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Loneliness and attachment patterns in young adults
Author(s) -
Hecht Diana Taylor,
Baum Steven K.
Publication year - 1984
Publication title -
journal of clinical psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.124
H-Index - 119
eISSN - 1097-4679
pISSN - 0021-9762
DOI - 10.1002/1097-4679(198401)40:1<193::aid-jclp2270400136>3.0.co;2-2
Subject(s) - loneliness , psychology , feeling , affect (linguistics) , developmental psychology , attachment theory , clinical psychology , ucla loneliness scale , young adult , social isolation , psychiatry , social psychology , communication
Loneliness is a pervasive problem for many young adults. How early attachement patterns affect later development of loneliness was investigated in a college sample. Forty‐seven young adults residing in Los Angeles were screened for race, disability, age and SES and then administered an attachment history questionnaire and several measures of loneliness, including the Revised UCLA Loneliness Scale. Pearson correlations revealed a moderate to strong relationship between feeling lonely and early disrupted attachment. The results of the study are consistent with Bowlby's notion that underlying attachment disorders may affect subsequent psychological development and social behavior.