The Mediating Role of Affective Empathy in the Relationship Between Insecure Attachment and Depressive Symptoms Among Emerging Adult

Insecure attachment is regarded as a risk factor for depressive symptoms. However, insecure attachment can be divided into attachment avoidance and anxiety, so a better understanding of the relationship between attachment avoidance, attachment anxiety, and depressive symptoms is needed. The current study applied a structural equation model to verify our hypothesis that different facets of affective empathy mediate the relationship between attachment avoidance, attachment anxiety, and depressive symptoms. The participants of this study included four hundred and sixty-four undergraduate students who completed the Experiences in Close Relationships-Relationship Structures Questionnaire, Interpersonal Reactivity Index, and Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale. The results indicated that the correlation between attachment avoidance and depressive symptoms was mediated by empathic concern, while the correlation between attachment anxiety and depressive symptoms was mediated by personal distress. These results implied that attachment avoidance and attachment anxiety work on depressive symptoms through different pathways.