Attachment Style and Anxiety Symptoms: The Moderating Role of Self-Compassion and Nonattachment

Abstract

The present study explored the relationship between insecure attachment styles and anxiety symptoms, while also investigating the potential moderating role of self-compassion and nonattachment as protective factors. A total of 180 Romanian adults participated in the study by completing an online questionnaire that included measures of attachment (Romanian Version of the Experiences in Close Relationships, ECR Scale; Sava & Negrei, 2006), self-compassion (Self- Compassion Scale, SC; Neff, 2003), nonattachment (Nonattachment Scale – Short Form, NAS-SF; Chio et al., 2018), and anxiety symptoms (Generalized Anxiety Disorder- 7, GAD-7; Spitzer et al., 2006). Results showed that insecure attachments were positively associated with anxiety, while both self-compassion and nonattachment were negatively correlated with it. However, moderation analyses revealed that neither self-compassion nor  nonattachment significantly moderated the relationship between attachment insecurity and anxiety symptoms. These findings indicate the importance of relational experiences even from childhood and suggest the potential of self-compassion and nonattachment as protective factors.