Attachment as a Core Feature of Resilience: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Abstract

Background Research has pointed to secure attachment as a possible key factor of resilience in adulthood. Objective We aimed to investigate the role of secure attachment as a potential core feature in the properties of resilience. Methods We conducted a systematic review in accordance with PRISMA guidelines followed by a meta-analysis. Results Thirty-three studies were included in the review, and 10 of these, including 2305 subjects, were used for meta-analysis. The raw correlation coefficients ranged from .20 to .57, which indicated weak to moderate correlations between resilience and attachment. The synthesized correlation coefficients indicated that the correlations were significant and highly unlikely to be due to random variation. All studies are also reported on qualitatively. Conclusions In both of our meta-analyses and in the narratively reported studies, we found that secure attachment is associated with the presence of resilience.