Similarities and differences regarding changes in attachment preferences and attachment styles in relation to romantic relationship length: longitudinal and concurrent analyses

Umemura, Tomotaka; Lacinová, Lenka; Kotrčová, Kristína; Fraley, R. Chris

doi:10.1080/14616734.2017.1383488

Cited by 26 publications

(20 citation statements)

References 35 publications

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“…17 Attachment styles and the quality of primary bonds influence and play a pivotal role in adult life and in the couple relationship. 21 Moreover, scientific interest in attachment theory as a conceptual framework to better understand human sexual behavior is growing and flourishing 22 ; however, the potential link between attachment styles and sex roles has been poorly investigated. 23 If the gender role is a facet of sexual identity, together with biological sex, sexual orientation, and gender identity, sexual orientation and gender identity are 2 different and independent aspects of sexual identity, 5 although gender identity is strictly linked to biological sex on a normal or pathologic continuum, as recently revised in the latest version of the International Classification of Diseases.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Attachment Style, Sexual Orientation, and Biological Sex in their Relationships With Gender Role

et al. 2019

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Introduction: Masculinity and femininity constitute the gender role construct into the general concept of sexual identity. Aim: To investigate the relationships of attachment style, sexual orientation and biological sex with the gender role. Methods: A convenience sample of 344 subjects (females ¼ 207; males ¼ 137) was recruited. Main Outcome Measures: The Attachment Style Questionnaire (ASQ), the Kinsey Scale, and the Bem Sex Role Inventory assessed, respectively, attachment styles, sexual orientation, and masculinity/femininity was administered. Results: Regression analysis revealed that the confidence scale of the ASQ (secure attachment) and relationship as secondary scale of ASQ (insecure/dismissing attachment) have a predictive role toward a higher score of masculinity (b ¼ 0.201; P ¼ .000 and b ¼ 0.208; P ¼ .000, respectively), whereas the need of approval scale of the ASQ (insecure/fearful-preoccupied attachment) shows a reverse association on it (b ¼ À0.228; P ¼ .001). Moreover, to be a male is predictive for masculinity (b ¼ 0.196; P ¼ .000). Also, femininity is predicted by the confidence (b ¼ 0.173; P ¼ .002) and the need of approval (b ¼ 0.151; P ¼ .03) scales of ASQ. Instead, the relationship as secondary scale of ASQ is negatively related to femininity (b ¼ À0.198; P ¼ .0001). No association between non-heterosexual orientation and gender role was found. Clinical Implications: A better knowledge of links between relational patterns and gender roles for assessment and anamnesis phases in sexual medicine. Strengths & Limitations: This is the first study considering sexual orientation and biological sex in the relationship between attachment styles and gender role. The main limitation is the use of self-reported psychometric tests. Conclusion: Our data indicate that a secure attachment is related to both masculinity and femininity. On the contrary, different and reverse aspects of insecure attachment style characterize masculinity and femininity. Masculinity is mostly linked to insecure/dismissing attachment, whereas femininity is linked to insecure/fearfulpreoccupied attachment. Moreover, although being male is a further element in support of masculinity, sexual orientation is not associated with gender role.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Attachment Style, Sexual Orientation, and Biological Sex in their Relationships With Gender Role

et al. 2019

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“…The former estimates changes in primary attachment figure(s), and the latter estimates an increase in the ranking of one attachment figure with a corresponding decrease in the ranking of another attachment figure. Previous studies have only used either one of the two approaches (e.g., Friedlmeier & Granqvist, 2006; Mayseless, 2004 employed the former approach, while Fagundes & Schindler, 2012; Umemura et al, 2018 employed the latter approach). This study extends the literature by incorporating both approaches in a single study.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Recent longitudinal findings with a young adult sample suggest that a backward transfer of primary attachment figures from peers to parents is unlikely among young adults (Umemura, Lacinová, Kotrčová, & Fraley, 2018; Umemura, Lacinová, Macek, & Kunnen, 2017). Specifically, as romantic relationships progress, young adults’ preference for romantic partners increases, with a corresponding decrease in preference for friends.…”

