Attachment Styles, Social Skills, and Depression in College Women

Attachment styles, social skills, and depression were studied in 93 college women using the Relationship Questionnaire (K. Bartholomew & L M. Horowitz, 1991), the Beck Depression Inventory-II (A.T. Beck, R.A. Steer, & G. K. Brown, 1996), and the Interpersonal Competence Questionnaire (D. Buhrmester, W. Furman, M.T. Wittenberg, & H.T. Reis, 1988).The self and other attachment models and the social skills of negative assertion, self-disclosure, and conflict management all correlated with depression. Conflict management partially mediated the relationship between attachment self-model and depression. Implications for counseling are discussed. ********** Originally developed regarding parent-infant relationships (Bowlby, 1982), attachment theory is now widely used to understand adult interpersonal relationships. Experiences with primary caregivers contribute to the formation of internal working models that influence expectations and behavior in later adult relationships (Berman & Sperling, 1994; Rothbard, & Shaver, 1994; Simpson, Collins, Tran, & Haydon, 2007). These internal models serve as prototypes or templates that influence how individuals perceive themselves and others in an interpersonal context. Thus, internal working models contribute to continuity in relationship patterns across the life span (Rothbard & Shaver, 1994; Wallin, 2007). Attachment styles might be conceptualized as "initiating conditions" (Sroufe, Carlson, Levy, & Egeland, 1999, p. 10) that influence how the developing individual interacts with the environment over time. In applying attachment theory to adult relationships, Hazan and Shaver (1987) originally proposed a three-category model by translating Ainsworth's descriptions of infant attachment into categories that describe relationships between adults, including secure, anxious-ambivalent, and avoidant styles. Secure respondents are comfortable becoming close to others, whereas avoidant participants find it difficult to be close to or trust others. The anxious-ambivalent attachment style is associated with people who desire closeness but remain concerned that partners may not reciprocate. Bartholomew and Horowitz (1991) later suggested crossing the view of the self as positive or negative with the view of others as positive or negative to instead create four attachment categories. Secure types view themselves positively and anticipate that others will be responsive to their needs. Fearful types have a negative view of self and believe that others will reject them. Preoccupied types (formerly the anxious-ambivalent category) hold a negative self-view and a positive view of others. They are often very focused on relationships and find self-esteem by being valued by others. The dismissing types have a positive view of the self but a more negative perspective of others--thus, they may not seek or value interpersonal relationships. Preoccupied, fearful, and dismissing styles of attachment are considered insecure styles that contrast with a preferred secure attachment style. Attachment style groupings have been formed on the basis of the self versus other dichotomy (Griffin & Bartholomew, 1994). Secure and dismissing styles share a positive view of the self, while secure and preoccupied styles share a positive view of others. In a series of studies and multiple assessments, Griffin and Bartholomew found strong support for this primary self versus other conceptualization of attachment. A lack of secure attachment, especially a negative view of the self, has been associated with psychological distress. Roberts, Gotlib, and Kassel (1996) and Priel and Shamai (1995) emphasized the role of an anxious-ambivalent attachment style in depression; Whiffen, Kallos-Lilly, and MacDonald (2001) found an association between depression and a fearful style of attachment; and other researchers found that both fearful and preoccupied attachment styles were associated with negative mood states (Carnelley, Pietromonaco, & Jaffe, 1994; Van Buren & Cooley, 2002). …