Psychological functioning in non-clinical young adults: Protective and risk factors for internalizing symptoms

The present research proposes the analysis of specific aspects of psychosocial functioning and development with a focus on issues related to internalizing symptoms, attachment styles and interpersonal dimensions of interpersonal functioning. Developmental theories emphasized the importance of transitions, as periods of biologically and socially characterized changes (Arnett, 1997; Gurevitz Stern, 2004; Schulenberg, Magges, Hurrelmann, 1997; Schulenberg & Zarrett, 2006). The developmental phase of young adulthood, which can be detectable between 18 and 30 years of age, represents the transition from the dependency and social marginality of childhood and adolescence, to the independent and fully recognized social position of adulthood (Aldermen & Iafrate, 2003; Neyer & Asendorpf, 2001; Scabini & Iafrate, 2003). Thie crucial developmental stage of young adulthood involves the progressive articulation of decision-making and planning skills, which will shape health and psychosocial well-being of the young adult (Savage, 2010; Schulenberg & Schoon, 2012). Symptoms belonging to the internalizing spectrum, particularly depressive and anxiety are among the most common during this period (Quintana, Kerr, 1993; Guttmannova, Szanyi, & Cali, 2007). Within this context of individual development, the relational dimension is central in the lives of young adults (Chicken, 2006). Although the protective role of the parents is reduced when young adults become independent, they still need support which intimate personal relationships, such as romantic ones, are able to provide (Jones, 2005). Otherwise, insecure attachment styles may cause separation anxiety and make the individual vulnerable to future psychological disorders (Manicavasagar, Silove, Marnane, & Wagner, 2009; Silove et al., 1993). Even if university life may have a beneficial effect for students (Andrews & Wilding, 2004), life in the university environment presents many social and emotional challenges, such as academic, relational, and financial ones, which can negatively influence students’ psychological healt, eliciting the onset of internalizing symptoms (Andrews & Wilding, 2004; Cooke, Bewick, Barkham, Bradley & Audin 2006; Grant, 2002; Monaco, 2004; Negovan, 2010; Roberts & Zelenyanski, 2002). In turn, levels of anxiety and depression can represent a risk of poor academic achievement or impaired social functioning (e.g. Andrews & Wilding, 2004; Cooke et al., 2006; Monk, 2004; Misra & McKean, 2000; Roberts & Zelenyanski, 2002; Ross, Cleland, Macleod, 2006; Verger, et al. 2009). Attachment security, both to family and peers, showed associations with psychosocial adjustment (Wei, Russell, Zakalik, 2005) and emotional regulation (Love et al., 2009), while insecure attachment of the anxious/preoccupied spectrum was associated with internalizing symptoms, such as anxiety and depression (Bonab & Haddadi Koohsar, 2011; Dozier et al., 2008). Insecure attachment style was found to be strongly related with separation anxiety (SAD) (Brumariu & Kerns, 2010), which can represent a core form of anxiety, which operates as a general vulnerability factor for internalizing disorders and symptoms in young adults (Shear, Jin, Ruscio, Walters, & Kessler, 2006; Silove et al., 1993). Dimensional approach was considered accurate and valid with regards to several psychological constructs, such as personality, psychopathology, and attachment (Fraley & Spieker, 2003; Fraley & Shaver, 2000; Krueger et al., 2011; Krueger & Markon, 2013; Silove et al., 2007; Widiger & Simonsen, 2006). The present work analyzed the relation between attachment styles and internalizing symptoms, mediated by separation anxiety and interpersonal traits of personality functioning. Another aim of the present work was to provide contribution to the assessment of psychometric characteristics of the Personality Assessment Inventory (PAI; Morey, 1991), with young adults in the Italian context. For each questionnaire, attention was devolved also to aspects of reliability and validity . With regards to the analysis of the relation between attachment styles, internalizing symptoms, and interpersonal traits the sample comprised 308 non clinical young adults (80% university students, 74% women). With regards to the assessment of PAI psychometric properties, the non clinical sample included 1180 young adults (77% university students, 59% from psychology courses, 69.4% women). Multigroup confirmatory factor analyses (CFA) has been performed to assess factor structure invariance of the separate scales of the PAI, as presented by the author of the instrument (Morey, 2007). With regards to the overall scale, which revealed non homogeneous factor structures in literature, in the present work several CFA model have been tested in order to evaluate which model represented the best adaptation to data in the present sample. Univariate and multivariate analysis of variance (ANOVA) was carried out to assess differences in considered variables with regards to gender in order to compare. Instruments were selected for their utility in assessing constructs which were the focus of the present study, and particular attention was devolved to select questionnaires which were endowed with international diffusion, both in research and in clinical contexts: (a) the PAI (Morey, 1991, 2007) for the assessment of personality traits and internalizing symptoms, (b) the Symptom Checklist-90-R (SCL-90-R, Derogatis, 1994; Sarno, Preti, Prunas, & Madeddu, 2011) to assess individuals’ current level of psychosocial distress on internalizing symptom dimensions, (c) the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI-Y; Spielberger, 1983; Pedrabissi & Santinello, 1996), to measure anxiety, (d) the Relationship Questionnaire (RQ; Bartholomew & Horowitz, 1991; Carli, 1995 ) to assess adult attachment styles, (e) the Experiences in Close Relationships Scale-Revised (ECR-R; Fraley, Waller, & Brennan, 2000; Calvo, 2008) for the classification of anxiety and avoidance attachment styles related to romantic relationships, (f) the Adult Separation Anxiety (ASA-27; Manicavasagar, Silove, Wagner, Drobny, 2003; Manicavasagar, Silove, Franzcp, Curtis, Franzcp, & Wagner, 2000) for adult separation anxiety symptoms, and (g) the Separation Anxiety Symptom Inventory (SASI; Silove et al., 1993), for adults’ memories of Separation Anxiety symptoms experienced in the first 18 years of life. Overall, participants showed scores in line with normative data present in the literature, both with regards to internalizing symptoms and attachment styles. As expected, women were higher compared to men in internalizing symptoms. In conclusion, the relation between internalizing symptoms and attachment has been investigated by means of regression analyses, revealing an association between the constructs involved.