https://doi.org/10.4081/ripppo.2023.689
Attachment styles, mental health, and trauma during the first wave of COVID-19 pandemic in an Italian adult population
Submitted: February 23, 2023
Accepted: December 4, 2023
Published: December 31, 2023
Accepted: December 4, 2023
Abstract Views: 296
PDF: 229
HTML: 13
HTML: 13
Publisher's note
All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.
All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.
Authors
The COVID-19 pandemic has negatively impacted adults’ mental health around the world. Various studies highlighted the role of sociodemographic risk factors, including age, gender, and level of education, in increasing this impact. Although insecure attachment styles are considered a vulnerability factor for psychopathology and difficulties in coping with stressful situations, few studies have examined the role of attachment styles in relation to psychological responses to the COVID-19 pandemic. This study aims to investigate the role of attachment styles in affecting psychopathological problems and post-traumatic symptoms during the COVID-19 pandemic in a sample of Italian adults (N=1548). During the first lockdown in Italy, the Attachment Style Questionnaire, the Impact of Event Scale-Revised, and Symptom Checklist 90-Revised were administered to the participants to assess attachment styles, trauma-related symptoms, and psychopathological problems. The results showed that 41% of the participants had symptoms of clinical and subclinical relevance during the pandemic. Anxious and avoidant insecure attachment styles predicted psychopathological problems and post-traumatic symptoms, whereas secure attachment style was a protective factor. Our results highlighted the significant role played by the quality of attachment styles on adult mental health during the pandemic, providing valuable elements for targeted psychological support interventions.
Bartholomew, K., & Horowitz, L.M. (1991). Attachment styles among young adults: a test of a four-category model. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 61, 226. doi: 10.1037//0022-3514.61.2.226.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1037//0022-3514.61.2.226
Cao, W., Fang, Z., Hou, G., Han, M., Xu, X., Dong, J., & Zheng, J. (2020). The psychological impact of the COVID-19 epidemic on college students in China. Psychiatry Research, 287, 112934. doi: 10.1016/j.psychres.2020.112934.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychres.2020.112934
Cassidy, J., Jones, J.D., & Shaver, P.R. (2013). Contributions of attachment theory and research: a framework for future research, translation, and policy. Development and Psychopathology, 25, 1415–1434. doi: 10.1017/S0954579413000692
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/S0954579413000692
Cavalera, C., Quiroga, A., & Oasi, O. (2023). Ashamed or afraid? Traumatic symptom severity and emotional activations of Covid-19-related events. Asian Journal of Psychiatry, 82, 103500. doi: 10.1016/j.ajp.2023.103500
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajp.2023.103500
De Salve, F., Rossi, C., Cavalera, C., Malvini, L., Barbera, S., Tagliabue, S., ... & Oasi, O. (2023). Personality traits and transition to psychosis one year after the first assessment. Frontiers in Psychology, 14, 1096626. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1096626
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1096626
Doron, G., Moulding, R., Kyrios, M., Nedeljkovic, M., & Mikulincer, M. (2009). Adult attachment insecurities are related to obsessive compulsive phenomena. Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, 28, 1022-1049. doi: 10.1521/jscp.2009.28.8.1022
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1521/jscp.2009.28.8.1022
Dozier, M., Stovall-McClough, K.C., & Albus, K.E. (2008). Attachment and psychopathology in adulthood. In J. Cassidy, & P.R. Shaver (Eds.), Handbook of attachment: Theory, research, and clinical applications (pp. 718–744). Guilford Press, New York.
Feeney, J.A., Noller, P., & Hanrahan, M. (1994). Assessing adult attachment. In M.B. Sperling, & W.H. Berman (Eds.), Attachment in adults: Clinical and developmental perspectives (pp.128-152). Guilford Press, New York.
