The impact of insecure attachment on emotional dependence on a partner: the mediating role of negative emotional rejection

Momeñe, J, Estévez, A, Griffiths, MD ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8880-6524, Macía, P, Herrero, M, Olave, L and Iruarrizaga, I, 2024. The impact of insecure attachment on emotional dependence on a partner: the mediating role of negative emotional rejection. Behavioral Sciences, 14 (10): 909. ISSN 2076-328X

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Abstract

Previous evidence has demonstrated a relationship between insecure attachment and the development of emotional dependence towards an individual’s partner. However, the possibility that this relationship may be indirect and mediated by individual factors such as difficulties in emotional regulation has not previously been explored. Consequently, the objectives of the present study were to analyze the (i) differences in emotional dependence on an individual’s partner and difficulties in emotional regulation capacity according to secure, preoccupied or dismissing attachment style and (ii) mediating role of difficulties in emotional regulation in the relationship between both insecure attachment styles and emotional dependence on an individual’s partner. The sample comprised 741 participants ranging in age from 18 to 30 years (M = 21.32, SD = 2.93). The mediations were tested with linear regressions with the macro PROCESS v4.0. The results showed that emotional dependence on a partner and difficulties in emotional regulation were greater among individuals who had developed a dismissing attachment compared those with secure or preoccupied attachment. Likewise, the mediation model confirmed the mediating role of difficulties in the capacity for emotional regulation in the relationship between dismissing attachment and emotional dependence, with rejection of negative or discomfort-generating emotions predominating. The findings provide preliminary evidence that rejection of negative emotional experiences may play an important role in the relationship between insecure dismissing attachment style and emotional dependence on an individual’s partner. Consequently, it is recommended that emotional dependence intervention programs include of the management of intolerance to negative emotions.

Item Type:	Journal article
Publication Title:	Behavioral Sciences
Creators:	Momeñe, J., Estévez, A., Griffiths, M.D., Macía, P., Herrero, M., Olave, L. and Iruarrizaga, I.
Publisher:	MDPI
Date:	October 2024
Volume:	14
Number:	10
ISSN:	2076-328X
Identifiers:	Number Type 10.3390/bs14100909 DOI 2243877 Other
Rights:	© 2024 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
Divisions:	Schools > School of Social Sciences
Record created by:	Melissa Cornwell
Date Added:	11 Oct 2024 09:46
Last Modified:	11 Oct 2024 09:46
URI:	https://irep.ntu.ac.uk/id/eprint/52397

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