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Updated: Nov 21, 2025
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Design and Implementation of an fMRI Study Examining Thought Suppression in Young Women with, and At-risk, for Depression
Published on: May 19, 2015
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Attachment style, thought suppression, self-compassion and depression: Testing a serial mediation model.
Clara V Murray1, Juno Irma-Louise Jacobs1, Adam J Rock1
1School of Psychology, University of New England, Armidale, Australia.
Plos One
|January 14, 2021
Summary
Insecure attachment, particularly attachment anxiety, predicts depression through thought suppression and self-compassion. These mediators play opposing roles in the pathway from insecure attachment to depressive symptoms.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Clinical Psychology
- Attachment Theory
Background:
- Attachment anxiety is linked to depression, mediated by hyperactivating strategies like rumination.
- The relationship between attachment avoidance and depression is less clear, with inconsistent findings on mediators.
- Thought suppression and self-compassion are associated with both attachment avoidance and depressive symptoms.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the serial mediation of thought suppression and self-compassion in the relationship between attachment avoidance and depression.
- To clarify the mechanisms linking insecure attachment styles to depression.
- To examine the opposing roles of thought suppression and self-compassion.
Main Methods:
- 148 participants completed online questionnaires assessing attachment styles, thought suppression, self-compassion, and depressive symptoms.
- A serial mediation model was tested with attachment avoidance as the independent variable.
- Post-hoc analyses included attachment anxiety as a covariate and as the independent variable.
Main Results:
- Initially, attachment avoidance predicted depression via higher thought suppression and lower self-compassion.
- This mediation was not significant when attachment anxiety was included as a covariate.
- Attachment anxiety significantly predicted depression through thought suppression and self-compassion, regardless of attachment avoidance.
Conclusions:
- Thought suppression and self-compassion are key mediators linking insecure attachment to depression.
- These mediators operate in opposing directions, highlighting complex psychological pathways.
- Findings suggest attachment anxiety plays a more central role than attachment avoidance in this mediation process.
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