The Effects of Secure, Ambivalent, and Avoidant Attachment Styles on Number of Codependent Behaviors and Relationship Satisfaction

Attachment is an important area of study within psychology as individuals learn how to attach and connect with others from childhood into adulthood. An individual’s attachment to parents and caregivers can impact how the individual is able to attach, connect, and trust others in relationships with friends and romantic partners. These attachment styles can impact an individual’s ability to connect and trust in romantic relationships. Examining secure, ambivalent, and avoidant styles; codependent behaviors; and relationship satisfaction is important as codependency continues to be a growing concern, causing unhealthy relationship patterns to develop. Fifty adult participants were recruited from Facebook groups and completed a screening questionnaire, demographics, and three scales to determine attachment style, co-dependent behaviors, and relationship satisfaction. The purpose of the study was to identify the differences among secure, ambivalent, and avoidant attachment styles in relationship satisfaction and on number of codependent behaviors. It was hypothesized that there are differences among secure, ambivalent, and avoidant attachment styles, as individuals with ambivalent and avoidant attachment would report poorer relationship satisfaction. It was also hypothesized that there are differences among secure, ambivalent, and avoidant attachment styles, as individuals with ambivalent and avoidant attachment would report higher numbers of codependent behaviors. A one-way ANOVA was used to analysis the differences among the variables. There was significance found with both hypotheses, as both null hypotheses were rejected