Document Type
Article
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
10.1007/s10826-013-9763-9
Journal Title
Journal of Child and Family Studies
Publication Date
5-16-2013
Abstract
Fredrickson’s (1998) broaden-and-build model and Bowlby’s (1969) attachment theory provide alternate explanations for positive cognitive, social, physical, and psychological outcomes, positive affect and secure attachments, respectively. This study examined whether affect mediates the relationship between attachment and positive outcomes. The sample consisted of 99 undergraduate students from a small, public liberal arts college in the mid-Atlantic region. For people high in attachment anxiety, but not those high in attachment avoidance, affect partially mediated social and psychological outcomes and fully mediated health outcomes. People who scored high in attachment anxiety reported less positive affect and more negative affect, which results in poorer social, physical, and psychological outcomes than those with lower levels of attachment anxiety. Perhaps children with caregivers who are more responsive to their needs experience more positive affect; and, it is the experience of positive affect that yields developmental advantages.
Publisher Statement
This is a post-peer-review, pre-copyedit version of an article published in Journal of Child and Family Studies. The final authenticated version is available online at: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-013-9763-9.
Full citation:
Schiffrin, H.H. J Child Fam Stud (2014) 23: 1062. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-013-9763-9
Recommended Citation
Schiffrin, Holly H., "Positive Psychology and Attachment: Positive Affect as a Mediator of Developmental Outcomes" (2013). Psychological Science. 6.
https://scholar.umw.edu/psychological_science/6