Age, Attachment and Loneliness Role in Prediction of Psychological Distress in Women

Radojević, Ivana. (2012). Age, Attachment and Loneliness Role in Prediction of Psychological Distress in Women. Diploma Thesis. Filozofski fakultet u Zagrebu, Department of Psychology. [mentor Jokić-Begić, Nataša].

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Abstract

A large number of women are facing depression, anxiety and stress states in different stages of their lives. Among women, it is very important to consider these issues in the context of the social aspect of one's life. The aim of this study was to compare socioemotional functioning of women in adolescence and different periods of adulthood. We also examined the contribution of age, loneliness and two attachment dimensions in prediction of psychological distress. The measurment instruments that were used are the UCLA Loneliness Scale, the part of the Social Support Questionairre, Revised Adult Attachment Scale and the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale 21. The research was carried out online and 319 women of different age groups took part in it. The results suggest negative relation between age and depression, anxiety and stress. Adolescents suffer significantly more from these problems, compared to other age groups, which could be explained by more prominent attachment anxiety dimension, as it proved to be the mediator between age and psychological distress. Women with more prominent attachment avoidance, also suffer more from psychological distress. In this relationship, loneliness turned out to be a mediator variable. Exploring the emotional support received from the social network, we have several findings. There is no age differences in quantity of received support, but, concerning quality, the trend of age-related decrease is noticeable.

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