Levels of anxious and avoidant attachment are influenced by age, sex and ecological stress. However, incongruencies on how these factors exactly affect anxious and avoidant attachment styles remain...Show moreLevels of anxious and avoidant attachment are influenced by age, sex and ecological stress. However, incongruencies on how these factors exactly affect anxious and avoidant attachment styles remain. The current study aims to strengthen current theories with a large and diverse sample, as well as to close the gaps in research. It therefore researches the effect of age, sex and ecological stress on anxious and avoidant attachment using a web-based version of the Experiences in Close Relationships (ECR) questionnaire (N = 44,885; 30,766 females, 14,119 males, age range: 13-59). Ecological stress was evaluated using the United Nations’ Human Development Index (HDI). Results showed highest levels of anxious attachment in early adolescence, and lower levels in older age groups. Levels of avoidant attachment did not differ between all age groups, but were highest among 16-19 year olds and lowest among 50-59 year olds. Females showed higher levels of both anxious and avoidant attachment. Sex differences in anxious attachment were largest in adulthood, while sex differences in avoidant attachment were largest around early adolescence, smallest in middle adulthood, and increased again in older adulthood. Levels of anxious and avoidant attachment were highest in countries with a medium HDI, and lowest in countries with a low HDI. There was no significant effect for the two-way interaction between sex and HDI for both anxious and avoidant attachment. Suggestions for future research are discussed.Show less
Sexual overperception bias is a cognitive bias that is more common in men than women. This bias refers to the tendency of men to misinterpret polite gestures from women as sexual interest. This...Show moreSexual overperception bias is a cognitive bias that is more common in men than women. This bias refers to the tendency of men to misinterpret polite gestures from women as sexual interest. This phenomenon has been replicated in numerous studies, often using speed-dating paradigms to investigate the underlying factors of sexual overperception. In this thesis, I investigated whether attachment style mediates the relationship between sexual overperception bias and self-rated attractiveness. With a sample size consisting of thirty-nine participants (13 men and 26 women), we examined this relationship through video interactions of our participants with actors, during which the participants rated the actors on attractiveness as well as how the actors perceived them. Additionally, we employed surveys to measure self-rated attractiveness and attachment style. The results showed that self-rated attractiveness did not predict sexual overperception bias. Furthermore, I found no significant relationship between self-rated attractiveness and attachment style. These findings contrast with previous findings showing that self-rated attractiveness predicted sexual overperception bias, as well as findings suggesting that attachment anxiety is associated with self-rated attractiveness. One of the potential explanations for my findings relates to the much lower sample size (N = 13) compared to previous research. In this thesis, I discuss my findings in more detail and provide suggestions for future research.Show less
Romantic and sexual relationships are influenced by the attachment styles of the individuals involved (Fraley, 2002). Attachment styles can also influence how we perceive attraction from others ...Show moreRomantic and sexual relationships are influenced by the attachment styles of the individuals involved (Fraley, 2002). Attachment styles can also influence how we perceive attraction from others (Poulsen et al., 2013). This overlap is relevant to many people; therefore this study aims to examine whether men’s attachment styles influence sexual overperception bias. Women (N = 26) and men (N = 13) were recruited under the cover story of investigating real-life interactions via video and interacted with, unbeknownst to them, prerecorded videos of others with different facial expressions and clothing styles while their physiological responses and videos were recorded. This was followed by several questionnaires to measure the participants’ attachment styles, self-rated attractiveness, personality types, sociosexual orientations, and their perceived attraction from the recordings. The results showed no correlation between attachment styles and sexual overperception bias, both for participants with avoidant and anxious attachment styles. Due to the limitations of this study, further investigating is suggested for potential connections between sexual overperception bias and attachment styles.Show less
