The Relationship between social anxiety, attachment styles and the quality of friendships and romantic relationships
Year: 2018
Type: dissertation
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: This research aims to examine if social anxiety and attachment styles including secure, fearful-avoidant, preoccupied and dismissing attachment predict the quality of friendships and romantic relationships. Participants from the general population (n= 105) aged 18-23 completed questionnaires online including the Social Interaction Anxiety Scale-Short Form, the Friendship Quality Scale, the Feeling Close and Intimate Scale and the Attachment Style Questionnaire-Short Form. Secure attachment predicted better quality friendships and romantic relationships. Secure attachment predicted better quality romantic relationships more strongly and to a statistically significant level (β= .34, p= .014). Fearful-avoidant attachment predicted poorer quality friendships and romantic relationships but this was not statistically significant. Preoccupied attachment predicted better quality friendships and romantic relationships but this was a very weak prediction specifically for friendship quality and was not statistically significant. Dismissing attachment predicted poorer quality romantic relationships only but was not statistically significant. Higher levels of social anxiety predicted poorer quality friendships only but this was not statistically significant. Overall, the model in this study was stronger and statistically significant in explaining romantic relationship quality (Adjusted R2= .21, P= .005). The main implications of this study include supporting the implementation of and benefitting psychological interventions.
Source: NORMA
Author: Sarah Livesey
Language: English
Subfield: Social Psychology
Field: Psychology
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2896316372