Attachment Insecurity and Psychological Flexibility in Emergent Adulthood: The Mediating Role of Self-Compassion
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.24193/subbpsyped.2026.1.07Keywords:
attachment anxiety, attachment avoidance, psychological flexibility, experiential avoidance, self-compassionAbstract
Attachment is a crucial component of development throughout life and attachment security is a resilience factor, contributing to adjustment to life challenges, as well as educational context. The current research aims to approach attachment dimensions, in relation to psychological flexibility and inflexibility and self-compassion, investigating a mediation model of self-compassion in the relationship between attachment avoidance and anxiety dimensions and psychological flexibility. The research also aims to collect data on the complex relationships between the three aforementioned constructs and their components, global self-compassion and its components, anxious and avoidant attachment. The research included 50 participants, a population of college students, who agreed to complete measures of anxiety and avoidance in attachment relationships, self-compassion, and psychological flexibility and inflexibility. Our results indicate significant correlations between attachment anxiety, self-compassion, and psychological flexibility and inflexibility. Two total mediation effects were found in the association between the attachment anxiety dimension and self as context and the attachment anxiety dimension and fusion, relationships mediated by self-compassion. Our results will be discussed in the light of the needs of emergent adults, in terms of both mental health and guidance towards healthy development in emergent adulthood.
References
Ainsworth, M. D., Blehar, M., Waters, E., & Wall, S. (1978). Patterns of attachment: A psychological study of the Strange Situation. Psychological Press.
Bakermans-Kranenburg, M. J., & van IJzendoorn, M. H. (2016). Attachment, parenting, and genetics. In J. Cassidy & P. R. Shaver (Eds.), Handbook of attachment: Theory, research, and clinical applications (3rd ed., pp. 155–179). Guilford Press.
Barnard, L. K., & Curry, J. F. (2011). Self-compassion: Conceptualizations, correlates, & interventions. Review of General Psychology, 15(4), 289-303. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0025754
Baron, R. M., & Kenny, D. A. (1986). The moderator–mediator variable distinction
in social psychological research: Conceptual, strategic, and statistical considerations. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 51(6), 1173–1182. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.51.6.1173
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(2), 226.
Beduna, K. N., & Perrone-McGovern, K. M. (2019). Recalled childhood bullying victimization and shame in adulthood: The influence of attachment security, self-compassion, and emotion regulation. Traumatology, 25(1), 21.
Bowlby, J. (1973). Attachment and loss: Volume II: Separation, anxiety and anger. The Hogarth Press and the Institute of Psycho-Analysis.
Bowlby, J. (1982). Attachment and loss: Retrospect and prospect. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 52(4), 664–678. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1939-0025.1982.tb01456.x
Calvo, V., D’Aquila, C., Rocco, D., & Carraro, E. (2022). Attachment and well-being: Mediatory roles of mindfulness, psychological inflexibility, and resilience. Current Psychology, 41, 2966–2979.
Cantazaro, A. E., & Wei, M. (2010). Adult attachment, dependence, self-criticism, and depressive symptoms: A test of a mediational model. Journal of Personality, 78, 1135–1162.
Cowand, A., Amarsaikhan, U., Ricks, R. F., et al. (2024). Self-compassion is associated with improved well-being and healthier cortisol profiles in undergraduate students. Mindfulness, 15, 1831–1845. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12671-024-02383-w
Dahl, J. C., Plumb, J. C., Stewart, I., & Lundgren, T. (2009). The art and science of valuing in psychotherapy: Helping clients discover, explore, and commit to valued action using Acceptance and Commitment Therapy. New Harbinger Publications.
Fraley, R. C., Heffernan, M. E., Vicary, A. M., & Brumbaugh, C. C. (2011). The Experiences in Close Relationships—Relationship Structures Questionnaire: A method for assessing attachment orientations across relationships. Psychological Assessment, 23(3), 615–625. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0022898
Fraley, R. C., Waller, N. G., & Brennan, K. A. (2000). An item-response theory analysis of self-report measures of adult attachment. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 78, 350-365.
Germer, C. K., & Neff, K. D. (2013). Self-compassion in clinical practice. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 69(8), 856-867. https://doi.org/10.1002/jclp.22021
Hayes, A. F. (2013). Introduction to mediation, moderation, and conditional process analysis: A regression-based approach. Guilford Press.
Hayes, J. A., Lockard, A. J., Janis, R. A., & Locke, B. D. (2016). Construct validity of the Self-Compassion Scale-Short Form among psychotherapy clients. Counseling Psychology Quarterly, 29(4), 405-422.
Hayes, S. C., Luoma, J. B., Bond, F. W., Masuda, A., & Lillis, J. (2006). Acceptance and commitment therapy: Model, processes, and outcomes. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 44(1), 1-25.
Heffernan, M., Quinn Griffin, M. T., Sister Rita McNulty, & Fitzpatrick, J. J. (2010). Self-compassion and emotional intelligence in nurses. International Journal of Nursing Practice, 16(4), 366-373. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1440-172X.2010.01853.x
Hollis-Walker, L., & Colosimo, K. (2011). Mindfulness, self-compassion, and happiness in non-meditators: A theoretical and empirical examination. Personality and Individual Differences, 50(2), 222-227. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2010.09.033
Huang, M., & Wu, E. Z. (2025). The associations between self-compassion and adult attachment: A meta-analysis. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 42(2).
