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Depression and Attachment: How do Personality Styles and Social Support Influence This Relation?
Paula Dagnino1,2, Carola Pérez3, Adriana Gómez4
1Psychiatry Department, Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile, Santiago.
Research in Psychotherapy (Milano)
|September 11, 2020
Summary
Self-criticism partially mediates the link between attachment styles and depression. Social support moderates this relationship, particularly when attachment anxiety is high and social support is low, increasing depressive symptoms.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Clinical Psychology
- Psychiatry
Background:
- Attachment theory posits that early relationship patterns influence adult mental health.
- Depression is a complex disorder influenced by interpersonal factors and personality traits.
- Understanding the interplay between attachment, personality, and social support is crucial for depression research.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the mediating role of personality styles (dependency vs. self-criticism) in the association between adult attachment and depression.
- To examine the moderating effect of social support on the relationship between attachment dimensions (anxiety, avoidance) and depressive symptoms.
- To enhance the understanding of the complex interplay of factors contributing to depression in a clinical sample.
Main Methods:
- Cross-sectional study of 70 depressed outpatients.
- Assessment of depressive symptomatology using the Beck Depression Inventory.
- Evaluation of adult attachment, social support, dependency, and self-criticism using validated questionnaires.
- Application of mediational and moderation regression analyses.
Main Results:
- Self-criticism was found to partially mediate the relationship between attachment dimensions (anxiety and avoidance) and depression.
- Social support significantly moderated the association between attachment anxiety, avoidance, and depressive symptoms.
- The increase in depressive symptoms was most pronounced with high attachment anxiety and low social support, coupled with increased avoidance.
Conclusions:
- Self-criticism plays a significant role in the link between insecure attachment and depression.
- Social support acts as a protective factor, buffering the negative impact of insecure attachment on depression.
- These findings highlight the importance of addressing personality styles and social support in therapeutic interventions for depression.
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