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Containing Attachment Concerns: Does Trait Mindfulness Buffer the Links between Attachment Insecurity and Maladaptive Sexual Motivations?

Journal of sex research
October 1, 2023
H C Dixon et al. (3 authors)
Journal ArticleReviewResearch Support, Non-U.S. Gov'tHuman Study
Study Details

Study Goal

The researchers aimed to determine whether trait mindfulness moderates the links between attachment insecurity and maladaptive sexual motives.

Results Summary

Higher levels of the acting with awareness facet of trait mindfulness eliminated the links between attachment anxiety and maladaptive sexual motives (e.g., sex to cope and affirm the self). However, mindfulness increased maladaptive sexual motives in individuals with attachment avoidance.

Population

194 participants with measures of trait mindfulness, general sexual motivations, and attachment.

Effective Dosage

Not specified

Duration

Not specified

Interactions

None mentioned

Extracted Claims (3)
InterventionDirectionEndpointPopulationDosageImpactClaim #
trait mindfulness
no change
links between attachment insecurity and maladaptive sexual motives
Participants (N = 194)
-
moderates the links between attachment insecurity and maladaptive sexual motives
#1
acting with awareness facet of trait mindfulness
decrease
links between attachment anxiety and having sex to cope and affirm the self
individuals reporting higher levels of the acting with awareness facet of trait mindfulness
-
eliminated
#2
acting with awareness mindfulness
increase
extent to which more avoidantly attached individuals reported coping and self-affirmation-based sexual motives
more avoidantly attached individuals
-
appeared to increase the extent
#3
Abstract

Individuals reporting greater insecure attachment are more likely to report maladaptive sexual motivations, such as sex to avoid negative relational and personal outcomes (e.g., conflict). Despite the costs of such sexual motivations, research is less clear regarding what might buffer the extent to which attachment insecurities manifest in such motives. The current study examined whether trait mindfulness moderates the links between attachment insecurity and maladaptive sexual motives. Participants (N = 194) completed measures of trait mindfulness, general sexual motivations, and attachment. As predicted, the links between attachment anxiety and having sex to cope and affirm the self were eliminated among individuals reporting higher levels of the acting with awareness facet of trait mindfulness. No such buffering effects were seen for attachment avoidance. Instead, acting with awareness mindfulness appeared to increase the extent to which more avoidantly attached individuals reported coping and self-affirmation-based sexual motives. These findings contribute to knowledge regarding the potential utility and limits of mindfulness in relational and sexual contexts, perhaps suggesting that mindfulness may help anxiously attached individuals manage the extent to which attachment concerns manifest in maladaptive sexual motivations. Findings of the study may inform both theory regarding mindfulness in interpersonal functioning and how mindfulness interventions might be deployed in sex therapy contexts.

Medical Subject Headings (MeSH)
HumansMotivationMindfulnessSexual BehaviorAnxietyAnxiety Disorders
Study Links
Quality Scores
SafetyNot Assessed
Efficacy75/10
Quality70/10
Citation Metrics
Total Citations3
Citations/Year1.5
Relative Citation Ratio1.90
NIH Percentile72.9%
Research Impact Scores
APT Score0.05
Weight Score2.39
Normalized Score0.64
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