Fossati, A., Feeney, J.A., Donati, D., Donini, M., Novella, L., Bagnato, M., Acquarini, E., & Maffei, C. (2003). On the dimensionality of the Attachment Style Questionnaire in Italian clinical and non-clinical participants. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 20, 55-79. doi: 10.1177/02654075030201003
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0265407503020001187
Garrison, A.M., Kahn, J.H., Miller, S.A., & Sauer, E.M. (2014). Emotional avoidance and rumination as mediators of the relation between adult attachment and emotional disclosure. Personality and Individual Differences, 70, 239-245. doi: 10.1016/j.paid.2014.07.006
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2014.07.006
Karatzias, T., Shevlin, M., Murphy, J., McBride, O., Ben-Ezra, M., Bentall, R.P., Vallières, F., & Hyland, P. (2020). Post-traumatic stress symptoms and associated comorbidity during the COVID-19 pandemic in Ireland: a population-based study. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 33, 365-370. doi: 10.1002/jts.22565
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/jts.22565
Ierardi, E., Bottini, M., & Riva Crugnola, C. (2022). Psychodynamic counselling intervention aimed at students before and during the COVID-19 period: Online vs face-to-face intervention. BMC Psychology, 10, 35. doi: 10.1186/s40359-022-00742-7
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s40359-022-00742-7
Liu, N., Zhang, F., Wei, C., Jia, Y., Shang, Z., Sun, L., … Liu, W. (2020). Prevalence and predictors of PTSS during COVID-19 outbreak in China hardest-hit areas: gender differences matter. Psychiatry Research, 287, 112921. doi: 10.1016/j.psychres.2020.112921
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychres.2020.112921
McWilliams, L. A., & Bailey, S. J. (2010). Associations between adult attachment ratings and health conditions: Evidence from the National Comorbidity Survey Replication. Health Psychology, 29, 446-453. doi: 10.1037/a0020061
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1037/a0020061
Monteleone, A.M., Cardi, V., Volpe, U., Fico, G., Ruzzi, V., Pellegrino, F., Castellini, G., Monteleone, P., & Maj, M. (2008). Attachment and motivational systems: Relevance of sensitivity to punishment for eating disorder psychopathology. Psychiatry Research, 260, 353-359. doi: 10.1016/j.psychres.2017.12.002
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychres.2017.12.002
Mikulincer, M., & Shaver, P.R. (2012). An attachment perspective on psychopathology. World Psychiatry, 11, 11-15. doi: 10.1016/j.wpsyc.2012.01.003
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wpsyc.2012.01.003
Mikulincer, M., & Shaver, P.R. (2015). The psychological effects of the contextual activation of security-enhancing mental representations in adulthood. Current Opinion in Psychology, 1, 18-21. doi: 10.1016/j.copsyc.2015.01.008
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.copsyc.2015.01.008
Mikulincer, M., & Shaver, P.R. (2020). Broaden-and-build effects of contextually boosting the sense of attachment security in adulthood. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 29, 22-26. doi: 10.1177/0963721419885997
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0963721419885997
Moccia, L., Janiri, D., Pepe, M., Dattoli, L., Molinaro, M., De Martin, V., ... Di Nicola, M. (2020). Affective temperament, attachment style, and the psychological impact of the COVID-19 outbreak: an early report on the Italian general population. Brain, Behavior, and Immunity, 87, 75-79. doi: 10.1016/j.bbi.2020.04.048
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bbi.2020.04.048
Pascuzzo, K., Cyr, C., & Moss, E. (2013). Longitudinal association between adolescent attachment, adult romantic attachment, and emotion regulation strategies.
Attachment and Human Development, 15, 83-103. doi: 10.1080/14616734.2013.745713
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/14616734.2013.745713
Pietrantonio, F., De Gennaro, L., Di Paolo, M.C., & Solano, L. (2003). The Impact of Event Scale: Validation of an Italian version. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 55, 389-393. doi: 10.1016/S0022-3999(02)00638-4
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S0022-3999(02)00638-4
Preti, E., Di Mattei, V., Perego, G., Ferrari, F., Mazzetti, M., Taranto, P., Di Pierro, R., Madeddu, F., & Calati, R. (2020a). The psychological impact of epidemic and pandemic outbreaks on healthcare workers: Rapid review of the evidence. Current Psychiatry Reports, 22, 43. doi: 10.1007/s11920-020-01166-z
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11920-020-01166-z
Preti, E., Di Pierro, R., Fanti, E., Madeddu, F., & Calati, R. (2020b). Personality disorders in time of pandemic. Current Psychiatry Reports, 22, 80. doi: 10.1007/s11920-020-01204-w
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11920-020-01204-w
Preti, E., Di Pierro, R., Perego, G., Bottini, M., Casini, E., Ierardi, E., ... Di Mattei, V. (2021). Short-term psychological consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic: Results of the first wave of an ecological daily study in the Italian population. Psychiatry Research, 305, 114206. doi: 10.1016/j.psychres.2021.114206
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychres.2021.114206
