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)     

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)     

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 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)     

Attachment, Social Competencies, Social Support, and Psychological Distress.

In this survey study of 430 undergraduates, elements of the social competencies and interpersonal processes model (B. Mallinckrodt, 2000) were tested. Two social competencies were hypothesized to mediate the direct effects of 2 independent variables, attachment anxiety and avoidance, on 2 outcomes, psychological distress and perceived social support. Social self-efficacy was expected to be a significant mediator only for attachment anxiety. Emotional awareness, construed as low levels of alexithymia, was expected to be a significant mediator only for attachment avoidance. A bootstrap method was used to estimate the significance of indirect effects. Structural equation analyses suggested that, instead of specialized significant parings of one mediator with one independent variable, both social self-efficacy and emotional awareness served as significant mediators for both attachment anxiety and attachment avoidance. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Perceived coping as a mediator between attachment and psychological distress: A structural equation modeling approach.

This study examined perceived coping (perceived problem-solving ability and progress in coping with problems) as a mediator between adult attachment (anxiety and avoidance) and psychological distress (depression, hopelessness, anxiety, anger, and interpersonal problems). Survey data from 515 undergraduate students were analyzed using structural equation modeling. Results indicated that perceived coping fully mediated the relationship between attachment anxiety and psychological distress and partially mediated the relationship between attachment avoidance and psychological distress. These findings suggest not only that it is important to consider attachment anxiety or avoidance in understanding distress but also that perceived coping plays an important role in these relationships. Implications for these more complex relations are discussed for both counseling interventions and further research. (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)     

Correction to Wei et al. (2005).

Reports an error in the original article, "Adult Attachment, Depressive Symptoms, and Validation From Self Versus Others," by Meifen Wei, Brent Mallinckrodt, Lisa M. Larson, and Robyn A. Zakalik (Journal of Counseling Psychology, 2005[Jul], 52[3], 368-377). In this article, boxes were inadvertently placed around every path coefficient in Figure 2 (p. 374) as the result of a technical error in the final stages of journal production. The correct figure is provided here. (The following abstract of this article originally appeared in record 2005-08078-010.) 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)     

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)     

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)     

Social cognitive variables in the prediction of client motivation and attrition.

Applied A. Bandura's (1986) social cognitive theory to the prediction of client motivation and attrition from counseling. 139 university counseling center clients completed a measure of self-efficacy regarding their ability to negotiate counseling tasks, along with measures of counseling-related outcome expectations, perceived motivation, problem distress level, state anxiety, and self-esteem. Results indicated that (1) self-efficacy and outcome expectations each explained unique variation in motivation, beyond client and counselor background variables; (2) self-efficacy and motivation each contributed to the prediction of client return status after an intake interview; and (3) self-efficacy did not relate to global self-esteem or to state anxiety at the intake session. These results suggest that social cognitive theory may help illuminate the process whereby clients commit to counseling. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Ressources personnelles et détresse psychologique en lien avec le rendement scolaire et le stress chez des élèves de quatrième secondaire.

The goal of this study is to predict school performance and psychological distress from three indicators of distress, two personal resources, gender and, from an exploratory variable entitled "anxiety before exams". Data was collected from 374 French Canadian speaking (grade 10) teenagers. They completed questionnaires on psychological stress, depression, loneliness, feelings of self-efficacy, and self-esteem. School performance scores were obtained at the end of the first semester. Findings indicated that girls, as compared to boys, were more threatened by daily hassles, showed more psychological distress and less personal resources, but obtained a similar score of school performance even though they felt much more worried before exams. Both regression analyses showed that school performance (7% of the variance obtained) and psychological stress (58% of the variance obtained) are significantly associated with the variables introduced in this study. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Determinants of problem solving, social support seeking, and avoidance: A path analytic model.

