Toward a causal link between attachment styles and mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic

Background Recent research has shown that insecure attachment, especially attachment anxiety, is associated with poor mental health outcomes, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. Other research suggests that insecure attachment may be linked to nonadherence to social distancing behaviours during the pandemic. Aims The present study aims to examine the causal links between attachment styles (secure, anxious, avoidant), mental health outcomes (depression, anxiety, loneliness) and adherence to social distancing behaviours during the first several months of the UK lockdown (between April and August 2020). Materials & Methods We used a nationally representative UK sample (cross-sectional n = 1325; longitudinal n = 950). The data were analysed using state-of-the-art causal discovery and targeted learning algorithms to identify causal processes. Results The results showed that insecure attachment styles were causally linked to poorer mental health outcomes, mediated by loneliness. Only attachment avoidance was causally linked to nonadherence to social distancing guidelines. Discussion Future interventions to improve mental health outcomes should focus on mitigating feelings of loneliness. Limitations include no access to pre-pandemic data and the use of categorical attachment measure. Conclusion Insecure attachment is a risk factor for poorer mental health outcomes

Partner Support and Goal Pursuit: A Meta-analysis

In the meta-analysis, we combined evidence across studies from different theoretical perspectives addressing the association between partner support (responsive, practical, and negative support) and goal outcomes (self-efficacy, commitment, and progress). The sample included 195 effect sizes from 36 samples with 10,130 participants in romantic relationships. The results were analyzed using a random-effects multilevel model and the overall effect size was r = .25. This was similar in size to having a strong intention to achieve a goal, highlighting the importance of close relationships in goal pursuit. In line with the theory of thriving through relationships, the findings suggested that both responsiveness and practical support are helpful for goal outcomes whereas negative support can hinder goal pursuit. Responsiveness predicted all three goal outcomes equally, whereas practical support was less predictive of self-efficacy compared to progress and commitment. Practical support may be less helpful for increasing confidence because it is easier to attribute any progress made to the partner’s help. Negative support had a stronger negative association with commitment than self-efficacy and progress. Existing studies have strong methods but lack validated measures. Results have implications for a wide range of areas including changing health behaviors and improving occupational, educational, and therapy outcomes

The impact of widowhood on depression: findings from a prospective survey

Background. We investigated the impact of widowhood on depression and how resources and contextual factors that define the meaning of loss modified this effect.Method. In a prospective, nationally representative sample of women in the US aged 54 or older we compared 64 women who were widowed in the 3 years between data collection waves with 431 women who were stably married over the time interval.Results. Those who became widowed reported more depression than controls for 2 years following the loss. However, this effect was confined to respondents whose husbands were not ill at baseline. Widowed women whose husbands were ill at baseline already had elevated depression in the baseline interview and did not become significantly more depressed after the death. Consistent with this result, women who were not depressed pre-bereavement were most vulnerable to depression following the loss of an ill spouse during the first year of widowhood.Conclusions. Results suggest that spouses' illness may forewarn wives of their impending loss and these women may begin to grieve before his death. Those forewarned women who are not depressed pre-bereavement may experience the most post-bereavement depression. Findings are discussed in light of previous, more methodologically limited studies

Priming a sense of security: what goes through people’s minds?

There is a growing literature charting the positive personaland interpersonal effects of security priming. Security primesenhance self- and relationship views, and even evaluationsof outgroups, relative to control primes. We examine howsecurity priming is experienced by individuals and how itseffects differ from those produced by other positive affect andrelationship-related primes. We analyze the written protocolsproduced by individuals in different priming conditions forfrequency of felt security, care, merging, agency, communion,and nostalgia words. Security priming led to thoughts relatedto felt security, positive care, a sense of merging with another,positive emotion, and communion; furthermore, the effectsof security priming could be distinguished from the effects ofpositive affect and other relationship-related primes. We discussseveral directions for future research