Stability and change in adult attachment styles: associations with personal vulnerabilities, life events. and global construals of self and others

The current study examined the predictors of stability and change in adult attachment styles in a community sample (N = 442) of women who underwent an abortion. Across a two-year time period, 46% of our participants changed their attachment style, suggesting that these styles may be relatively flexible. Among those women who changed their attachment style, stable vulnerability factors (a history of depression and/or abuse) were related to increases in insecurity over time, whereas changes in global construals of self and others (e.g., increases in self-esteem and perceptions of social support) were related to increases in security over time. Relationship-related life events (e.g., divorce, the death of someone close) were not strongly related to attachment style stability or change. Finally, changes in attachment style across time were accompanied by corresponding changes in overall mental health. These findings suggest that although attachment styles are moderately stable over time, meaningful change in these styles can be linked to a change in understanding of personal and interpersonal experiences, and to dispositional risk factors. Results also highlight the importance of differentiating the factors that predict increased security over time from those that predict increased insecurity over time.