B3572 - Does attachment style in childhood predict mental health difficulties in early adulthood - 20/07/2020
Attachment theory explains social, relationship and personality development across the lifespan (Bowlby 1969) and has been shown to provide a psychological framework for understanding mental ill health (Mikulincer & Shaver, 2007). The basic postulation is that very early childhood social interactions with primary caregivers are internalised to create and maintain conscious and unconscious mental representations of the self and others. These form the basis of âattachment stylesâ, which have an impact on close relationships and ability to regulate emotions. There is extensive evidence that attachment style is a predictor of coping strategies, adjustment in response to stressors and therefore a vulnerability to mental health problems (see Mikulincer & Shaver 2012 for a review). Research has widely demonstrated an association between secure attachment style and well-being and positive mental health, whilst both insecure attachment styles (anxious and avoidant) have been associated with poor relationship quality, psychological vulnerability and maladjustment, and mental health difficulties (e.g. Sroufe et al., 1999; Hankin et al., 2005; Mikulincer & Shaver 2007; Groh 2016; Spruit 2019). However, the direction of causality is less well established as most studies rely on cross-sectional design and measure attachment style as a discrete variable at a single point in adulthood.
By using a large prospective birth cohort, we will be able to (a) investigate the prospective relationship and (b) use latent variable modelling of repeated measures of attachment to create a more robust and detailed measure of attachment style. This will aid more nuanced explanations of how and when insecure attachment style may lead to mental ill health, such that the association can be interrogated to identify possible intervention targets.
This proposal has implications for healthcare provision and public health policies around childhood and parental interventions to support research to address the growing number of mental health difficulties in later adolescence.