This study used Structural Equation Modeling to test a theoretical model linking stress, self-efficacy, trait resilience, secure attachment, and motivation to 3 coping responses: problem solving, social support seeking, and avoidance. Participants were 326 Taiwanese college students. The results, interpreted based on theory, seemed to show that self-efficacy, trait resilience, and motivation could influence students’ problem solving; stress, secure attachment, and motivation could affect their social support seeking; and stress, self-efficacy, and trait resilience could influence their avoidance (the latter 2 were negatively correlated with avoidance). Mediational effects were also found. The effect of stress on problem solving seemed to be mediated by self-efficacy, trait resilience, and motivation; the effect of stress on social support seeking seemed to be mediated by secure attachment; and the effect of stress on avoidance seemed to be mediate by trait resilience. Other mediating effects were also found and discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Mean MMPI profile of referrals to a shyness clinic

Shyness occurs in over 48% of the population, becoming disabling in 13% or more. Clinical observation suggests that individuals seeking treatment for shyness are in significantly greater distress than the general population, showing greater depression, generalized anxiety, social avoidance, interpersonal sensitivity, and shame, than is indicated by earlier studies. We gave the MMPI to 25 men and 20 women referred for problems with shyness to assess our observations. Analysis confirmed the hypotheses. Men scored higher than women in a slightly different profile configuration.     

Perfectionism and negative mood: The mediating roles of validation from others versus self.

This study examined a model in which the need for reassurance from others and the capacity for self-reinforcement mediated the relationships between two dimensions of perfectionism (evaluative concerns [EC] perfectionism and personal standards [PS] perfectionism) and anxiety and depression. Results from structural equation modeling of data from 295 college students from a large midwestern university indicated that the need for reassurance from others and the capacity for self-reinforcement fully mediated the relationship between EC perfectionism and anxiety as well as partially mediated the relationships between PS perfectionism and anxiety and depression. Moreover, 41% of the variance in anxiety and 50% of the variance in depression was explained by EC perfectionism, PS perfectionism, the need for reassurance from others, and/or the capacity for self-reinforcement. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Self-enhancing and self-defeating ego orientation: Relations with task and avoidance orientation, achievement, self-perceptions, and anxiety.

Recent research in motivation has identified 2 main goal orientations: task orientation and ego orientation. Two studies of 6th- and 8th-grade Norwegian students tested the prediction that there are different dimensions of ego orientation (self-defeating and self-enhancing), that they may be separated from other goal orientations, and that they relate differently to academic achievement, self-concept, self-efficacy, self-esteem, anxiety, and intrinsic motivation. Results from both studies supported the predictions. The correlation between self-defeating and self-enhancing ego orientation was small, and these constructs had different relations to other variables in the study. Self-defeating ego orientation was associated with high anxiety and was negatively related to achievement and self-perceptions. Self-enhancing ego orientation was positively related to achievement, self-perceptions, and intrinsic motivation. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Perfectionism, negative social feedback, and interpersonal rumination in depression and social anxiety.

The current study investigated the associations among trait perfectionism, perfectionistic self-presentation, negative social feedback, interpersonal rumination, depressive symptoms, and social anxiety. New measures of negative social feedback and interpersonal rumination were used to evaluate their relevance to the social aspects of perfectionism and their roles in distress. A sample of 155 undergraduate students completed the Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale, the Perfectionistic Self-Presentation Scale, the Social Feedback Questionnaire, Rumination About an Interpersonal Offense, and measures of depressive symptoms and social anxiety. The results confirmed that socially prescribed perfectionism and perfectionistic self-presentation were associated significantly with negative social feedback and rumination following interpersonal events (i.e., being hurt, humiliated, mistreated). Also, depressive symptoms and social anxiety were associated significantly with negative social feedback, interpersonal rumination, trait perfectionism, and perfectionistic self-presentation. Additional analyses indicated that negative social feedback and interpersonal rumination mediated the links between components of the perfectionism construct and distress. Overall, our findings suggest that self-reported receipt of frequent negative feedback from others and engaging in rumination about an interpersonal event play important roles in the distress experienced by certain individuals with high levels of perfectionism. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Mental models of attachment and coping with abortion

This study explored the relationships between mental models of attachment and adjustment to abortion in 408 women undergoing a 1st-trimester abortion at a large free-standing abortion clinic. As expected, mental models of attachment were related to postabortion distress and positive well-being. These relationships were mediated by feelings of self-efficacy for coping with abortion, perceived support from a woman's male partner, and perceived conflict from this same source. Model of self and model of others interacted only in predicting perceived conflict and positive well-being. Model of self was more strongly related to the mediator and outcome variables than was model of others. The effects of model of self, however, were largely a reflection of the overlap between model of self and self-esteem.