 92 couples, 184 individuals) completed measures of religious commitment, adult attachment, and marital functioning. There was a small positive association between religious commitment and marital adjustment. Religious commitment buffered the negative association between attachment avoidance and marital adjustment, but exacerbated the negative association between attachment anxiety and marital adjustment. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Testing a conceptual model of working through self-defeating patterns.

The present study developed and examined a conceptual model of working through self-defeating patterns. Participants were 390 college students at a large midwestern university. Results indicated that self-defeating patterns mediated the relations between attachment and distress. Also, self-esteem mediated the link between self-defeating patterns and depression, whereas social self-efficacy mediated the association between self-defeating patterns and interpersonal distress. A total of 33% of the variance in self-defeating patterns was explained by attachment anxiety and avoidance; 39% of the variance in self-esteem and 13% of the variance in social self-efficacy were explained by self-defeating patterns and/or attachment anxiety; 50% of the variance in depression was explained by attachment anxiety, self-defeating patterns, and self-esteem; 45% of the variance in interpersonal distress was explained by attachment anxiety and avoidance, self-defeating patterns, and social self-efficacy. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The influence of adult attachment styles on the association between marital adjustment and depressive symptoms.

This study tested the hypothesis that attachment styles moderate the relationship between marital adjustment and depressive symptoms among husbands and wives. In a sample of 91 married couples, ratings of the anxious-ambivalent attachment style moderated the relationship between marital adjustment and depressive symptoms for both husbands and wives. Additionally, ratings of the secure attachment style moderated the relationship between marital adjustment and depressive symptoms for wives, with a trend for husbands. These findings suggest a relationship between insecurity and a predisposition to depressive symptoms in marital relationships. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Adult Attachment, Affect Regulation, Negative Mood, and Interpersonal Problems: The Mediating Roles of Emotional Reactivity and Emotional Cutoff.

This study examined the mediating role of affect regulation among attachment, negative mood, and interpersonal problems. Participants were 229 college students at a large midwest university. Structural equation modeling indicated attachment anxiety and avoidance contributed to negative mood and interpersonal problems through different and distinct affect regulation strategies (i.e., emotional reactivity or emotional cutoff). The association between attachment anxiety, negative mood, and interpersonal problems was mediated only by emotional reactivity (not emotional cutoff). Conversely, the association between attachment avoidance, negative mood, and interpersonal problems was mediated only by emotional cutoff (not emotional reactivity). Furthermore, emotional reactivity and emotional cutoff explained 36% of the variance in negative mood; attachment, emotional reactivity, and emotional cutoff explained 75% of the variance in interpersonal problems. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Adult attachment, perceived discrimination based on sexual orientation, and depression in gay males: Examining the mediation and moderation effects.

This study examined perceived discrimination as both a mediator and moderator between adult attachment (anxiety and avoidance) and levels of depression in a gay male sample. Survey data were collected from 234 self-identified gay males through the Internet and in person through community resources across several states. Results from structural equation modeling analyses indicated that perceived discrimination partially mediated the relationship between attachment anxiety (but not attachment avoidance) and depression. Moderation of attachment (anxiety and avoidance) by perceived discrimination on levels of depression was not supported. Additionally, about 23% of the variance in perceived discrimination was explained by attachment, and 47% of the variance in depression was accounted for by attachment and perceived discrimination. Clinical implications, limitations, and areas for future research are also discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Adult Attachment, Social Self-Efficacy, Self-Disclosure, Loneliness, and Subsequent Depression for Freshman College Students: A Longitudinal Study.

This longitudinal study examined whether social self-efficacy and self-disclosure serve as mediators between attachment and feelings of loneliness and subsequent depression. Participants were 308 freshmen at a large Midwestern university. Results indicated that social self-efficacy mediated the association between attachment anxiety and feelings of loneliness and subsequent depression, whereas self-disclosure mediated the association between attachment avoidance and feelings of loneliness and subsequent depression. These relationships were found after controlling for the initial level of depression. A total of 55% of the variance in loneliness was explained by attachment anxiety, social self-efficacy, and self-disclosure, whereas 42% of the variance in subsequent depression was explained by the initial level of loneliness and depression. Implications of the findings for enhancing freshman adjustment are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Dyadic perfectionism as a predictor of relationship continuity and distress among college students.

