Attachment and Depressive Symptoms in Adolescence: The Mediatory Role of Emotion Awareness

Abstract

Attachment seems to influence depression through emotion regulation. However, no study has yet examined the mediatory role of emotion awareness, a particular subset of emotion regulation abilities, in the relationship between attachment and depressive problems in early and middle adolescence. The aim of this study is to examine the direct and indirect effects of attachment on depressive symptoms in adolescence, considering the mediatory role of emotion awareness dimensions. A sample of adolescents (n = 223) filled up self-report questionnaires on attachment, emotion awareness and depression. Serial mediation models suggest direct effects on depression: negative for secure attachment and positive for anxious/ambivalent attachment. Anxious/ambivalent attachment has a positive indirect effect through lower differentiation of emotions. Both secure and anxious/ambivalent attachment have indirect positive effects on depression through the sequence of bodily unawareness and differentiation of emotions. Differentiating emotions has a central role in mediating the relationship between attachment and depressive symptoms, and the lack of bodily awareness of emotions contributes to such mediation.