Alexithymia, Attachment and Fear of Intimacy in Young Adults

Abstract

The present study explored the relationship between alexithymia and adult attachment. There were 100 participants aged 18–30 years (63 females) who completed the following questionnaires: demographics, Revised Adult Attachment Scale (RAAS), Depression Anxiety Stress Scales (DASS-21), Fear of Intimacy Scale (FIS), and Toronto Alexithymia Scale 20 (TAS-20). Findings revealed predicted associations of TAS-20 alexithymia scores with insecure attachment as assessed by RAAS (i.e., lower scores on Close and Depend, and higher scores on Anxiety), fear of intimacy as assessed by FIS, and the DASS-21 index of negative mood. After controlling for age, gender and negative mood, fear of intimacy mediated the association of alexithymia with insecure attachment. Limitations of the study and implications of the findings are discussed.

Keywords

• personality
• attachment
• intimacy
• emotions