Section: (Rq1) Is Adolescents’ Transfer Of Attachment Figures From Parents To Peers Likely To Be Irreversible?mentioning

confidence: 98%

Transfer of Early to Late Adolescents’ Attachment Figures in a Multicohort Six-Wave Study: Person- and Variable-Oriented Approaches

Umemura

Lacinová

Juhová

et al. 2020

The Journal of Early Adolescence

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Although Bowlby proposed that adolescence is a major developmental period to transfer their attachment figures from parents to other people, no comprehensive longitudinal study on attachment transfer from early to late adolescence exists. This study employed 215 early to late adolescents between ages 11 and 18 years ([Formula: see text] = 14.02, SD = 2.05 at Wave 1), using a six-wave 2-year longitudinal design with four different cohorts: 5th, 7th, 9th, and 11th grades. Both person- and variable-oriented analyses revealed that once adolescents have transferred their attachment figures from parents to peers, they were unlikely to revert to parents in the future. The transfer of attachment from parents to friends is more prevalent in early adolescence than in late adolescence. However, throughout adolescence, friends were not considered to be exclusive attachment figures, whereas parents and romantic partners were. Finally, many adolescents spent 4 months or fewer until their romantic partner became the primary attachment figure.

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“…Some research suggests that specifically insecure attachment to mother, but not to father, is associated with using peers as primary attachment figures (Friedlmeier and Granqvist, 2006;Markiewicz et al, 2006;Pitman and Scharfe, 2010). Nevertheless, the results are not univocal, as for example in a study by Umemura et al (2018a) the timing of reorganization in adolescents' attachment hierarchies was independent of whether relationships were secure or insecure.…”

Section: Attachment Hierarchies and Profiles In Adolescencementioning

confidence: 98%

Adolescent Attachment Profiles Are Associated With Mental Health and Risk-Taking Behavior

et al. 2021

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This person-oriented study aimed to identify adolescents’ hierarchical attachment profiles with parents and peers, and to analyze associations between the profiles and adolescent psychosocial adjustment. Participants were 449 Finnish 17–19-year-olds reporting their attachments to mother, father, best friend, and romantic partner and details on mental health (internalizing symptoms, inattention/hyperactivity, and anger control problems) and risk-taking behavior (substance use and sexual risk-taking). Attachment was measured with Experiences in Close Relationships – Relationship Structures (ECR-RS); internalizing, inattention/hyperactivity, and anger control problems with Self-Report of Personality — Adolescent (SRP—A) of the Behavior Assessment System for Children, third edition (BASC-3); substance use with the Consumption scale of the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT-C) and items from the Finnish School Health Promotion Study; and sexual risk-taking behavior with the Cognitive Appraisal of Risky Events (CARE). Latent profile analysis identified five attachment profiles: “All secure” (39%), “All insecure” (11%), “Parents insecure – Peers secure” (21%), “Parents secure – Friend insecure” (10%), and “Parents secure – Partner insecure” (19%). “All insecure” adolescents showed the highest and “All secure” adolescents the lowest levels of mental health problems and substance use. Further, parental attachment security seemed to specifically prevent substance use and anger control problems, while peer attachment security prevented internalizing problems. Our findings help both understand the organization of attachment hierarchies in adolescence and refine the role of specific attachment relationships in psychosocial adjustment, which can be important for clinical interventions in adolescence.

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Similarities and differences regarding changes in attachment preferences and attachment styles in relation to romantic relationship length: longitudinal and concurrent analyses

Cited by 26 publications

References 35 publications

Attachment Style, Sexual Orientation, and Biological Sex in their Relationships With Gender Role

Attachment Style, Sexual Orientation, and Biological Sex in their Relationships With Gender Role

Transfer of Early to Late Adolescents’ Attachment Figures in a Multicohort Six-Wave Study: Person- and Variable-Oriented Approaches

Adolescent Attachment Profiles Are Associated With Mental Health and Risk-Taking Behavior

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