Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2023 May 31;13(6):884.
doi: 10.3390/brainsci13060884.

Attachment-Related Differences in Emotion Regulation in Adults: A Systematic Review on Attachment Representations

Dirk W Eilert  1 , Anna Buchheim  1
Affiliations
Review

Attachment-Related Differences in Emotion Regulation in Adults: A Systematic Review on Attachment Representations

Dirk W Eilert et al. Brain Sci. .

Abstract

In recent years, there has been an increase in the prevalence of mental disorders connected with affective dysregulation and insecure attachment. Therefore, it is even more important to understand the interplay between an individual's attachment representation and patterns of emotion regulation. To our knowledge, this is the first systematic review to examine this association. PsycInfo, PsyArticles, and PubMed were searched for studies that examined attachment-related differences in emotion regulation in adults. To examine the unconscious attachment representation, only studies using the Adult Attachment Interview or the Adult Attachment Projective Picture System were included. Thirty-seven peer-reviewed studies (with a total of 2006 subjects) matched the PICO criteria. Emotion regulation was measured via four objective approaches: autonomic nervous system, brain activity, biochemistry, or nonverbal behavior. Across all measurements, results reveal a significant correlation between attachment representation and emotion regulation. Secure attachment correlates consistently with balanced emotion regulation, whereas it is impaired in insecure and dysfunctional in unresolved attachment. Specifically, unresolved individuals display counterintuitive responses and fail to use attachment as a resource. Insecure-dismissing attachment is associated with an emotionally deactivating strategy, while on a physiological, biochemical, and nonverbal level, emotional stress is still present. There is still a lack of studies examining preoccupied individuals. In addition to interpreting the results, we also discuss the risk of bias, implications for psychotherapy and coaching, and an outlook for future research.

Keywords: HRV; SCL; adult attachment interview; adult projective picture system; attachment representation; cortisol; emotion regulation; facial expressions; neuroimaging; oxytocin.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Adapted Process Model of Emotion Regulation, see Gross [43].
Figure 2
Figure 2
PRISMA flowchart for the conducted search strategy [100].
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

References

    1. Holt-Lunstad J., Smith T.B., Layton J.B. Social Relationships and Mortality Risk: A Meta-Analytic Review. PLoS Med. 2010;7:e1000316. doi: 10.1371/journal.pmed.1000316. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Park C., Majeed A., Gill H., Tamura J., Ho R.C., Mansur R.B., Nasri F., Lee Y., Rosenblat J.D., Wong E., et al. The Effect of Loneliness on Distinct Health Outcomes: A Comprehensive Review and Meta-Analysis. Psychiatry Res. 2020;294:113514. doi: 10.1016/j.psychres.2020.113514. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Borawski D., Wajs T., Sojka K., Misztal U. Interrelations between Attachment Styles, Emotional Contagion and Loneliness. J. Fam. Issues. 2021;42:2064–2082. doi: 10.1177/0192513X20966013. - DOI
    1. Şahin-Bayraktar H.G., Seven S. The interrelationship of attachment style, sense of loneliness, and social dissatisfaction in children aged 60–72 months. Curr. Psychol. 2020;41:3751–3759. doi: 10.1007/s12144-020-00888-w. - DOI
    1. Vedder A., Boerner K., Stokes J.E., Schut H.A.W., Boelen P.A., Stroebe M.S. A systematic review of loneliness in bereavement: Current research and future directions. Curr. Opin. Psychol. 2022;43:48–64. doi: 10.1016/j.copsyc.2021.06.003. - DOI - PubMed

Grants and funding

This research received no external funding.