scholarly journals Attachment and Personality Disorders Among Child Molesters: The Role of Trust

Sexual Abuse ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 31 (1) ◽  
pp. 97-124 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carlo Garofalo ◽  
Stefan Bogaerts

The present study investigated multivariate associations between attachment styles and personality disorders (PDs)—and the mediating role of trust—in a sample of child molesters ( n = 84) and a matched control group from the general community ( n = 80). Among child molesters, canonical correlation analysis revealed that two variates resembling avoidant and anxious attachment dimensions were associated with PD traits. Attachment avoidance was related to schizoid, schizotypal, and avoidant PDs, with a marginal contribution of antisocial PD. Attachment anxiety was related to borderline and histrionic PDs, with a marginal contribution of obsessive-compulsive PD. Paranoid and dependent PDs contributed to both variates. In the control group, a more general association between attachment insecurity and PDs emerged. Finally, mistrust significantly explained the associations between attachment and PDs in both samples. Future studies should examine whether treatment for PDs in child molesters could benefit from a focus on attachment and trust.

2015 ◽  
Vol 20 (2) ◽  
pp. 119-132 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura F. Poteat ◽  
Kristen M. Shockley ◽  
Tammy D. Allen

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the mediating role of commitment in the relationship between protégés’ anxious attachment styles and feedback behaviors of both mentors and protégés. Design/methodology/approach – Data were collected from 100 academic protégé-mentor dyads, and reports from both members of the mentoring relationships were used to test hypotheses. Findings – The results suggested that protégé perceptions of mentor commitment and self-reported protégé commitment mediated the relationships between protégé anxious attachment style and protégé feedback seeking and feedback acceptance. Additionally, mentor perceptions of protégé commitment played an important role, mediating the relationships between protégé anxious attachment and quality and quantity of mentor feedback. Research limitations/implications – Taken together, the results reveal the important role of perceptions of partner commitment in high-quality mentoring behaviors. Originality/value – This study was among the first to examine feedback and commitment in academic mentoring relationships, particularly taking into account commitment of each member of the dyad as well as their perceptions of the other person’s commitment.


2020 ◽  
Vol 37 (10-11) ◽  
pp. 2890-2897 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kay Brauer ◽  
René T. Proyer

The fear of being laughed at (gelotophobia) plays a detrimental role in courtship (e.g., predicting a lower likelihood of entering a relationship) and romantic relationships (e.g., low relationship satisfaction). Gelotophobia correlates positively with anxious and avoidant romantic attachment. This study aims to replicate (a) the associations between gelotophobia and romantic attachment and (b) the mediating role of attachment in the association between gelotophobia and relationship experience using a sample of N = 531 participants ( M = 32.1 years; 63.7% singles). Previous findings replicated well, as gelotophobia positively relates to avoidant and anxious attachment and lower likelihood of entering a romantic relationship. Contrary to earlier research, only anxiety mediated the association between gelotophobia and relationship status. We discuss the findings regarding the attachment framework of long-term singlehood.


2021 ◽  
pp. 026540752110208
Author(s):  
Qingting Tang ◽  
Ying Liu ◽  
Tianyu Wang ◽  
Xu Chen

We conducted two experimental studies to explore the mediating role of negative emotion and the moderating role of attachment styles when predicting mental state identification (MSI) in threatening contexts. The Chinese version of “Reading the Mind in the Eyes Task” (RMET) was used as a proxy for MSI. In Study 1, 123 participants were recruited to complete the RMET task after “recall-writing” threat inductions. In Study 2, we recruited another sample ( N = 121) and examined the effect of threats with induced cognitive loads on MSI. The results indicate that attachment threat induction can affect MSI performance through negative emotional arousal. The indirect threat effects were moderated by attachment styles; in the first stage, the mediated path effect was stronger for participants with higher attachment anxiety levels (Study 1), and in the second stage, it was stronger for participants with higher AV levels, under cognitive loads (Study 2) but independent of age and childhood trauma. These findings can contribute to a better understanding of how and when attachment threat increases the risk of MSI disruption. It suggests that, diminishing the negative impacts of attachment threat may require first training individuals to regulate emotions and promoting their attachment security.


Author(s):  
Vafa Mostafa ◽  
Hajar Falahzadeh ◽  
Sorur Ahmadi ◽  
Omid Hamidi

Aim: The aim of this study was to test the structural equation model of relationships between attachment styles and self-differentiation with academic performance of university students with the mediating role of health-promoting lifestyle. Methods: The method of this research was descriptive and correlation type. The statistical population consisted of all undergraduate students of Shahid Beheshti University (1554 people) in the academic year of 2018-2019. The sample size was estimated to be 308 based on Cochran formula. Eventually 305 questionnaires were finalized. Research tools included the Self-Distinction Questionnaire (Skowron & Schmitt, 2003), the Adults Attachment Inventory (AAI) (Hazen and Shaver, 1987), the Health Promoting Lifestyle Profile (Walker, Sichrist & Pender, 1995) and the Educational Performance Test (Pham and Taylor, 1999) were used and data were analyzed by descriptive and inferential statistical methods (Pearson correlation, path analysis and structural equation modeling) using SPSS 23 and AMOS 26 statistical softwares. Findings: The results showed that attachment styles and self-differentiation have a significant relationship with academic performance and these variables are able to directly predict academic performance (p<0.01). Promotional lifestyles can also play a mediating role between attachment styles and self-differentiation with academic performance (p<0.01). Conclusion: Regarding the relationship between attachment styles, self-differentiation and health-promoting lifestyle with academic performance, special attention to these variables is necessary to improve student performance.


