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Self‐Reported Attachment Styles in the Danish General Population: Gender and Age‐Related Differences and Associations With Mental Health.

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Title: Self‐Reported Attachment Styles in the Danish General Population: Gender and Age‐Related Differences and Associations With Mental Health.
Authors: Simonsen, Sebastian (AUTHOR), Austin, Stephen (AUTHOR), Gondan, Matthias (AUTHOR), Hestbaek, Emilie (AUTHOR), Juul, Sophie (AUTHOR), Moeller, Stine Bjerrum (AUTHOR)
Source: Scandinavian Journal of Psychology. Jun2026, Vol. 67 Issue 3, p725-735. 11p.
Subjects: Self-evaluation, Cross-sectional method, Emotion regulation, Scale analysis (Psychology), Statistical models, Mental health, Attachment behavior, Population health, Sex distribution, Questionnaires, Mental illness, Multiple regression analysis, Age distribution, Psychological well-being, Economic status, Cultural values, Social norms, Symptom burden, Descriptive statistics, Chi-squared test, Surveys, Gender inequality, Statistics, Interpersonal relations, Social comparison, Confidence intervals, Psychosocial functioning
Geographic Terms: Denmark
Abstract: Insecure attachment styles are associated with psychopathology and mental health problems. However, there are only a few large, nationally representative studies on the relationship between attachment and mental health, leaving a gap in our knowledge about the distribution of attachment styles across age groups and gender. In this cross‐sectional study of the Danish general population aged 18–79, we present self‐reported attachment styles in 3597 adults assessed with the Relationship Questionnaire. We describe the distributions of attachment styles both categorically and dimensionally, their differences depending on age and gender, as well as the correlation with different indices of mental health. Overall, 65% of the respondents reported being securely attached, with slightly more women being securely attached than men. 35% of the respondents reported being insecurely attached, with men being more likely to be dismissing and women more likely to be preoccupied. In terms of age, there was a steady increase in attachment security until around the age of 60 years. Self‐reported attachment in the population showed low to moderate correlations with symptoms of mental health disorders, psychosocial function, and well‐being. Secure attachment was positively correlated with well‐being and negatively associated with poor psychosocial functioning. The high level of self‐reported attachment security in Denmark is likely the result of it being a relatively wealthy and gender‐equal society. Gender and age differences in terms of attachment insecurity can be understood in terms of both socio‐cultural norms, social comparison, and maturation theories. Whether these findings reflect common developmental trajectories or cohort effects remains a topic for further investigation. Key Points: Only a few studies have examined self‐reported attachment styles in large, nationally representative studies. Consequently, the effects of gender and age on attachment styles remain a topic of scientific interest.Previous studies have found cultural differences in the distribution between genders and age groups.Denmark is considered a wealthy country with a high level of gender equality. In our sample, 65% reported being securely attached, which aligns with previous studies documenting high levels of secure attachment in Northern Europe.Our findings indicate that men tend to report a more dismissing attachment style. Fearful and preoccupied attachment are more prevalent among younger people.Secure attachment is associated with positive mental health, whereas insecure attachment is linked to poorer mental health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Copyright of Scandinavian Journal of Psychology is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
Database: Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection
FullText Text:
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  Data: Self‐Reported Attachment Styles in the Danish General Population: Gender and Age‐Related Differences and Associations With Mental Health.
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="JN" term="%22Scandinavian+Journal+of+Psychology%22">Scandinavian Journal of Psychology</searchLink>. Jun2026, Vol. 67 Issue 3, p725-735. 11p.
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  Data: Insecure attachment styles are associated with psychopathology and mental health problems. However, there are only a few large, nationally representative studies on the relationship between attachment and mental health, leaving a gap in our knowledge about the distribution of attachment styles across age groups and gender. In this cross‐sectional study of the Danish general population aged 18–79, we present self‐reported attachment styles in 3597 adults assessed with the Relationship Questionnaire. We describe the distributions of attachment styles both categorically and dimensionally, their differences depending on age and gender, as well as the correlation with different indices of mental health. Overall, 65% of the respondents reported being securely attached, with slightly more women being securely attached than men. 35% of the respondents reported being insecurely attached, with men being more likely to be dismissing and women more likely to be preoccupied. In terms of age, there was a steady increase in attachment security until around the age of 60 years. Self‐reported attachment in the population showed low to moderate correlations with symptoms of mental health disorders, psychosocial function, and well‐being. Secure attachment was positively correlated with well‐being and negatively associated with poor psychosocial functioning. The high level of self‐reported attachment security in Denmark is likely the result of it being a relatively wealthy and gender‐equal society. Gender and age differences in terms of attachment insecurity can be understood in terms of both socio‐cultural norms, social comparison, and maturation theories. Whether these findings reflect common developmental trajectories or cohort effects remains a topic for further investigation. Key Points: Only a few studies have examined self‐reported attachment styles in large, nationally representative studies. Consequently, the effects of gender and age on attachment styles remain a topic of scientific interest.Previous studies have found cultural differences in the distribution between genders and age groups.Denmark is considered a wealthy country with a high level of gender equality. In our sample, 65% reported being securely attached, which aligns with previous studies documenting high levels of secure attachment in Northern Europe.Our findings indicate that men tend to report a more dismissing attachment style. Fearful and preoccupied attachment are more prevalent among younger people.Secure attachment is associated with positive mental health, whereas insecure attachment is linked to poorer mental health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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  Data: <i>Copyright of Scandinavian Journal of Psychology is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract.</i> (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
PLink https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=pbh&AN=193655701
RecordInfo BibRecord:
  BibEntity:
    Identifiers:
      – Type: doi
        Value: 10.1111/sjop.70065
    Languages:
      – Code: eng
        Text: English
    PhysicalDescription:
      Pagination:
        PageCount: 11
        StartPage: 725
    Subjects:
      – SubjectFull: Self-evaluation
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Cross-sectional method
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Emotion regulation
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Scale analysis (Psychology)
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Statistical models
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Mental health
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Attachment behavior
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Population health
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Sex distribution
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Questionnaires
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Mental illness
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Multiple regression analysis
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Age distribution
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Psychological well-being
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Economic status
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Cultural values
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Social norms
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      – SubjectFull: Descriptive statistics
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      – SubjectFull: Chi-squared test
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      – SubjectFull: Surveys
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Gender inequality
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Statistics
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      – SubjectFull: Interpersonal relations
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      – SubjectFull: Social comparison
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      – SubjectFull: Confidence intervals
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      – SubjectFull: Psychosocial functioning
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Denmark
        Type: general
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      – TitleFull: Self‐Reported Attachment Styles in the Danish General Population: Gender and Age‐Related Differences and Associations With Mental Health.
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              Text: Jun2026
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              Y: 2026
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