The mediating role of adult anxious and avoidant attachment in the relationship between avoidant personality beliefs and childhood emotional neglect

Childhood neglect and abuse can be passed through generations and can create a base for different psychological problems in later phases of one's life. However, inadequate amount of research on emotional abuse and neglect has been observed. The purpose of this study was to research the mediating role of adult anxious and avoidant attachment styles in the relationship between childhood emotional neglect and avoidant personality beliefs. 393 participants aged between 18-65 (M = 33.24, SD = 11.72) participated to the research as volunteers. Personality Belief Questionnaire (PBQ), Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ-33) and Experiences in Close Relationship-Revised (ECR-R) were used in online settings to collect the data. Meaningful and positive correlations were observed between emotional neglect, emotional abuse, physical neglect, and overprotection- overcontol with avoidant personality beliefs and adult insecure attachment styles. Relationships with physical and sexual abuse were negatively correlated or were not significant. Multiple regression results showed that childhood emotional abuse and overprotective-controlling behaviors of the parent predicted avoidant personality beliefs, positively. Similarly, both adult insecure attachment styles positively predicted avoidant personality beliefs. Especially, the effects of emotional abuse and anxious attachment style seem to have a bigger role, compared to the other subdimensions. A stepwise regression analysis between anxious attachment and emotional abuse showed that being anxiously attached in a romantic relationship has a bigger influence on avoidant personality beliefs than abused emotionally in childhood. Parallel mediation results indicated that early experienced emotional neglect positively predicted avoidant personality beliefs through adult anxious attachment style. According to the multiple regression results, emotional neglect did not predict avoidant personality beliefs. Therefore, an alternative model with experiences of childhood trauma was set. In alternative model, anxious attachment path was also significant. Research findings were discussed in the consideration of the present literature, and suggestions for later research, experts and families were presented.