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. 2023 Jun 19;20(12):6177.
doi: 10.3390/ijerph20126177.

Do Attachment Orientations Relate to Coping with Crises? Lessons from a Cross-Sectional Study during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Hadas Egozi Farkash  1 , Mooli Lahad  2   3 , Limor Aharonson-Daniel  1   4
Affiliations

Do Attachment Orientations Relate to Coping with Crises? Lessons from a Cross-Sectional Study during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Hadas Egozi Farkash et al. Int J Environ Res Public Health. .

Abstract

This study was designed to explore whether attachment orientations were related to distress and resilience during the COVID-19 pandemic. The sample included 2000 Israeli Jewish adults who answered an online survey during the first phase of the pandemic. The questions referred to background variables, attachment orientations, distress, and resilience. Responses were analyzed using correlation and regression analyses. A significant positive relationship was found between distress and attachment anxiety, and a significant negative relationship was found between resilience and attachment insecurities (avoidance and anxiety). Women suffered higher distress, as did people with lower income, poor health, secular religious affiliation, a lack of a sense of spacious accommodation, and a dependent family member. The findings indicate that attachment insecurities are associated with the severity of mental health symptoms during the peak period of the COVID-19 pandemic. We recommend strengthening attachment security as a protective factor for psychological distress in therapeutic and educational settings.

Keywords: COVID-19; attachment; mental health; resilience; stress.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

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Grants and funding

This work was supported by the PREPARED Center for Emergency Response Research at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Israel, and Tel-Hai Academic College, Israel.