Psychobiological research on attachment

Abstract

Over the past decade, psychobiological research on adult attachment has increased dramatically. We review recent findings regarding associations between attachment style and patterns of reactivity in the hypothalamic—pituitary—adrenocortical axis and the autonomic nervous system. The overall pattern of results suggests that both anxiety and avoidance are associated with heightened hypothalamic—pituitary—adrenocortical and autonomic nervous system reactivity to stress, consistent with the notion that attachment insecurity is associated with deficits in emotion regulation. The finding of heightened physiological reactivity among avoidant individuals is particularly notable, given that avoidant individuals typically report dampened levels of subjective distress. Key directions for future study include greater investigation into profiles of physiological functioning across multiple systems and contexts and greater consideration of the relative importance of childhood versus adult patterns of attachment insecurity for adult physiological functioning.