Comparison of factors affecting attachment styles in university students

Insecure attachment, one of the attachment styles, has been associated with increased body mass index (BMI) and increased social appearance anxiety and risk of eating disorders. People with an anxious ambivalent attachment style were significantly associated with increased social appearance anxiety, body weight dissatisfaction, and body image dissatisfaction. This work was conducted to determine the relationship between attachment styles and social appearance anxiety, body mass index and body weight satisfaction in university students aged 18-26. The study was conducted on 399 volunteers (254 females, 145 males) aged 18-26 years. A face-to-face questionnaire was used to determine the demographic characteristics and body weight satisfaction of the participants, the Three-Dimensional Attachment Styles Scale was used to determine the attachment styles, and the Social Appearance Anxiety Scale (SSAS) was used to determine the social appearance anxiety. As a result of the study; There was no significant difference between attachment styles and BMI groups, current BMI and ideal BMI, body weight satisfaction and age. There is a positive and significant relationship between avoidant attachment styles and desired body weight. There was also a significant difference between BMI classification in terms of social appearance anxiety.