Attachment and quality of life in Australian religious African diasporas : a mixed methods study

Developmental processes involving social relationships and attachment behavioural system have been extensively studied over the last two decades. However, little is known about how these experiences may contribute to health-related quality of life (HQoL) outcomes in migrant contexts, including that of the African diaspora. This project aims to contribute to cross-cultural psychological experiences by examining how different types of attachment in adults are understood to inform relationships and coping with stress and place change in a migration context. This is done by investigating the relationships between attachment to Australia, attachment to God relational spirituality, and HQoL outcomes (including psychological health, environmental health, physical health, and social relationship quality) among Australian African diasporas using both quantitative (N=261) and qualitative (N-15) research methods. In the quantitative phase of the study, it was first hypothesised that attachment to Australia and other sense of place attitudes will be positively associated with HQoL outcomes; this hypothesis received firm support. Second, it was estimated that the adult attachment experience of the participants, involving relational spirituality, in the form of attachment to God will be positively associated with HQoL outcomes; it was further proposed that this relationship will be contingent on the educational background of the participants. This hypothesis was confirmed in a moderation analysis, suggesting the moderating role of attachment to God in the link between educational background and HQoL outcomes. Third, it was further hypothesised that there will be an interaction effect between attachment to Australia and attachment to God on HQoL outcomes. However, contrary to proposed hypothesis there was no significant interaction effect between both attachment processes, suggesting that they may be developing from a different attachment motivational system. Results show strong levels of attachment among the participants, in that they were attached to Australia as an important place in their lives and attached to God as a source for negotiating their day-to-day quality of life. In the qualitative phase, results of the quantitative studies were examined in more depth using follow-up interviews. First, it was found that indeed the respondents were developing pro-environmental coping strategies by developing place affect, place behaviour, and place cognition in response to the experience of forced acculturation that they are confronted with. Although respondents’ pro-environmental coping strategies were helpful in regulating their quality of life and social belonging in Australia, they were rather used as a maneuver to respond to the stigma associated with being perceived as ‘immigrants’ or ‘outsiders’ in their new abode. Second, respondents’ relational spirituality was expressed as a multidimensional religious coping construct involving personal, social, and environmental dimensions, which were central in dealing with their migration challenges and life stressors. Findings about the role of attachment in a migration context could be considered as an adjustment/support strategy that those working with migrants could integrate in the support services that they offer them. Healthcare professionals working with migrants need a more sophisticated understanding of their attachment processes and adaptability to place change in relation to their coping behaviours and quality of life. This can include creating training workshops on the efficacy of adult attachment styles for building resilience in migrant communities; awareness about the challenges associated with migration and migrant attachment; and funding for research on the negative impact of attachment separation in migrant communities. Thesis by publication