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RESEARCH PRODUCT

Alexithymia and Adult Attachment: Investigating the Mediating Role of Fear of Intimacy and Negative Mood Regulation Expectancies

Iwona HintertanMatteo Angelo FabrisClaudio LongobardiLaura Badenes-riberaDawid Konrad ScigalaElzbieta Zdankiewicz-scigala

subject

AdultMaleAlexithymiaMediation (statistics)Sexual Behavior050109 social psychologyConvenience sample050105 experimental psychologyFear of intimacyadult attachmentAlexithymiaIntervention (counseling)adult attachment; Alexithymia; fear of intimacy; negative mood regulationmedicineHumans0501 psychology and cognitive sciencesAffective SymptomsAssociation (psychology)General Psychology05 social sciencesMean ageFearfear of intimacynegative mood regulationmedicine.diseaseObject AttachmentNegative moodAffectFemalePsychologyClinical psychology

description

Literature suggests an association between alexithymia and insecure adult attachment, but the mediation factors involved in this relationship are under-investigated. The study was carried out to test the possible mediation roles of the fear of intimacy and negative mood regulation expectancies in explaining this relationship. A convenience sample of 258 Polish adults (mean age: 30; 45% male), completed self-reporting measures related to adult attachment (RAAS), alexithymia (TAS-20), fear of intimacy (FIS) and negative mood regulation expectancies (NMRE). The results showed that alexithymia directly and indirectly predicts insecure adult attachment. Alexithymia positively predicts the fear of intimacy, which, in turn, positively predicts insecure adult attachment. Finally, alexithymia negatively predicts NMRE which, in turn, predict insecure adult attachment. It emerges from our data that the fear of intimacy and NMRE may be mediating factors in the relationship between alexithymia and adult attachment. Limitations, future directions of research and guidance for intervention are discussed.

yearjournalcountryeditionlanguage
2021-04-22Psychological Reports
https://doi.org/10.1177/00332941211010252