Attachment and social networks

Mitigating the affective and cognitive consequences of social exclusion: an integrative data analysis of seven social disconnection interventions

BACKGROUND

Being socially excluded has detrimental effects, with prolonged exclusion linked to loneliness and social isolation. Social disconnection interventions that do not require direct support actions (e.g., "how can I help?") offer promise in mitigating the affective and cognitive consequences of social exclusion. We examine how various social disconnection interventions involving friends and unknown peers might mitigate social exclusion by buffering (intervening before) and by promoting recovery (intervening after).

METHODS

We present an integrative data analysis (IDA) of five studies (N = 664) that systematically exposed participants to exclusion (vs. inclusion) social dynamics. Using a well-validated paradigm, participants had a virtual interaction with two other people. Unbeknownst to participants, the other people's behavior was programmed to either behave inclusively toward the participant or for one to behave exclusively. Critically, our social disconnection interventions experimentally manipulated whether a friend was present (vs. an unknown peer vs. being alone), the nature of interpersonal engagement (having a face-to-face conversation vs. a reminder of an upcoming interaction vs. mere presence), and the timing of the intervention in relation to the social dynamic (before vs. during vs. after). We then assessed participants' in-the-moment affective and cognitive responses, which included mood, feelings of belonging, sense of control, and social comfort.

RESULTS

Experiencing exclusion (vs. inclusion) led to negative affective and cognitive consequences. However, engaging in a face-to-face conversation with a friend before the exclusion lessened its impact (p < .001). Moreover, a face-to-face conversation with a friend after exclusion, and even a reminder of an upcoming interaction with a friend, sped-up recovery (ps < .001). There was less conclusive evidence that a face-to-face conversation with an unknown peer, or that the mere presence of a friend or unknown peer, conferred protective benefits.

CONCLUSIONS

The findings provide support for the effectiveness of social disconnection interventions that involve actual (i.e., face-to-face) or symbolic (i.e., reminders) interactions with friends. These interventions target momentary vulnerabilities that arise from social exclusion by addressing negative affect and cognitions before or after they emerge. As such, they offer a promising approach to primary prevention prior to the onset of loneliness and social isolation.

Collective Reactions to Epidemic Threat: Attachment and Cultural Orientations Predict Early COVID-19 Infection and Mortality Rates and Trajectories

Hypotheses on culture-level attachment and individualism/collectivism relationships with COVID-19 infection and death rates during a period at the beginning of the epidemic were tested in data from 53 countries and 50 U.S. states. Results from multilevel growth curve analyses showed group-average anxious attachment predicted a lower initial number of cases and deaths cross-culturally and in the United States, while avoidant attachment predicted a higher initial number of COVID-19 infections in the United States and a higher initial number of deaths in both studies. Yet, during this period, culture-level anxious attachment was associated with a higher growth rate of infections and deaths, while a lower growth rate of infections and deaths was observed in countries and U.S. states with higher individualism and avoidance. The research provides new insights into attachment and culture relationships and points to different mechanisms that may explain initial and growth rate trajectories at the beginning of the epidemic.

Insecure attachment as a transdiagnostic risk factor for major psychiatric conditions: A meta-analysis in bipolar disorder, depression and schizophrenia spectrum disorder

Insecure attachment has been suggested as a major risk factor for mental health problems as well as a key element for the development and trajectory of psychiatric disorders. The aim of this meta-analysis was to assess whether insecure attachment constitutes a global transdiagnostic risk factor in bipolar disorder, depression, and schizophrenia spectrum disorders. We conducted a PRISMA-based systematic quantitative review to explore the prevalence of insecure attachment among patients of three representative psychiatric disorders - major depression, schizophrenia spectrum disorders and bipolar disorder - in comparison with healthy controls (HC) from a transdiagnostic point of view. Effect sizes on differences of anxious, avoidant and insecure prevalence were calculated based on 40 samples including a total of n = 2927 individuals. Overall, results indicated a large effect on prevalence of insecure attachment across all disorders compared to HC (k = 30, g = 0.88, I² = 71.0%, p < 0.001). In a transdiagnostic comparison, the only difference was found in avoidant attachment, which was significantly lower (p = 0.04) compared to HC in the schizophrenia spectrum disorder subgroup (k = 10, g = 0.31, I² = 76.60%, p < 0.0001) than the depression subgroup subgroup (k = 12, g = 0.83, I² = 46.65%, p < 0.0001). The lack of further transdiagnostic differences between three distinct psychiatric disorders corroborates insecure attachment as a general vulnerability factor to psychopathology. Our findings warrant further investigations, which should explore the pathways from attachment insecurity towards psychopathology. Insecure attachment likely has implications on assessment, prediction and treatment of psychiatric patients.