Prunas, A., Sarno, I., Preti, E., Madeddu, F., & Perugini, M. (2012). Psychometric properties of the Italian version of the SCL-90-R: A study on a large community sample. European Psychiatry, 27, 591-597. doi: 10.1016/j.eurpsy.2010.12.006.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eurpsy.2010.12.006
Qiu, J., Shen, B., Zhao, M., Wang, Z., Xie, B., & Xu, Y. (2020). A nationwide survey of psychological distress among Chinese people in the COVID-19 epidemic: implications and policy recommendations. General Psychiatry, 33, e100213. doi: 10.1136/gpsych-2020-100213.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1136/gpsych-2020-100213
Riva Crugnola, C., Bottini, M., Madeddu, F., Preti, E., & Ierardi, E. (2021). Psychological distress and attachment styles in emerging adult students attending and not attending a university counselling service. Health Psychology Open, 8, 1-9. doi: 10.1177/20551029211016120.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/20551029211016120
Rossi, M, De Salve, F., Agliati, M, & Oasi, O. (2022). Coping strategies and mental health: A web-based survey among the Italian population dealing with COVID-19. Research in Psychotherapy: Psychopathology, Process and Outcome, 25, 609. doi: 10.4081/ripppo.2022.609
DOI: https://doi.org/10.4081/ripppo.2022.609
Rossi, R., Socci, V., Talevi, D., Mensi, S., Niolu, C., Pacitti, F., ... Di Lorenzo, G. (2020). COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown measures impact on mental health among the general population in Italy. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 11, 790. doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2020.00790
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2020.00790
Sameer, A.S., Khan, M.A., Nissar, S., & Banday, M.Z. (2020). Assessment of mental health and various coping strategies among general population living under imposed COVID-lockdown across world: a cross-sectional study. Ethics, Medicine and Public Health, 15, 100571. doi: 10.1016/j.jemep.2020.100571
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jemep.2020.100571
Sarno, I., Preti, E., Prunas, A., & Madedu, F. (2011). SCL-90-R Symptom Checklist-90-R adattamento italiano. Giunti, Organizzazioni Speciali: Firenze.
Segal, S., Sharabany, R., Maaravi, Y., (2021). Policymakers as safe havens: The relationship between adult attachment style, COVID-19 fear, and regulation compliance. Personality and Individual Differences, 177, 110832. doi: 10.1016/j.paid.2021.110832
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2021.110832
Shaver, P.R., Schachner, D.A., & Mikulincer, M. (2005). Attachment style, excessive reassurance seeking, relationship processes, and depression. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 31, 343-359. doi: 10.1177/0146167204271709.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0146167204271709
Tagini, S., Brugnera, A., Ferrucci, R., Mazzocco, K., Pievani, L., Priori, A., ... Poletti, B. (2021). Attachment, personality and locus of control: psychological determinants of risk perception and preventive behaviors for COVID-19. Frontiers in Psychology, 12, 634012. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.634012
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.634012
Tang, W., Hu, T., Hu, B., Jin, C., Wang, G., Xie, C., Chen, S., & Xu, J. (2020). Prevalence and correlates of PTSD and depressive symptoms one month after the outbreak of the COVID-19 epidemic in a sample of home-quarantined Chinese university students. Journal of Affective Disorders, 274, 1-7. doi: 10.1016/j.jad.2020.05.009.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2020.05.009
Tambelli, R., Cimino, S., Marzilli, E., Ballarotto, G., & Cerniglia, L. (2021). Late adolescents’ attachment to parents and peers and psychological distress resulting from COVID-19. A study on the mediation role of alexithymia. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18, 10649. doi: 10.3390/ijerph182010649
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph182010649
Vowels, L.M., & Carnelley, K.B. (2021). Attachment styles, negotiation of goal conflict, and perceived partner support during COVID-19. Personality and Individual Differences, 171, 110505. doi: 10.1016/j.paid.2020.110505
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2020.110505
Vowels, L.M., Carnelley, K.B., & Stanton, S.C. (2022). Attachment anxiety predicts worse mental health outcomes during COVID-19: Evidence from two studies. Personality and Individual Differences, 185, 111256. doi: 10.1016/j.paid.2021.111256
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2021.111256
Wang, C., Pan, R., Wan, X., Tan, Y., Xu, L., Ho, C.S., & Ho, R.C. (2020). Immediate psychological responses and associated factors during the initial stage of the 2019 coronavirus disease (COVID-19) epidemic among the general population in China. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17, 1729. doi: 10.3390/ijerph17051729
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17051729
Weiss, D.S., & Marmar, C.R. (1997). The Impact of Event Scale-Revised. In J. P. Wilson, & T. M. Keane (Eds.), Assessing psychological trauma and PTSD: A practitioner’s handbook (pp. 399-411). Guilford Press: New York.