A well-known phenomenon in our society is that men tend to overperceive sexual attraction from women, which is called the sexual overperception bias. There has been an increasing focus in research...Show moreA well-known phenomenon in our society is that men tend to overperceive sexual attraction from women, which is called the sexual overperception bias. There has been an increasing focus in research to investigate the mechanisms of this bias and to identify the individual differences in men that could contribute to this misperception. Prior research suggests that sexual overperception bias is related to attachment style, with anxious men showing higher overperception, and avoidant men showing less overperception. It has also been suggested that men’s sociosexual orientation contributes to the amount of misperception. Thus, this study aimed to investigate whether men’s sociosexual orientation mediates the relationship between attachment style and sexual overperception bias. Thirteen (n = 13) male participants watched brief video clips of actors of the opposite sex, thinking they were having a webcam interaction with them. The participants were asked to rate their attraction towards and the perceived attractiveness from the actors. Furthermore, they completed questionnaires which were used to predict attachment style and sociosexual orientation. Contrary to the hypothesis, the results showed that sociosexual orientation did not significantly mediate the relationship between attachment style and sexual overperception bias. This might have partly been caused by a small sample size. The findings and limitations were discussed and implications for future research suggested.Show less
Children’s early life experiences cause the emergence of individual differences in stress coping and social behavior. Attachment styles (AS) conceptualize stable behavioral patterns in response to...Show moreChildren’s early life experiences cause the emergence of individual differences in stress coping and social behavior. Attachment styles (AS) conceptualize stable behavioral patterns in response to stress and can predict long-term susceptibility to mental illness. This study investigates the relationship between 1-year-old infants’ AS, their hormonal stress response in terms of cortisol reactivity (CR) - both assessed in the course of the Strange Situation procedure - and the influence of these factors on children’s scores on the Child Behavior Checklist’s internalizing behavior problem scale (CBCL-I) five years later. Based on previous research, CR was expected to be higher with insecure compared to secure AS. Insecure AS and higher CR in infancy were expected to be associated with higher CBCL-I scores in later childhood. CR was hypothesized to partly mediate the relationship between AS and CBCL-I. Relevant longitudinal data (n=220; 40.8% female, 51.7% male) were drawn from a sample of mother-child dyads (“BIBO” research project). No evidence for any of the hypotheses could be found, as the analyses yielded no statistically significant associations between AS and CBCL-I scores, AS and CR, or CR and CBCL-I. Consequently, testing for CR’s potential mediating role was deemed irrelevant. The results contradict previous findings and raise important questions. The study’s limitations are discussed and suggestions are derived to inform future research on stress pathways in the pathogenesis of mental disorder. Above all, the poorly understood role of potentially decisive covariates in the interplay between AS, CR, and internalizing behavior need to be investigated more thoroughly.Show less
The transmission of anxiety from parent to child, as well as the influence of attachment style on anxiety, have widely been studied in isolation. In an attempt to replicate, as well as integrate...Show moreThe transmission of anxiety from parent to child, as well as the influence of attachment style on anxiety, have widely been studied in isolation. In an attempt to replicate, as well as integrate these findings into a preventative framework, the overarching aim of the current cross-sectional study was to investigate whether attachment moderates the intergenerational transmission of anxiety. The sample comprised 73 children of parents with an anxiety disorder (at-risk group), and 83 children of parents without an anxiety disorder (control group). Parent disorders included and were limited to social anxiety disorder (n = 25), panic disorder (n = 42), and a combination of panic and social anxiety disorder (n = 6). Attachment to peers was measured with the single-item self-report attachment questionnaire (AQ-C). Moreover, the child respondents, aged between 7 and 15 years (M = 10.2, SD = 1.6), completed a self-report measure of anxiety symptoms (SCARED-71). First, contrary to expectations, parent disorder did not predict child anxiety symptoms in a regression analysis. Secondly, as indicated by a non-significant interaction effect, attachment did not moderate the relationship between parent disorder and child anxiety symptoms. Lastly, in line with our hypothesis, insecure attachment was related to heightened total, social, and separation anxiety symptoms. Medium effect sizes were obtained (η² > .06). The attachment-anxiety link highlights the importance of promoting a secure attachment style with parents and peers. Ultimately, attachment-based interventions could mitigate anxiety symptoms. Nevertheless, future longitudinal studies, employing multi-informant anxiety reports, are needed to clarify and replicate the current findings.Show less
