Attachment and well-being: Mediatory roles of mindfulness, psychological inflexibility, and resilience

This study aimed to investigate the mediational role of dispositional mindfulness, psychological inflexibility, and resilience in the link between attachment orientations and psychological well-being. Ninety-six adult participants in this cross-sectional study completed self-report measures of adult attachment (ECR-R), dispositional mindfulness (FFMQ), psychological inflexibility (AAQ-II), resilience (RSA), and psychological well-being (PWB). Correlation analyses showed that higher levels of attachment anxiety and attachment avoidance were associated with lower levels of psychological well-being. Multiple mediation analyses, simultaneously taking the parallel action of the mediators into account, indicated that the link between attachment orientations and well-being is fully mediated by dispositional mindfulness, psychological inflexibility, and resilience. Both attachment anxiety and attachment avoidance may significantly reduce individuals' well-being by increasing their psychological inflexibility and decreasing their resilience and mindfulness. It might be useful to develop interventions designed to improve the psychological well-being of insecurely attached individuals by promoting their self-awareness, mindfulness, and resilience, as well as reducing their psychological inflexibility.

Automated summary

This study found that attachment anxiety and attachment avoidance were negatively correlated with psychological well-being. Dispositional mindfulness, psychological inflexibility, and resilience fully mediated the relationship between attachment orientations and well-being. Attachment anxiety and attachment avoidance may decrease individuals' well-being by increasing psychological inflexibility and decreasing resilience and mindfulness. Therefore, interventions aimed at improving the psychological well-being of insecurely attached individuals should focus on promoting self-awareness, mindfulness, and resilience while reducing psychological inflexibility.