Loneliness-based impaired reward system pathway: Theoretical and clinical analysis and application

Loneliness is a key determinant in the etiology of mental health disorders such as depression and has profound impacts on health, quality of life, and economic productivity. This narrative review uses extant neurobiology and evolutionary literature to propose a construct through which loneliness may induce depression in adulthood via the reward system (including symptom and treatment aspects). Early childhood (distal) factors were found to be important in influencing adult (proximal) factors, which lead to the formulation of the construct. Due to the heterogenous and comorbid nature of depression, a new subtype known as 'reward depression' was distinguished along with distinct symptoms to aid practitioners when assessing patient treatment options. Furthermore, an evolutionary perspective was applied to the current impaired reward construct to discuss how the ancestral purpose and environment (in terms of reward) clashes with the modern one. Finally, theoretical treatment and prevention ideas were examined and discussed, leading into future work that needs to build upon and confirm the outlined construct.

Attachment style moderates the relationship between social media use and user mental health and wellbeing

Background

Past research has correlated social media use with a variety of mental health outcomes – both positive and negative. The current study aims to explore two possible moderators of the link between social media use and mental health outcomes; specifically, the effects of having an anxious and/or avoidant attachment style.

Method

A cross-sectional correlational design was implemented. Participants (n = 124). aged ≥18 years completed scales measuring experiences in close relationships, general problematic Internet use, psychological wellbeing and satisfaction with life.

Results

Negative relationships between problematic social media use and both psychological wellbeing and life satisfaction were observed. For psychological wellbeing, the relationship was strongest amongst individuals who were low in avoidant attachment and high in anxious attachment.

Discussion

These results suggest that attachment style impacts the extent that social media affects user mental health and wellbeing; partly explaining paradoxical results in previous research.

Conclusion

We suggest that individuals who are high in anxious attachment and low in attachment avoidance may be more susceptible to negative outcomes arising from problematic SNS use.

Non-attachment and happiness: mediating versus moderating roles of grit personality

Background

Studies have revealed that grit personality and non-attachment are positively associated with happiness. Grittier people are happier while they persist in pursuing their long-term goal, whereas non-attached people are hap-pier as they are not clinging onto any object. These contrasting findings seem to suggest that the two concepts may have some relevancies. Accordingly, this study aims to use the mediator and moderator models to exam-ine whether grit personality either moderates or mediates the effects of non-attachment on happiness.

Participants and procedure

Three hundred sixty undergraduates were recruited by the purposive sampling method to participate in a survey. They needed to fill in the Short Grit Scale, Non-Attachment Scale and Subjective Happiness Scale.

Results

The results showed that non-attachment is positively associated with a component of grit; that only persever-ance of efforts, but not consistency of interest, was positively associated with non-attachment. In addition, per-severance of efforts mediates rather than moderates the effects of non-attachment on happiness.

Conclusions

The findings suggesting that non-attached people are happier does not mean they detach from life. They are able to work with perseverance on their long-term goals, but they do not attach to the outcome of their goals. The findings provide further conceptual clarification of grit personality and non-attachment and further infor-mation to educators and program managers while designing programs to improve happiness.

Four-year course of quality of life and obsessive-compulsive disorder

OBJECTIVE

Patients with obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) have high disease burden. It is important to restore quality of life (QoL) in treatment, so that patients become able to live a fulfilling life. Little is known about the longitudinal course of QoL in patients with OCD, its association with remission from OCD, and about factors that contribute to an unfavourable course of QoL in remitting patients.

METHODS

Study on the 4-year course of QoL of patients with chronic (n = 144), intermittent (n = 22), and remitting OCD (n = 73) using longitudinal data of the Netherlands Obsessive Compulsive Disorder Association (NOCDA; complete data: n = 239; imputed data n = 382). The EuroQol five-dimensional questionnaire (EQ-5D) utility score was used to assess QoL. In patients with remitting OCD, we examined patient characteristics that contributed to an unfavourable course of QoL, including sociodemographics, OCD characteristics, psychiatric comorbidity, and personality traits.

RESULTS

Course of QoL was associated with course of OCD. QoL improved in those who remitted from OCD; however, even in these patients, QoL remained significantly below the population norms. The correlation between QoL and severity of OCD was only moderate: r = - 0.40 indicating that other factors besides OCD severity contribute to QoL. In remitters, more severe anxiety and depression symptoms were related to a lower QoL. Results were similar in complete and imputed data sets.

CONCLUSIONS

Remission from OCD is associated with improvement of QoL, but comorbid anxiety and depression symptoms hamper the improvement of QoL. QoL could be improved by reducing OCD symptoms in patients with OCD and by treating comorbid anxiety and depression symptoms in remitting patients.