Adult Attachment Styles and Rumination in the Context of Intimate Relationships

Rumination is a coping style characterized by unproductive cognitive rehearsal of recent life events and internal experiences--particularly those involving social situations. Research in the past two decades has linked rumination to anxiety and depression (Nolen-Hoeksema, 2012). Another relatively recently described construct that appears to be related to psychological adjustment is that of adult attachment styles. Rooted in the child attachment research of Ainsworth (1979), and Bowlby (1978), it has been hypothesized that these interpersonal styles serve as internalized working models of intimate adult relationships (Bowlby, 1969; Greenberg & Mitchell, 1983). Research to date has found associations between psychological distress in adults and insecure adult attachment patterns (Marganska, Gallagher, & Miranda, 2013). The mediating factors are less well known; however, rumination has been suggested as one mechanism (Gentzler, Kerns & Keener, 2010). Bowlby (1978) described human attachment as having an evolutionary basis. By maintaining proximity to an adult caregiver during early childhood, a period of physical vulnerability, survival was more likely. Psychologically, attachment is hypothesized to play a significant role in the child's sense of security (Cummings & Davies, 1996). ). Based upon direct observation of responses to brief separations and reunification among young children and their mothers, Ainsworth (Ainsworth, Blehar, Walters, & Wall, 1982) described three attachment styles: secure, avoidant, and anxious-ambivalent. Attachment theory suggests that the attachment style developed in childhood, based on the child--caregiver interaction (responsive vs. unresponsive support and care), becomes reactivated in close relationships during late adolescence and early adulthood (Gillath, Shaver, Baek, & Chun, 2008). While longitudinal studies linking childhood attachment styles to those of adults are few, it is noteworthy that the proportion of adults exhibiting each of these styles is similar to the proportions found among young children (Roberts, Gotlib, & Kassel, 1996). Moreover, research suggests that specific attachment patterns, analogous to those found among children, influence adults' expectations and behavior in close relationships (Maunder & Hunter, 2012; Mikulincer & Shaver, 2007). Securely attached adults are comfortable with dependence on a partner while maintaining a unique identity and separate interests. Avoidant adults are uncomfortable with emotional closeness and dependence and have difficulty trusting their partner. Finally, the anxious-ambivalent attachment style is dominated by fears of abandonment and a desire for intense closeness that may drive a romantic partner away (Hazan & Shaver, 1987). There is growing evidence that adult attachment styles are associated with stress reactivity and emotional regulation (Desrosiers, Sipsma, Callands, Hansen, Divney, Magriples, & Kershaw, 2014). Specifically, the anxious-ambivalent and avoidant attachment patterns have both been found to increase risk for depression (Kobak, Sadler, & Gamble, 1991; Roberts, Gotlib, & Kassel, 1996). Conversely, persons with secure attachment appear to manage stressful life events more successfully than those with problematic attachment patterns (Roberts, Gotlib, & Kassel, 1996). However, the mechanism(s) linking these internalized views of the self and others (Marganska, Gallagher, & Miranda, 2013) with psychological distress is only beginning to be explored (Caldwell & Shaver, 2012). Research to date also suggests that adults with secure attachment patterns are particularly skilled at regulating their emotions (Caldwell & Shaver, 2012). In contrast, those with anxious-ambivalent attachment patterns are likely to be preoccupied with possible threats to the availability of attachment figures (Caldwell & Shaver, 2012). This preoccupation may take the form of rumination, a maladaptive pattern of self-reflection (Nolen-Hoeksema, Wisco, & Lyuborsky, 2008). …