Changes in Adult Attachment Styles in American College Students Over Time: A Meta-Analysis

The current article examines changes over time in a commonly used measure of adult attachment style. A cross-temporal meta-analysis was conducted on 94 samples of American college students (total N = 25,243, between 1988 and 2011) who chose the most representative description of four possible attach...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Personality and social psychology review 2014-11, Vol.18 (4), p.326-348
Main Authors: Konrath, Sara H., Chopik, William J., Hsing, Courtney K., O’Brien, Ed
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
College students
Female
Humans
Interpersonal Relations
Male
Meta-analysis
Models, Psychological
Object Attachment
Questionnaires
Social sciences
Student behavior
Students - psychology
Surveys and Questionnaires
Systematic review
United States
Universities
Young Adult
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Summary:The current article examines changes over time in a commonly used measure of adult attachment style. A cross-temporal meta-analysis was conducted on 94 samples of American college students (total N = 25,243, between 1988 and 2011) who chose the most representative description of four possible attachment styles (Secure, Dismissing, Preoccupied, and Fearful) on the Relationship Questionnaire. The percentage of students with Secure attachment styles has decreased in recent years (1988: 48.98%; 2011: 41.62%), whereas the percentage of students with Insecure attachment styles (sum of Dismissing, Preoccupied, Fearful) has increased in recent years (1988: 51.02%; 2011: 58.38%). The percentage of students with Dismissing attachment styles has increased over time (1988: 11.93%; 2011: 18.62%), even after controlling for age, gender, race, and publication status. Positive views of others have declined across the same time period. We discuss possible implications and explanations for these changes.
ISSN:1088-8683
1532-7957
DOI:10.1177/1088868314530516