Attachment Styles

Researchers have found that insecure attachment is linked to higher levels of social anxiety. The study, drawing on data from over 21,000 participants across 42 studies, provides evidence that attachment patterns are related to mental health in significant ways.

A new study published in Sexual and Relationship Therapy suggests that insecure attachment styles shape how couples handle conflict. College students with insecure attachment were less likely to compromise and more prone to aggression, control, submission, or ending relationships.

Researchers found that BDSM participants tend to report lower levels of attachment anxiety and avoidance than non-participants. The study suggests that secure emotional attachment may increase the likelihood of exploring BDSM practices in real life.

A new study finds that mothers with secure attachment styles are more likely to vividly and emotionally relive joyful moments—whether personal or with their child—while those with dismissing attachment tend to show less emotional engagement in such reflections.

A new nine-year study from China supports a central idea in attachment theory: early maternal sensitivity helps shape secure attachment. Researchers found that children with more responsive mothers developed stronger expectations of caregiver support by age 10.

A new study shows that when mothers experience hostile conflict with their partner, they may feel less emotionally secure—an effect that predicts harsher discipline toward their children. Fathers showed no similar pattern in parenting behavior.

Individuals with greater childhood trauma experienced and expressed fewer positive emotions—and more negative ones—during sexual disagreements. The link was largely explained by attachment anxiety, a fear-based relationship pattern formed early in life

Mothers who were maltreated as children are more likely to develop anxious romantic attachment styles, which in turn are linked to lower parenting satisfaction and efficacy, according to a study.

A large international study has uncovered four psychological profiles of video game players, each shaped by emotional regulation, attachment style, and mental health. The findings offer new insight into which gamers are most at risk for problematic use.

Women with anxious attachment styles are more likely to experience increases in depressive symptoms if their partners show signs of depression, according to a four-year study of German couples.

Couples who fall asleep while cuddling or touching each other report lower stress and fewer signs of insecure attachment, according to a new study. Surprisingly, people’s individual sleep preferences don’t influence how close they sleep to their partner.

A new study finds that people with avoidant attachment styles toward their parents are more likely to be childfree, offering insight into how early emotional bonds may shape decisions about parenthood.

A new study suggests that growing up in unpredictable environments can shape how people relate to God. The findings show that early instability is linked to insecure attachment to God, which may reduce feelings of divine forgiveness and limit the...

Pets can bring comfort—but for some, the bond may increase emotional distress. New research links anxious pet attachment to poorer mental health.

Flight attendants who prefer late nights and avoid emotional closeness may be more prone to depression. The study highlights how circadian rhythms and attachment styles interact to shape mental health in this high-stress, jetlag-prone profession.