Late Life Attachment in Context: Patterns of Relating Among Men and Women from Seven Ethnic Groups

Abstract

The purpose of the present study was to develop the later life attachment literature by providing data contrasting patterns of attachment among 616 older men and women (aged 50 to 70) from seven ethnic groups in the United States: African Americans, English-speaking Caribbeans, Haitians, Dominicans, Puerto Ricans, Eastern Europeans, and European Americans. A multivariate analysis of the variance with ethnicity, gender, and income as factors predicting four dimensional styles of attachment (secure, dismissive, preoccupied, and fearful avoidant) revealed numerous ethnic differences in attachment styles. Most notably, Haitians reported greater dismissiveness than all other groups, with Eastern Europeans reporting more than Dominicans, Puerto Ricans, European Americans and African Americans. Haitians also reported lower fearful avoidance than all other groups. Dominicans and Puerto Ricans reported greater preoccupation than Haitians, African Americans, and English-speaking Caribbeans. The most notable interactions with gender and income revealed that although preoccupation was lower among African American, English-speaking Caribbean, Haitian, and European American women versus men, it was greater among Dominican, Puerto Rican, and Eastern European women, and that whereas security was generally high among European Americans notwithstanding income, income strongly impacted attachment security in other groups. These differences are interpreted in light of ethnic differences in historical, familial, and religious contexts. This study provides a glimpse into the ethnic and cultural diversity in the ways in which older adults relate to significant others.

Family and friendship informal support networks and social anxiety disorder among African Americans and Black Caribbeans

“…Furthermore, social science research has largely ignored the concept of Black ethnicity, as well as important differences associated with Caribbean ethnicity (e.g., national origin and cultural backgrounds, social-historical contexts, and life experiences) that may be consequential for understanding health and social phenomena. Until recently, very few studies have focused on within-race ethnic diversity (e.g., Caribbean Blacks and native born Blacks) or examined the social characteristics associated with these groups and their potential relation to health and social outcomes [33,34]. A fuller understanding of race and ethnicity should examine specific cultural and contextual features that characterize particular race and ethnic minority groups and that may, in turn, constitute risk and protective factors for their health and well-being [34].…”

Attachment, Activity Limitation, and Health Symptoms in Later Life

“…First, health is a less salient consideration for younger cohorts, meaning the relevance of attachment characteristics may be exaggerated or distorted in student samples. Second, there are consistent differences in patterns of attachment across age cohorts, with more dismissive and fewer preoccupied and fearful-avoidant classifications in older groups Fiori, Consedine, & Magai, 2009). Whether attachment predicts health outcomes in older samples and the possible mediating role of NA is yet to be examined.…”

Breast cancer screening: The role of attachment

“…For example, given reports of lower physician recommendations to screen among fearful avoidant women, written recommendations may encourage screening in this group. Equally, because older adults are predominantly dismissive (Consedine, Fiori, Tuck, & Merz, 2013;Fiori, Consedine, & Magai, 2009a), they are less likely to request screening or report symptoms; it therefore falls to the provider to encourage screening in this cohort.…”

“…Using five-point scales, respondents rate how well items describe their typical style in close relationships. Prior work among older minority groups has found poor internal consistencies (Fiori, Consedine, & Magai, 2009b), therefore we conducted a principal components analysis, revealing a four-factor solution.…”