This study examined the nature and impact of dyadic perfectionism over a 3-month interval within a sample of 116 college students who were currently involved in an intimate heterosexual relationship. Dyadic perfectionism scores were stable and correlated as expected with scores on concurrent measures of adult attachment orientations and relationship satisfaction. Logistic regression analyses revealed that, controlling for initial commitment status and adult attachment orientations, Time 1 dyadic perfectionism scores significantly and uniquely predicted relationship continuity 3 months later. Lastly, controlling for social desirability, relationship commitment status, and Time 1 adult attachment orientation scores, Time 1 dyadic perfectionism scores also uniquely predicted Time 2 relationship distress. Findings provide additional evidence that dyadic perfectionism is a risk factor for relationship dysfunction. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Together in pain: Attachment-related dyadic processes and posttraumatic stress disorder.

We used actor–partner interdependence modeling to explore associations among attachment-related dyadic processes, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in war veterans, and secondary traumatic stress (STS) in their wives. A sample of 157 Israeli couples (85 former prisoners of war and their wives and a comparison group of 72 veterans not held captive and their wives) completed self-report scales assessing attachment insecurities (anxiety, avoidance) and PTSD symptoms. For both groups of veterans and their wives, attachment anxiety was associated with the severity of their own and their spouses' PTSD and STS. Avoidant attachment was associated with PTSD and STS only in couples that included a former prisoner of war. A complex pattern of associations involving avoidant attachment was observed in the actor–partner analyses of these couples. The study demonstrates that attachment-related dyadic processes play a role in the development and maintenance of PTSD in traumatized veterans and STS in their wives. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Adult Attachment, Depressive Symptoms, and Validation From Self Versus Others.

Attachment working models of self and others may govern adults' preferences for internal vs. external sources of reassurance, which, if unavailable, lead to depressive symptoms. This study examined a model in which the link between depressive symptoms and attachment anxiety is mediated by (a) capacity for self-reinforcement and (b) need for reassurance from others, whereas the link between depressive symptoms and attachment avoidance is mediated only by the capacity for self-reinforcement. Analysis of survey data from 425 undergraduates indicated that both capacity for self-reinforcement and need for reassurance from others partially mediated the link between attachment anxiety and depression. Capacity for self-reinforcement fully mediated the link between attachment avoidance and depression. Moreover, 54% of the variance in depressive symptoms was explained by attachment anxiety, self-reinforcement, and need for reassurance from others. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Acculturation, attachment, and psychosocial adjustment of Chinese/Taiwanese international students.

On the basis of a process model of acculturation (Berry, Kim, Minde, & Mok, 1987) and the concept of secure base for interpersonal exploration in adult attachment (Bowlby, 1988), this study hypothesized that sociocultural adjustment difficulties and psychological distress of Chinese international students (N = 104) living in the United States would be positively associated with attachment avoidance and anxiety and negatively associated with both acculturation to the U.S. culture and identification with the home culture. Survey packets contained the Experiences in Close Relationships scale, the Acculturation Index, the Socio-Cultural Adaptation Scale, and the Brief Symptom Inventory-18. Results suggested that attachment anxiety was negatively associated with students' acculturation to U.S. culture, and that attachment avoidance, attachment anxiety, and acculturation to U.S. culture were significant predictors for students' psychosocial adjustment. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The overlapping contributions of attachment orientation and social support in predicting life-events distress.

