Wenzel, Marie (2025) The Associations of Attachment Dimensions and Their Interaction with Prolonged Grief Symptoms. Bachelor thesis, Psychology.
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Abstract
Prolonged grief (PG) is characterized by intense and enduring emotional distress following the loss of a loved one. One useful framework for understanding why some individuals are more vulnerable to developing PG than others is adult attachment theory. This study explored how attachment anxiety and attachment avoidance, the two dimensions of attachment insecurity, are associated with prolonged grief symptoms (PGS), as both have been proposed risk factors for PG. Further, we examined the interaction between these two dimensions to also shed light on the roles of secure and disorganized attachment, which are theorized to reflect specific combinations of high or low levels of attachment anxiety and avoidance. A convenience sample of bereaved adults (N = 351) completed a self-report questionnaire assessing attachment dimensions and prolonged grief symptom levels. Results showed that both attachment anxiety and attachment avoidance were independently positively associated with PGS, with attachment anxiety demonstrating a relatively stronger relationship with PGS, underscoring the meaningful role of insecure attachment in grief responses. However, the interaction effect of attachment dimensions was not significant. This suggests that attachment anxiety and attachment avoidance contribute to grief independently rather than through a unique combined effect, and that secure and disorganized attachment, as theoretically assumed, may be less relevant or cannot be adequately captured through the interaction of attachment anxiety and avoidance. This highlights the need for continued research on using alternative measurements to capture secure and disorganized attachment. Keywords: Attachment theory, Attachment anxiety, Attachment avoidance, Prolonged grief symptoms, Secure attachment, Disorganized attachment
| Item Type: | Thesis (Bachelor) |
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| Supervisor name: | Eisma, M.C. |
| Degree programme: | Psychology |
| Differentiation route: | None [Bachelor Psychology] |
| Date Deposited: | 16 Jul 2025 07:20 |
| Last Modified: | 16 Jul 2025 07:20 |
| URI: | http://gmwpublic.studenttheses.ub.rug.nl/id/eprint/5513 |
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