Exploring Attachment Dynamics: Implications for Overgeneralized Memory and Rumination

Sammanfattning: Objective and Methods: This thesis investigates the relationship between insecure attachment (anxiety and avoidance), rumination, and overgeneralized episodic memory retrieval in nonclinical adults, addressing the potential moderating role of rumination in the attachment- overgeneralization link. A community sample of 41 Swedish-speaking women participated in a narrative memory task involving attachment and non-attachment narratives. Two sets of 120 narratives were counterbalanced and presented using E-Prime. Participants classified narratives in a memory task as either ‘old’, ‘similar’, or ‘new’, assessing overgeneralization. Adult attachment styles were assessed using the Experiences in Close Relationships Scale- Revised (ECR-R), with the Ruminative Response Scale-Short Form (RRS-SF) evaluating rumination tendencies. The Marlowe Crowne Social Desirability Scale-Swedish (MCSDS-S) controlled for social desirability bias. Memory indices, including the Overgeneralization Index (OI) and Memory Discrimination (MD), were computed for analysis. Mixed models examined the impact of attachment anxiety and avoidance on overgeneralization (OI), with additional analyses exploring the moderating role of rumination. Results and Conclusion: Contrary to expectations, attachment anxiety and avoidance did not predict overgeneralized memory (H1). Rumination did not significantly moderate the attachment-overgeneralization relationship, but interactions between attachment anxiety and avoidance, respectively, and different forms of rumination were found for memory discrimination (H2). Overgeneralization was higher for attachment narratives than non-attachment (H3), but MD results varied. In conclusion, results offer valuable insights into the complicated relationship between insecure attachment, rumination, and overgeneralized memory in nonclinical adults, highlighting crucial avenues for future research in understanding the nuanced dynamics of attachment-related memory processes.