Emotion Regulation Strategies as Mediator between Attachment Styles and Depressive Symptoms

Abstract

Abstract This study investigated whether emotion regulation strategies mediate the relationship between attachment styles and depressive symptoms in emerging adults. The sample consisted of 273 female and 75 male participants, ranging in age from 18 to 25 (M = 21.39). The participants completed an online questionnaire, which measured attachment to parents, emotion regulation and depressive symptoms. Emerging adulthood delineates the transition period between adolescence and adulthood. Attachment styles comprise expectations about the responsiveness of the parents. Two attachment styles have been described: Attachment anxiety and attachment avoidance. Attachment anxiety reflects the fear of being left alone in distress. Attachment avoidance reflects avoidance of closeness. Both styles are associated with characteristic emotion regulation strategies. Maladaptive reappraisal, the strategy associated with attachment anxiety, reflects the inability to resolve distress by changing the perspective on negative emotions. Expressive suppression is associated with attachment avoidance and includes the repression of outwardly expressed emotions. The results show that maladaptive reappraisal mediated the relationship between attachment anxiety and depressive symptoms. It is assumed that maladaptive reappraisal is a byproduct of the exaggeration of one’s own needs. This exaggeration has led to a rigid focus on negative emotions and eventually to depressive symptoms. Expressive suppression did not mediate the relationship between attachment avoidance and depressive symptoms. It is argued that the sample composition, which consisted mainly of women, has possibly obscured the relationship. Therewith the study contributes new insights to the development of depressive symptoms in emerging adults. Keywords: emerging adulthood, attachment styles, emotion regulation, depressive symptoms