سبک دلبستگی و عزت نفس: نقش واسطه ای شخصیت نوع D

Previous research indicates that attachment style, Type D personality and self-esteem may be interrelated. The present study hypothesizes that Type D personality mediates the relationship between attachment and self-esteem. Participants (n = 555) filled in questionnaires on Type D personality (DS14), self-esteem (Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale) and attachment (Relationship Questionnaire; RQ). Direct effects and the mediation model were evaluated through multiple logistic regression analyses and Sobel tests. Attachment style and Type D personality were both significantly related to self-esteem. Moreover, attachment style was significantly associated with Type D personality. Sobel tests confirmed that Type D personality partly mediates the relationship between attachment style and self-esteem. This is the first study to date exploring possible mediators affecting the well established link between attachment style and self-esteem.

Attachment theory (Bowlby, 1973 and Bowlby, 1980) has become an important framework for explaining individual differences in adult personality and social interaction (Collins and Read, 1990 and Hazan and Shaver, 1987). It has been proposed that attachment experiences are important for the shaping of a person’s self-image and the internal image of others (Ainsworth, 1989, Bartholomew and Horowitz, 1991, Bowlby, 1973 and Griffin and Bartholomew, 1994). The attachment model of Bartholomew and Horowitz (1991) couples attachment styles to models of self and others. Securely attached individuals have a positive model of both self and others, fearfully attached individuals have a negative image of both self and others, whereas preoccupied individuals have a positive image of others and a negative image of self. Finally, dismissive individuals have a positive image of self and a negative image of others. Secure and dismissive individuals therefore share a positive image of self, whereas fearfully and preoccupied individuals have a negative image of self in common.

This is the first study to assess the relationships between attachment theory, Type D personality and self-esteem in conjunction, establishing a mediating influence of Type D personality on the relationship between attachment style and self-esteem, thereby giving supplementary clarification regarding the mechanisms responsible for individual differences in self-esteem. Interventions aimed at increasing self worth therefore may have to take Type D personality into account. Moreover, identifying risk factors for the development of Type D personality is important, since there is accumulating evidence that Type D personality is an important risk factor for cardiovascular disease and events (Denollet, 2005, Denollet et al., 2006, Kupper and Denollet, 2007, Pedersen and Denollet, 2006 and Pedersen et al., 2004).