Adult Attachment Theory, Emotion Regulation, and Prosocial Behavior

Adult attachment style and cortisol responses across the day in older adults

“…One tentative explanation for the results obtained for the preoccupied style may be that hypervigilant strategies utilized during waking hours may contribute to an inability to reduce levels of arousal when preparing to sleep, as well as reflecting heightened levels of cortisol through the day (Maunder, Hunter, & Lancee, ). The observed pattern of responding suggests that preoccupied attachment may be linked to anticipatory stress appraisals about upcoming events and ineffective strategies for downregulating both subjective and physiological response (Shaver & Mikulincer, ). This is supported by the fact that both subjective and physiological levels remained high even until the final measure at bedtime, which may be suggestive of dysregulation, which has been associated with negative health outcomes (Dickerson & Kemeny, ).…”

“…Dismissive attachment was associated with low stress reports and no association with any of the cortisol parameters. Previous research suggests that those who are high in attachment avoidance disassociate themselves from situations that may threaten autonomy and, as a result, they may experience, or report, less distress (Shaver & Mikulincer, ). Contradictory findings reported for dismissive attachment during acute stress may be related to the laboratory situation itself where the use of habitual strategies may not be possible, particularly in interpersonal acute stress tasks (Dewitte et al., ; Powers et al., ).…”

“…It is also likely that the physiological response to stress may not be the only mechanism that links attachment to health. There are known associations between attachment and emotional adaptation (Shaver & Mikulincer, 2007), while other work suggests that those who are insecurely attached are less able to seek help and utilize social support effectively, which are also linked to poor health outcomes (Ciechanowski, Walker, Katon, & Russo, 2002;Maunder & Hunter, 2001).…”

Testing a dual-process model of avoidant defenses

“…Shaver, Mikulincer, & Chun, 2008). The construct measured in these ways is often called attachment style -the pattern of relational expectations, emotions, and behaviors thought to result from a particular history of experiences with attachment figures .…”

Anxious attachment style and salivary cortisol dysregulation in healthy female children and adolescents

“…Enduring effects on cortisol secretion have largely been explored within the context of stress reactivity paradigms, and a growing literature is now being translated to human development, especially during the periods of infancy (Nachmias, Gunnar, Mangelsdorf, Parritz, & Buss, 1996; van Bakel & Riksen‐Wairaven, 2004) and adulthood (Powers & Santana, 2002). Adult attachment insecurity, particularly anxious type, has been related to impairments in stress reactivity, namely, higher subjective levels of psychological stress in response to stressful events, hyper‐vigilance and hyper‐reactivity to threats (Mikulincer, Shaver, & Pereg, 2003; Shaver & Mikulincer, 2007).…”