Attachment security priming: Increasing felt security in adolescents with social, emotional and mental health difficulties
Attachment security priming: Increasing felt security in adolescents with social, emotional and mental health difficulties
Attachment security priming (ASP) techniques have resulted in many positive outcomes including increased felt-security, an affective attachment state associated with optimal emotional regulation and relationship functioning. To date, however, ASP studies have almost exclusively been conducted with adult samples. This randomised experimental study investigated whether ASP could increase felt-security in adolescents with social, emotional and mental health (SEMH) difficulties. We further examined the security-related themes of the written protocols produced as part of the ASP procedure, allowing for the observation of the cognitions activated by the primes. Two prime groups (N = 100, Mage = 14.5) completed a mental imagery and written priming task; the experimental group visualised a security-inducing attachment figure, whilst the control group visualised a shopping trip. The experimental group reported significantly higher felt-security (η
p
2 = 0.252) and wrote significantly more words related to attachment-relevant themes in their written protocols, compared to the control group. Findings demonstrate the potential of using ASP techniques to improve felt-security and associated outcomes in adolescents with SEMH difficulties.
Adolescents, Attachment, Attachment Security Priming, Felt Security
Gold, Emily R.
16a36aaa-557e-4f53-9b85-d0c3c93aabf1
Carnelley, Katherine B.
02a55020-a0bc-480e-a0ff-c8fe56ee9c36
Rowe, Angela C.
961710a1-32ad-4659-8ff2-4239d67974a5
26 January 2023
Gold, Emily R.
16a36aaa-557e-4f53-9b85-d0c3c93aabf1
Carnelley, Katherine B.
02a55020-a0bc-480e-a0ff-c8fe56ee9c36
Rowe, Angela C.
961710a1-32ad-4659-8ff2-4239d67974a5
Gold, Emily R., Carnelley, Katherine B. and Rowe, Angela C.
(2023)
Attachment security priming: Increasing felt security in adolescents with social, emotional and mental health difficulties.
Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 85, [101511].
(doi:10.1016/j.appdev.2022.101511).
Abstract
Attachment security priming (ASP) techniques have resulted in many positive outcomes including increased felt-security, an affective attachment state associated with optimal emotional regulation and relationship functioning. To date, however, ASP studies have almost exclusively been conducted with adult samples. This randomised experimental study investigated whether ASP could increase felt-security in adolescents with social, emotional and mental health (SEMH) difficulties. We further examined the security-related themes of the written protocols produced as part of the ASP procedure, allowing for the observation of the cognitions activated by the primes. Two prime groups (N = 100, Mage = 14.5) completed a mental imagery and written priming task; the experimental group visualised a security-inducing attachment figure, whilst the control group visualised a shopping trip. The experimental group reported significantly higher felt-security (η
p
2 = 0.252) and wrote significantly more words related to attachment-relevant themes in their written protocols, compared to the control group. Findings demonstrate the potential of using ASP techniques to improve felt-security and associated outcomes in adolescents with SEMH difficulties.
Text
Revised manuscript_Revision 2
- Accepted Manuscript
More information
Accepted/In Press date: 30 December 2022
e-pub ahead of print date: 26 January 2023
Published date: 26 January 2023
Additional Information:
Funding Information:
This research project was funded by the University of Southampton as part of the lead author's Doctorate in Educational Psychology (DEdPsych) qualification.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2023 Elsevier Inc.
Keywords:
Adolescents, Attachment, Attachment Security Priming, Felt Security
Identifiers
Local EPrints ID: 475307
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/475307
ISSN: 0193-3973
PURE UUID: be98bda1-99e3-4b60-a331-4543a46e1bc0
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Date deposited: 15 Mar 2023 17:33
Last modified: 17 Mar 2024 02:52
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Contributors
Author:
Emily R. Gold
Author:
Angela C. Rowe
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