Attachment Styles

New research suggests that young adults who witnessed parental infidelity are more likely to consider cheating themselves. The study also links infidelity intentions to avoidant attachment styles.

New research suggests that the quality of childhood relationships with parents may be linked to the development of certain sexual interests in adulthood.

The rise of AI companions has prompted questions about their psychological impact. A new study examines why some people may be more susceptible to forming an unhealthy attachment to this technology.

People in interracial long-distance relationships may be more or less attuned to their partner’s emotions depending on their attachment style, according to new research. The findings highlight how attachment anxiety and avoidance shape reflective functioning in diverse romantic contexts.

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.