Associations between insecure attachment and sexual experiences

• Published in: Personal relationships Vol. 11; no. 2; pp. 249 - 265
• Main Authors: Gentzler, Amy L., Kerns, Kathryn A.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford, UK; Malden, USA Blackwell Publishing Ltd/Inc 01.06.2004
• ISSN: 1350-4126; 1475-6811
• DOI: 10.1111/j.1475-6811.2004.00081.x

Associations between insecure attachment and sexual experiences were tested in a sample of 328 college students. Variations in adult attachment previously have been shown to relate to sexual behaviors, with the current study extending earlier work by examining different sexual outcomes and by testing factors that may account for these relations. Avoidant attachment was expected to relate to engagement in casual sex (i.e., a greater number of sexual partners and lower percentage of partners within committed relationships), with less restrictive sexual beliefs mediating the relations. In contrast, anxious attachment was expected to relate to more unwanted but consensual sexual experiences, and to more negative affect about sexual experiences, with low self‐esteem mediating the relations. Results showed some support for the hypotheses. Avoidant attachment was related to the type (but not number) of sexual partners, with sexual beliefs mediating the relations. A greater number of unwanted but consensual sexual experiences related to anxious and avoidant attachment for women and to avoidant attachment for men. Anxiety related to negative affect for women and men, and self‐esteem served as a partial mediator of these relations.