Main, M. & Solomon, J. (1986) ‘Discovery of a new, insecuredisorganized/disoriented attachment pattern’. In M. Yogman & T.B. Brazelton (Eds.), Affective Development in Infancy (pp. 95–124). Norwood, NJ: Ablex
Mikulincer, M., & Orbach, I. (1995). Attachment styles and repressive defensiveness: The accessibility and architecture of affective memories. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 68, 917–925.
Mikulincer, M., Gillath, O., & Shaver, P. R. (2002). Activation of the attachment system
in adulthood: Threat-related primes increase the accessibility of mental representations of attachment figures. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 83, 881–895.
Mikulincer, M., Shaver, P. R., & Pereg, D. (2003). Attachment theory and affect regulation: The dynamics, development, and cognitive consequences of attachment-related strategies. Motivation and Emotion, 27(2), 77-102.
Muris, P., Bongers, K., Schenning, C., Meesters, C., & Otgaar, H. (2022). Self-compassion correlates of anxiety and depression symptoms in youth: A comparison of two self-compassion measures. Children (Basel), 9(12), 1930. https://doi.org/10.3390/children9121930
Nas, E., Taytaş, M., & Vangölü, M. S. (2026). The role of self compassion and psychological flexibility in the relationship between perseverance and life satisfaction among academics. BMC Psychology, 14, 9.
Neff, K. (2003). Self-compassion: An alternative conceptualization of a healthy attitude toward oneself. Self and Identity, 2(2), 85-101.
Neff, K. D. (2003). Development and validation of a scale to measure self-compassion. Self and Identity, 2, 223-250.
Neff, K. D., & McGehee, P. (2010). Self-compassion and psychological resilience among adolescents and young adults. Self and Identity, 9, 225-240.
Neff, K. D., Kirkpatrick, K. L., & Rude, S. S. (2007). Self-compassion and adaptive psychological functioning. Journal of Research in Personality, 41(1), 139–154. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jrp.2006.03.004
Neff, K., & Tirch, D. (2013). Self-compassion and ACT. In Mindfulness, acceptance, and positive psychology: The seven foundations of well-being (pp. 78–106).
Pietromonaco, P. R., & Feldman Barrett, L. (2000). The internal working models concept: What do we really know about the self in relation to others? Review of General Psychology, 4, 155–175.
Raes, F., Pommier, E., Neff, K. D., & Van Gucht, D. (2011). Construction and factorial validation of a short form of the Self-Compassion Scale. Clinical Psychology & Psychotherapy, 18(3), 250-255. https://doi.org/10.1002/cpp.702
Raque-Bogdan, T. L., Ericson, S. K., Jackson, J., Martin, H. M., & Bryan, N. A. (2011). Attachment and mental and physical health: Self-compassion and mattering as mediators. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 58(2), 272.
Renshaw, T. L. (2018). Probing the relative psychometric validity of three measures of psychological inflexibility. Journal of Contextual Behavioral Science, 7, 47-54.
Rolffs, J. L., Rogge, R. D., & Wilson, K. G. (2018). Disentangling components of flexibility via the HEXAFLEX model: Development and validation of the multidimensional psychological flexibility inventory (MPFI). Assessment, 25(4), 458-482. https://doi.org/10.1177/1073191116645905
Sagüés de la Maza, S., Moreno-Jiménez, B., & Blanco-Donoso, L. M. (2026). The mediation role of resilience and psychological inflexibility in the relationship between attachment and well-being. Behavioral Psychology, 34(1), 50638.
Sahinler, Y., Dindar, M. D., & Koc, M. C. (2026). The effect of psychological flexibility, self-compassion, and mindfulness on mental health among university students. Frontiers in Psychology, 17, 1757032.
Salande, J. D., Hawkins, I. I., & Raymond, C. (2017). Psychological flexibility, attachment style, and personality organization: Correlations between constructs of differing approaches. Journal of Psychotherapy Integration, 27(3), 365.
Satir, V. (1988). The new peoplemaking. Science & Behavior Books.
Simpson, J. A., & Karantzas, G. C. (2018). Editorial overview: Attachment in adulthood: A dynamic field with a rich past and a bright future. Current Opinion in Psychology. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.copsyc.2018.10.012
Smeets, E., Neff, K., Alberts, H., & Peters, M. (2014). Meeting suffering with kindness: Effects of a brief self-compassion intervention for female college students. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 70(9), 794-807. https://doi.org/10.1002/jclp.22076
Tyndall, I., Waldeck, D., Pancani, L., Whelan, R., Roche, B., & Pereira, A. (2020). Profiles of psychological flexibility: A latent class analysis of the Acceptance and Commitment Therapy model. Behavior Modification, 44(3), 365-393.
Williams, E. C. (2015). Self-compassion and self-forgiveness as mediated by rumination, shame-proneness, and experiential avoidance: Implications for mental and physical health (Doctoral dissertation, East Tennessee State University). Digital Commons @ East Tennessee State University.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Studia Universitatis Babeș-Bolyai Psychologia-Paedagogia
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