2014 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 694-711
Author(s):  
Tiziana Lanciano ◽  
Vanda Lucia Zammuner

Integrating theories of adult attachment and well-being at the workplace, the present study tested the role of attachment style in predicting work-related well-being in terms of job satisfaction and job involvement, over and above dispositional trait measures (emotional traits and work-related traits). A sample of workers took part in a correlational study that explored the relationships among a) adult attachment, b) emotional traits, c) work-related traits, and d) work-related well-being indices. The results showed that both secure and anxious attachment style explained workers’ job involvement, whereas the secure and avoidant attachment styles explained workers’ job satisfaction. The current findings thus confirm and expand the literature's emphasis on studying the variables and processes that underlie people's mental health in the work setting, and have implications for assessing and promoting well-being in the workplace.


Author(s):  
Ayşe I. Kural ◽  
Berrin Özyurt

In the current study, we examine the novel hypothesis that perceived stress is a mechanism through which the relationship between attachment orientations and university adjustment can be explained. Present study explored both attachment orientations and perceived stress regarding adjustment; and perceived stress as mediator for the relationship between attachment orientations and adjustment among in 277 university freshmen. Attachment anxiety and avoidance positively correlated with perceived stress whereas resulted in poor university adjustment. Perceived stress partially mediated the relationship between attachment anxiety and poor university adjustment. The findings suggest that enhancing attachment security and stress management skills among insecurely attached students may lead to greater university adjustment.


2021 ◽  
Vol 27 (1) ◽  
pp. 62-81
Author(s):  
Masoud Bagheri ◽  
◽  
Kazem Nematollah Zadeh Mahani ◽  
Maryam Pour Amrollahi ◽  
◽  
...  

Aims: Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is one of the severe psychological health problems imposing considerable social and economic costs on society. OCD debilitating symptoms can disrupt interpersonal relations, job performance, and life quality. The purpose of this study is to investigate the mediating role of alexithymia in the relationship between coping strategies and personality traits with OCD. Methods & Materials: This is a descriptive correlational study. The study population consists of all people with OCD referred to psychiatric clinics in Kerman City, Iran, during 2018-2019. Of this population, 200 patients were selected using a convenience sampling method. Research instruments included the ways of coping questionnaire, NEO five-factor personality inventory, Toronto alexithymia scale, and Maudsley obsessive-compulsive test. The obtained data were analyzed using the Pearson correlation test and simultaneous and hierarchical regression in SPSS v. 23. Findings: Personality traits had a negative significant correlation with alexithymia (r=0.523, P<0.000) and OCD (r=0.253, P<0.000). Alexithymia had a significant positive correlation with OCD (r=0.272, P<0.000). There was no correlation between problem-focused coping and alexithymia (r=-0.045, P<0.531). There was a positive correlation between emotion-focused coping and OCD (r=0.198, P<0.000). The fit indices indicated a good fit of the proposed model (P<0.005). Conclusion: Alexithymia, as a mediator of the relationship between coping styles and personality traits with OCD, plays an essential role in improving the psychological health of people with OCD.


2010 ◽  
Vol 38 (5) ◽  
pp. 535-544 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jakob Smári ◽  
Ástdís Þorsteinsdóttir ◽  
Lilja Magnúsdóttir ◽  
Unnur J. Smári ◽  
Daníel Þ. Ólason

Introduction: Inflated responsibility has been hypothesized as an important influence on OCD symptoms. According to Salkovskis and colleagues (1999) there are in turn five developmental pathways that lead to inflated responsibility. Coles and Schofield (2008) proposed the Pathways to Responsibility Beliefs Scale (PIRBS) as a measure of these pathways. Method: In the present study the psychometric properties of an Icelandic translation of the PIRBS were evaluated and its factor structure was studied in a confirmatory factor analysis. Further it was tested whether responsibility mediated between pathways to responsibility beliefs and OCD symptoms. Results: While neither a four nor a five-factor structure of the PIRBS was found to be wholly satisfactory; support for the latter was slightly better. Correlations of the PIRBS scales with measures of responsibility and obsessive-compulsive disorder symptoms were moderate as expected. Support was found for a mediating role of responsibility attitudes between pathways measured by the PIRBS and OCD symptoms in support of Salkovskis and colleagues' theory (1999). Conclusion: The PIRBS is a promising approach to study the developmental precursors of inflated responsibility and OCD symptoms but its factor structure may need a revision


2019 ◽  
Vol 13 ◽  
pp. 135-142 ◽  
Author(s):  
Heather L. Monaghan Simon ◽  
Joanne DiPlacido ◽  
James M. Conway

2019 ◽  
Vol 36 (11-12) ◽  
pp. 3875-3886 ◽  
Author(s):  
Manja Vollmann ◽  
Sem Sprang ◽  
Femke van den Brink

Previous research indicated that insecure attachment, that is, higher levels of attachment avoidance and attachment anxiety, is negatively associated with relationship satisfaction. The present study investigated the mediating role of gratitude toward the partner in this association. In a cross-sectional design, 362 participants (84% female, age range 18–70 years) involved in a romantic relationship completed an online questionnaire assessing attachment avoidance and anxiety, gratitude toward the partner, and relationship satisfaction. Data were analyzed by means of regression and bootstrap analyses. The regression analysis revealed significant negative total and direct effects of both avoidance and anxiety on relationship satisfaction. The bootstrap analyses revealed a significant negative indirect effect of avoidance, but not anxiety, on relationship satisfaction via gratitude toward the partner. Specifically, higher levels of avoidant attachment were related to less gratitude toward the partner, which in turn was associated with lower relationship satisfaction. These findings suggest that it might be valuable applying gratitude interventions to clients high in attachment avoidance attending couples therapy.


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