The relationship between stress severity and attachment representations among university students in Lebanon

Abstract

It is well known that stress and attachment have a dynamic relationship, with each influencing the other, where stress activates the attachment system, and early attachmentrelationships remain active throughout the life span as a regulator at times of stress. However, the relationship between stress and the four attachment representations that emerged in the Lebanese youth (Secure Interdependence, Secure Distancing, Insecure Detached, and Insecure Unresolved) was yet to be explored. Thus, this study aims to assess the relationship between stress severity and attachment representations in university students in Lebanon. The research sample comprised 231 male and female university students in Lebanon, aged between 18 and 27. The Arabic versions of the L’Echelle Toulousaine de Stress (ETS) and the Cartes-Modèles Individuels de Relations (CaMir) were used to measure stress severity and attachment representations, respectively. Results showed that the most privileged attachment representation among the research sample was Secure Distancing attachment. Additionally, there was a significant positive correlation between stress severity and the four attachment representations, where regression analysis showed that the four attachment representations positively predicted stress severity. There were no significant gender differences in the relationship. These findings highlight the importance of therapeutic and parenting interventions concerning the role of attachment relationships in the development of stress regulation across the lifespan.