Increasing supportive responses to a peer’s distress following a loss: The role of attachment orientations, security priming, and previous experience with loss

Many bereaved college students find their peers’ support to be unhelpful. This study explored whether previously unexamined individual-difference factors and experimental priming of felt security (i.e., confidence in support availability) can influence supportive responses to a bereaved peer among university students (N = 202; 76% female; 44% White, 24% Asian, 15% Black, 10% Multiracial, 8% other identities). Attachment insecurity (avoidance and anxiety) predicted less supportive responses, whereas previous personal experience with loss predicted more supportive responses. Students who were randomly assigned to a brief experimental intervention to boost felt security (i.e., security priming) reported being more likely to help a bereaved peer. Security priming also moderated the associations between attachment avoidance (but not anxiety) and both empathy and personal distress. Additionally, previous experience with loss strengthened the association between security priming and lower caregiving anxiety. This study offers insights into factors that may bolster peer support for bereaved individuals.