Attachment anxiety, attachment avoidance, and perceived social support are examined as predictors of life-events distress. Clients at initial intake to an addiction treatment centre and university students in their graduating year were administered measures of attachment orientation, social support, and the experience of distressing life events. Hypotheses were tested across different categories of distressing life events (overall distress, bereavement, relationship dissolution, crime victimization, and severe accidents). We found that attachment anxiety and attachment avoidance have varying predictive utility for distress, depending on the type of event. Social support did not account for variance beyond attachment. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Adult Attachment, Shame, Depression, and Loneliness: The Mediation Role of Basic Psychological Needs Satisfaction.

This study examined basic psychological needs satisfaction (i.e., the need for autonomy, competence, and relatedness) as a mediator between adult attachment (i.e., anxiety and avoidance) and distress (i.e., shame, depression, and loneliness). A total of 299 undergraduates from a Midwestern university participated. Results from structural equation modeling analysis indicated that basic psychological needs satisfaction partially mediated the relationship between attachment anxiety and shame, depression, and loneliness and fully mediated the relationship between attachment avoidance and shame, depression, and loneliness. Bootstrap methods were used to assess the magnitude of these indirect effects. Attachment anxiety and avoidance explained 35% of the variance in basic psychological needs satisfaction, and attachment anxiety and basic psychological needs satisfaction explained 51%, 72%, and 74% of the variance in shame, depression, and loneliness, respectively. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The contributions of parental attachment bonds to college student development and adjustment: A meta-analytic review.

We report findings from a meta-analysis of 156 studies conducted between 1987 and 2009 (N = 32,969) that examined the relationship between self-reported parental attachment and multiple adjustment outcomes and developmental advances during the college years. Overall, a small-to-medium relationship was found between indicators of parental attachment quality and favorable adjustment outcomes (r = .23). Effect sizes were of similar magnitude for mother and father attachment relationships, for male and female students, and across ethnicity and nationality of the sample. The attachment–adjustment relationship varied somewhat according to the developmental task being investigated in the study, showing the strongest association for the task of separation–individuation. Additionally, we found stronger attachment–adjustment links for students residing away from their parents when compared with students living at home during college. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Attachment in individuals with social anxiety disorder: The relationship among adult attachment styles, social anxiety, and depression.

Despite their apparent implications for social functioning, adult attachment styles have never been specifically explored among persons with social anxiety disorder. In the current study, a cluster analysis of the Revised Adult Attachment Scale (N. L. Collins, 1996) revealed that 118 patients with social anxiety (58.6% males and 41.4% females, mean age 32.43 yrs) were best represented by anxious and secure attachment style clusters. Members of the anxious attachment cluster exhibited more severe social anxiety and avoidance, greater depression, greater impairment, and lower life satisfaction than members of the secure attachment cluster. This pattern was replicated in a separate sample of 56 patients and compared with the pattern found in 36 control participants. Social anxiety mediated the association between attachment insecurity and depression. Findings are discussed in the context of their relevance to the etiology, maintenance, and cognitive-behavioral treatment of social anxiety disorder. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The moderating effects of attachment style on students' experience of a transition to university group facilitation program.

This study investigated how attachment style predicted first-year students' responses to a transition to university group facilitation program. Participants (N = 148) at three universities were randomly assigned to a control or facilitation group. Each group consisted of on average six first-year students and two facilitators who met weekly for nine weeks at the beginning of the first semester to discuss issues relevant to the transition to university. Attachment styles (preoccupied, secure, dismissing, and fearful), feelings toward group experiences, and adjustment were assessed by questionnaire at the end of the program in November and again in March. Results indicated that, as hypothesised, dismissing style scores were generally negatively correlated with student attendance and feelings toward the group. Secure style ratings tended to be positively correlated with reports of group feelings. Adjustment measures collected in March indicated a potential buffering effect of the facilitation program for the preoccupied students in that the preoccupied students in the control group indicated more depression and loneliness, plus poorer adjustment to university, than the preoccupied students in the intervention groups. However, all other styles, including the dismissing style, did not show differences between intervention and control groups on subsequent adjustment. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)