Adult Attachment, Emotional Intelligence, Affect Regulation, and Self-Reported Distress in First-Year College Students at a Predominantly White University

The transition to college presents developmental challenges for young adults similar to those presented by Ainsworth et al. (1978) laboratory "strange situation" for young children. For both, adaptation to an unfamiliar environment is facilitated by managing anxiety that otherwise interferes with exploration. According to the Mikulincer and Shaver (2018) model of attachment dynamics, when coping with threats, adults who cannot recruit support from a secure attachment figure engage in one of two secondary strategies: hyperactivation or deactivation. Each strategy is associated with unique patterns of affect regulation deficits that lead to psychological distress (Nielsen et al., 2017). In our study, undergraduates (N = 122; 83% White) 2 months after starting college at a predominantly White university completed survey measures of adult attachment, emotional intelligence, emotion regulation, and psychological distress. More than 25% reported symptoms above a clinical cutoff for significant distress. Cross-sectional correlation findings supported a model with associations between adult attachment insecurity and psychological distress, mediated by emotional intelligence and affect regulation deficits. Consistent with the Mikulincer and Shaver (2018) attachment hyperactivation and deactivation model, attachment anxiety, but not avoidance, was associated with problems in impulse control and repairing negative moods. Avoidance, but not anxiety, was associated with devaluing attending to feelings. Two variables appear to be especially important mediators: lack of clarity about feelings and lack of strategies for emotion regulation. Counseling interventions that address these skills deficits may assist new students with insecure attachment to persist and flourish in college.