Adult attachment in a nationally representative sample.

TLDR

Adult attachment research has largely relied on college students and distressed samples, limiting its generalizability. The study aimed to replicate and extend prior findings by examining how sociodemographics, childhood adversity, parental representations, adult psychopathology, and personality traits relate to adult attachment in a nationally representative sample of American adults. The authors analyzed data from a large, nationally representative sample of American adults, assessing attachment styles and their associations with demographic, developmental, and psychological variables. They found that 59% of participants were secure, 25% avoidant, and 11% anxious, and that adult attachment was linked to sociodemographic factors (income, age, race), interpersonal childhood adversities, various psychopathologies, and personality traits, underscoring the theory’s relevance and suggesting avenues for future research.

Abstract

The explosion of adult attachment research in the last decade has been limited by its reliance on college student and distressed samples. Using a large nationally representative sample of American adults, the authors examined the relation of sociodemographics, childhood adversity, parental representations, adult psychopathology, and personality traits to adult attachment in an effort to replicate previous findings and extend the theory. Distribution of adult attachment styles was similar to that in prior studies: 59% secure, 25% avoidant, and 11% anxious. Adult attachment was associated with several sociodemographic variables (e.g., income, age, race) not previously studied. Childhood adversities of an interpersonal nature were strongly related to insecure adult attachment. Various types of adult psychopathologies and personality traits were also strongly related to adult attachment. Implications for adult attachment theory and future research are discussed.