Toward a causal link between attachment styles and mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic
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.
COVID-19, attachment style, loneliness, mental health, social distancing behaviors
605-620
Vowels, Laura Marika
c30dc6eb-4a98-4534-b784-499c2d291c5f
Vowels, Matthew
3d42b236-1d98-417f-9d97-5289745f565f
Carnelley, Katherine
02a55020-a0bc-480e-a0ff-c8fe56ee9c36
Millings, Abigail
0d9ae41e-0c84-4b8c-ba39-6ed21384623f
Gibson-Miller, Jilly
ded7291a-ac8a-40eb-a1b0-94068812cbb4
September 2023
Vowels, Laura Marika
c30dc6eb-4a98-4534-b784-499c2d291c5f
Vowels, Matthew
3d42b236-1d98-417f-9d97-5289745f565f
Carnelley, Katherine
02a55020-a0bc-480e-a0ff-c8fe56ee9c36
Millings, Abigail
0d9ae41e-0c84-4b8c-ba39-6ed21384623f
Gibson-Miller, Jilly
ded7291a-ac8a-40eb-a1b0-94068812cbb4
Vowels, Laura Marika, Vowels, Matthew, Carnelley, Katherine, Millings, Abigail and Gibson-Miller, Jilly
(2023)
Toward a causal link between attachment styles and mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic.
British Journal of Clinical Psychology, 62 (3), .
(doi:10.1111/bjc.12428).
Abstract
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.
Text
230516attachment_COVID_R1_no_track_changes
- Accepted Manuscript
Text
British J Clinic Psychol - 2023 - Vowels - Toward a causal link between attachment styles and mental health during the
- Version of Record
More information
Accepted/In Press date: 18 May 2023
e-pub ahead of print date: 9 June 2023
Published date: September 2023
Additional Information:
Funding Information:
Open access funding provided by Universite de Lausanne.
Funding Information:
The research was funded by Economic and Social Research Council (Grant number: ES/V004379/1).
Publisher Copyright:
© 2023 The Authors. British Journal of Clinical Psychology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of British Psychological Society.
Keywords:
COVID-19, attachment style, loneliness, mental health, social distancing behaviors
Identifiers
Local EPrints ID: 477884
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/477884
ISSN: 0144-6657
PURE UUID: d253706c-9eff-4c18-a803-974303379e3d
Catalogue record
Date deposited: 15 Jun 2023 17:03
Last modified: 17 Mar 2024 02:52
Export record
Altmetrics
Contributors
Author:
Laura Marika Vowels
Author:
Matthew Vowels
Author:
Abigail Millings
Author:
Jilly Gibson-Miller
Download statistics
Downloads from ePrints over the past year. Other digital versions may also be available to download e.g. from the publisher's website.
View more statistics