World Health Organization (2020). Mental health and psychosocial considerations during the COVID-19 outbreak, March 18, 2020. Available from: https://www.who.int/docs/default-source/coronaviruse/mental-health-considerations.pdf (accessed January 20 2022).
How to Cite
Ierardi, E., Bottini, M., Preti, E., Di Pierro, R., Madeddu, F., & Riva Crugnola, C. (2023). Attachment styles, mental health, and trauma during the first wave of COVID-19 pandemic in an Italian adult population. Research in Psychotherapy: Psychopathology, Process and Outcome, 26(3). https://doi.org/10.4081/ripppo.2023.689
Copyright (c) 2024 the Author(s)
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
PAGEPress has chosen to apply the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC 4.0) to all manuscripts to be published.
Similar Articles
- Danijela Maras, Louise Balfour, Monique Lefebvre, Giorgio A. Tasca, Attachment insecurity predicts outcomes in an ACT-CBT group therapy for adults in a physical rehabilitation centre , Research in Psychotherapy: Psychopathology, Process and Outcome: Vol. 25 No. 3 (2022): SPECIAL ISSUE: "Group psychotherapy: between settled benchmarks and new horizons"
- Samantha Reis, Emily L. Matthews, Brin F.S. Grenyer, Characteristics of effective online interventions: implications for adolescents with personality disorder during a global pandemic , Research in Psychotherapy: Psychopathology, Process and Outcome: Vol. 23 No. 3 (2020)
- Bruno Faustino, António Branco Vasco, João Delgado, António Farinha-Fernandes, José Carlos Guerreiro, Exploring the impacts of COVID-19 related social distancing on loneliness, psychological needs and symptomatology , Research in Psychotherapy: Psychopathology, Process and Outcome: Vol. 23 No. 3 (2020)
- Giorgio Falgares, Giulia Costanzo, Giovanna Manna, Dorian A. Lamis, Childhood emotional maltreatment and internalizing problems in a non-clinical sample of adolescents: a moderated-mediation model of insecure anxious attachment style and gender , Research in Psychotherapy: Psychopathology, Process and Outcome: Vol. 27 No. 2 (2024)
- Vera Békés, Claire J. Starrs, J. Christopher Perry, Tracy A. Prout, Ciro Conversano, Mariagrazia Di Giuseppe, Defense mechanisms are associated with mental health symptoms across six countries , Research in Psychotherapy: Psychopathology, Process and Outcome: Vol. 26 No. 3 (2023)
- Cecilia Serena Pace, Ester D'Onofrio, Viviana Guerriero, Giulio Cesare Zavattini, A proposal for a brief-term post-adoption intervention in the attachment-perspective: a single case study with a late-adopted child and his adoptive mother , Research in Psychotherapy: Psychopathology, Process and Outcome: Vol. 19 No. 1 (2016): Special issue on Qualitative and Quantitative Research in Child and Adolescent Psychotherapy: part 2
- Federica Bonazza, Lidia Borghi, Eugenia Cao di San Marco, Kyrie Piscopo, Francesca Bai, Antonella d’Arminio Monforte, Elena Vegni, Psychological outcomes after hospitalization for COVID-19: data from a multidisciplinary follow-up screening program for recovered patients , Research in Psychotherapy: Psychopathology, Process and Outcome: Vol. 23 No. 3 (2020)
- Irene Messina, Vincenzo Calvo, Alessandro Grecucci, Attachment orientations and emotion regulation: new insights from the study of interpersonal emotion regulation strategies , Research in Psychotherapy: Psychopathology, Process and Outcome: Vol. 26 No. 3 (2023)
- Vasiliki Yotsidi, Theodora Anastasiou, Konstantinos Doulgeris, Panagiota Theodosiou, Clive Richardson, Trauma focused-cognitive behavioral therapy training effectiveness in promoting professional development of psychotherapists working with unaccompanied minors in Greece: a non-blinded randomized control trial , Research in Psychotherapy: Psychopathology, Process and Outcome: Vol. 27 No. 2 (2024)
- Victoria Klimkowski, Sofia McRae, Alexia Blick, Laurence Beaulieu, J. Reese S. Handley, Anara A. Hopley, Caroline A. Hyde, Devika M. Jain, Sylvia Kolodziejczyk, Josiane Laliberté, Alexa Lévesque, Lara M. Masri, Anya M. Monet, Reagan S. Nediu, Rachel Valihrach, Giorgio Tasca, Models of practice and training in psychotherapy: cross-national perspectives from Italy and Canada , Research in Psychotherapy: Psychopathology, Process and Outcome: Vol. 27 No. 1 (2024)
You may also start an advanced similarity search for this article.
