Relationship between Attachment Styles in Childhood and Emotional Disorders in Adolescence: A Structural Model for the Mediating Role of Identity and Defense Mechanisms

Adolescence is a crucial period for many mental disorders, particularly emotional disorders. This study aimed to explore the structural relationships between attachment styles and adolescents' emotional disorders considering the mediating role of defense mechanisms and identity styles.

The present study was conducted based on a correlational design and was carried out using structural equation modeling. The statistical population included all high school students in Sari (Mazandaran Province, Iran) studying in the 2019-20 academic year. The study sample included 163 students chosen through a multistage cluster sampling method. The data were collected using the Defense Style Questionnaire (Andrews et al.1993), the Extended Objective Measure of Ego Identity Status-2 (Bennion and Adams, 1986), the Beck Anxiety Inventory (Beck et al., 1990), the Beck Depression Inventory (Beck et al., 1961), and Adult Attachment Inventory (Besharat, 2009). The collected data were analyzed using SPSS/AMOS software (version 25) applying the Structural equation modeling method.

The findings showed that attachment styles (β=-0.23) and defense mechanisms (β=0.75) directly affected emotional disorders. Furthermore, attachment styles indirectly affected emotional disorders via mediating role of defense mechanisms (β=-0.39). Examination of the indicators of model quality also showed that most of the model fit indicators were in the desired range (RMSEA=0.7; GFI=0.95).

In general, mature defense mechanisms, as a protective factor, can mediate the relationship between insecure attachment styles and emotional disorders in adolescents, whereas identity styles cannot. In general, the relationship and effect of attachment styles and defense mechanisms on emotional disorders indicate that developed defense mechanisms can be considered an anti-shock between traumatic attachment styles and emotional disorders in adolescents