Attachment Style, Perceived Stress, and Physical and Mental Health: A Cross-sectional Study

Stress is a multifaceted phenomenon with a significant impact on physical and mental health. Unsafe attachment, along with a high level of perceived stress, has been projected to have a detrimental effect on physical and mental health. The purpose of this study was to investigate the interrelation between attachment style, perceived stress, and health disorders in a sample of Greek adults. A total of 211 Greek individuals were investigated for their attachment style, levels of perceived stress, and levels of consciousness in relation to the reported physical and/or mental illness with a set of validated questionnaires (Adult Attachment Questionnaire, Perceived Stress Scale, Health records questionnaire) translated into Greek. Most participants were classified as anxious or avoidant according to the adult attachment questionnaire. Eighty percent of the participants reported that they suffered from a physical or mental illness, with musculoskeletal pain, headache, and autoimmune diseases, predominantly. It was shown that modifiable and non-modifiable factors (such as gender, age, education, work, etc.) contributed to the reported levels of perceived stress and the formation of the attachment style. Indicatively, participants with higher levels of awareness developed more effective coping strategies. Unsafe attachment is associated with a higher level of perceived stress, which is also correlated with a higher prevalence of physical and mental conditions. It seems that the anxious or avoidant attachment type is prevalent in people of average to high socioeconomic status. A high level of perceived stress among these individuals has been related to the development of various physical and mental health conditions. Further research may focus on studying possible causal relationships between the aforementioned variables.